Ardbeg 1999 Galileo Bottled 2012 70cl / 49%

A bottle of Ardbeg Galileo Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Galileo is a celebration of the experiment whereby small quantities of Ardbeg spirit were sent into space at the end of 2011 to understand how whisky ages under zero gravity.

Ardbeg Galileo was released in 2012 and is made up of spirit distilled in 1999, some of which spent its full term of maturation in casks that previously held Marsala.

Ardbeg distillery began producing whisky commercially in 1815 and quickly became a valued fixture in the Islay community, with housing, a school and even a bowling green on the site. The distillery went through tough times in the early 20th century and was acquired by DCL and Hiram Walker in 1959. An increased demand for peated whisky in the 1960s and 1970s saw Ardbeg source malt from nearby Port Ellen, and the late 1970s marked the end of an era of self-sufficiency for the distillery. Mothballed in the 1980s, it was purchased by Glenmorangie in 1997 and today it is part of LVMH.

Despite or perhaps because of its turbulent history, the distillery maintains a cult following, with over 120000 members of the Ardbeg Committee worldwide.

This Ardbeg 1999 Galileo sold at our online auction for £160