Ardbeg 1999 Galileo 12 Year Old

Marsala

Reviewed by
Connosr member:

markjedi1

Date:

23rd Sep 2012

Reviewer rating:

About this score:

The average score for this whisky is 89.

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Tasting Notes by markjedi1

Ardbeg is one of the most hyped distilleries of Scotland, but not completely unwarrented. They have launched many great whiskies so far. The anticipation for this new Ardbeg Galileo reached new heights, making the bottle sell like crazy and hard to find already. It is a 12 Year Old from 1999, finished on Marsala casks, the sweet wine from Sicily.

The nose is typically Ardbeg, with the peat, seeweads and tar, but that is completely rounded out with very fruity notes from melon, peach and pineapple. There is even a hint of chocolate. No peat in your face, but a warm welcome to Islay, with loads of sweet fruits.

The palate is the perfect continuation of the nose, in which the Marsala again makes sure it does not turn too peaty. The pineapple dries, reminding me of pineapple cubes. A bit of citrus. Oranges and lime. Softly spiced with a slight bitterness as if from cloves. Very accessible.

The finish is medium long and remains fruity, therefor excluding any resemblance with the regular Ardbeg 10 Year Old.

This is a fine and modern Ardbeg, which threatens to disappoint the truly die-hard peatfreaks because of the sweetness. But to me, it is more than a nice addition to the Ardbeg range.

Whisky details

Distillery/Brand:

Ardbeg

Bottling:

Ardbeg 1999 Galileo 12 Year Old

Region:

Islay

ABV:

49%

Colour:

Young Sauternes

Ardbeg 1999 Galileo 12 Year Old Marsala Reviewed on 2012-09-23T12:54:00 scoring 86/100 by markjedi1

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Comments

Victor wrote:

I don't see sweetness getting in the way of any peat lovers' enjoyment with Ardbeg Galileo. Those "die-hard peatfreaks" love Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and I don't find Ardbeg Galileo to be any sweeter than that.

It is always wonderful to find a high-peat whisky that succeeds well with wine flavours worked into the mix. And these Marsala flavours in Ardbeg Galileo are not an afterthought or a subtle accent, but are prominently displayed on the cover of the publication.

23 September 2012 13:07

Onlyhalfmad wrote:

Nice review, just a small point but it is not finished but a mixture of two types of cask.

10 October 2012 21:25

markjedi1 wrote:

@Onlyhalfmad - thanks for pointing that out! Indeed, it seems that it is not a finish, but a marriage. My bad.

10 October 2012 22:33

BlissInABarrel wrote:

interesting! hmm...i'll have to revisit this one again. i felt that the smoke emerged towards the end of the finish line, which reminded me of javier bardem in "No Country for Old Men"--kinda innocuous at first, but he comes out of nowhere and kicks u in the booter. though, i'll have to agree that there is that sweet, dark fruit note as the main core. i like your review! :D

17 December 2012 02:52