tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post2694496150175194300..comments2024-03-16T11:28:41.525-04:00Comments on Diving for Pearls: Single Malt Report: Ardbeg Galileo 1999Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-13570724556713956152014-02-17T17:14:01.683-05:002014-02-17T17:14:01.683-05:00Ardbeg does like to keep a little mystery going wi...Ardbeg does like to keep a little mystery going with their limited releases. Good on ya for getting a couple bottles of the Day, back in the day. Had I known they were going to vanish so quickly, I would have done the same.<br /><br />Regarding the two 2012 releases, the Galileo is such an oddball for the brand and so completely unrelated to "space" or "Galileo" that it's kind of a headscratcher. One could theorize that it was a massive experiment that they had to release or else take a hit financially, but then they'd be releasing something of lower quality and risking damaging their brand. Ultimately everyone has his own palate and Arbeg keeps selling whisky.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-79585719353561807712014-02-13T19:05:17.177-05:002014-02-13T19:05:17.177-05:00According to the label on my bottle of Ardbeg Day,...According to the label on my bottle of Ardbeg Day, this was indeed finished for six months in refill-sherry casks. However the label also states that two styles of Ardbeg were vatted and then finished in those casks. Those two styles are not elaborated upon so it could be an ex-bourbon and ex-sherry cask, two different peating levels, or something else entirely.<br /><br />I did find it odd Ardbeg decided to do two limited releases in 2012 with Ardbeg Day serving as the Feis Ile Festival release. However it looks like someone at marketing decided to bring the festival to the rest of the world (there were Ardbeg Day events in numerous cities) so the distillery made a much larger batch to be bottled.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13215982348779717643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-19374299062872320122014-02-13T14:51:14.963-05:002014-02-13T14:51:14.963-05:00Okay, next part.
So what is in Day? Some sites s...Okay, next part.<br /><br />So what is in Day? Some sites say it's just from sherry butts, others say it's a bourbon & sherry vatting, others say something about it being finished in ex-Uigeadail casks. Here's what I'm going with: Cask Strength Ardbeg Lasanta.<br /><br />According to Mark Dermul and Ruben Luyten (two guys with more industry contact and general whisky knowledge than I) have written that Day was made up of ex-bourbon cask whisky that was finished in ex-sherries for six months. Mark even says that it's from 8, 9, and 12 year old casks. The six-month sherry finish statement is backed up by Drinkhacker and Whiskyforeveryone both of whom, I think, get their samples from industry sources.<br /><br />Prior to Day, Galileo, and Ardbog (sherry something, sweet marsala, and manzanilla sherry) the previous Ardbeg limited releases included Alligator, Supernova, Rollercoaster, Blasda, Almost There, and Very Young, all ex-bourbon-only releases. Had just one of Day, Galileo, or Ardbog shifted to some sort of wine cask addition then I wouldn't have suggested it was a trend. But three in row...?<br /><br />Quality-wise, I have no beef with Day or Ardbog. I liked them both, though not enough to shell out $110 for a bottle of Ardbog. But between those two and the old & new versions of Uigeadail, I'm hoping Lumsden has had his fill of sherried Ardbeg for a while.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-48116432325533715332014-02-13T14:15:44.951-05:002014-02-13T14:15:44.951-05:00Eric, thanks for your comments. I gotta answer the...Eric, thanks for your comments. I gotta answer them in separate parts.<br /><br />Firstly, you're right about the two 2012 limited releases. For some reason I thought Day was in 2011. Instead they were actually released only three months apart. I'll remove the "annual" word where it no longer makes sense.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-35049191415092299552014-02-13T14:11:10.110-05:002014-02-13T14:11:10.110-05:00Ah ha! Galileo was Italian. Marsala is Italian. It...Ah ha! Galileo was Italian. Marsala is Italian. It sells itself!Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-70795824440088195642014-02-13T14:10:02.437-05:002014-02-13T14:10:02.437-05:00I have no idea what you're going to think of G...I have no idea what you're going to think of Galileo. If you like it, guess who has more samples available?!Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-56594274605527584182014-02-13T11:06:55.415-05:002014-02-13T11:06:55.415-05:00It sounds like Day is what Uigeadail is supposed t...It sounds like Day is what Uigeadail is supposed to be. But isn't, because they don't have enough time to keep up with demand.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448702693643593156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-54602015700357912422014-02-13T01:11:10.174-05:002014-02-13T01:11:10.174-05:00Speaking of which, Ardbeg Day was a simple vatting...Speaking of which, Ardbeg Day was a simple vatting of ex-bourbon casks and refill-sherry casks. So it's the odd man out in the recent wine-finished releases.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13215982348779717643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-3043099410991503912014-02-12T23:52:35.795-05:002014-02-12T23:52:35.795-05:00"Fanciful Name"...so many lolz."Fanciful Name"...so many lolz. Joshua Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12803870395593634466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-3091739780725422962014-02-12T23:30:49.509-05:002014-02-12T23:30:49.509-05:00Well, I like the Ledaig, so anything is possible. ...Well, I like the Ledaig, so anything is possible. But my hopes weren't very high to begin with.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448702693643593156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-48198766762171971462014-02-12T20:01:24.046-05:002014-02-12T20:01:24.046-05:00There were two Ardbeg limited releases in 2012. I...There were two Ardbeg limited releases in 2012. I bought two bottles of Ardbeg Day (around $80 each) instead of getting one bottle of Galileo. Well the Day release disappeared while the Galileo bottles stayed on shelves for a long while...Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13215982348779717643noreply@blogger.com