Ardbeg 1999 Galileo 12 Year Old

Nose: at first very soft but impressions of banana cream pie and macadamia nuts. If inhaled too deeply/quickly/fully, a sharp anise of pumpernickel. A few minutes, then pencil erasers join in, then the main theme of-- if you've ever had them-- dried pineapple crisps. Not much peat unless you're really looking for it. The final stage of lift-off brings some buttery saltiness. The anise keeps coming back at the end of the inhale. Overall surprisingly light. Eventually, the nose stabilizes to dried pineapple quickly followed by lemon pudding.

Palate: Salt right away, then cream caramel... and then those dried pineapples come back. The "pine" in the pineapple comes through like the bitter zest of a grapefruit. Through it all, a definite mineral character.

Finish: The pineapple transitions to dried apricot. Then the finish is fairly short and soft, and leaving an impression of lemon. (I think you can also find vague mango). When these subside, a very faint seaweed prompts you for the next sip.

I think some comparisons are warranted and expected. So, to contrast with some others I've reviewed: -Uigeadail (and other Ardbegs)-- Probably the malt most people are urged to compare with; but in fact the Galileo has little in common with its big-splash siblings. The others are much more peated, so the Galileo might even be considered delicate. If you accept that the Uigeadail is ash/vanilla/rose-cherry (and the Alligator leather/toffee/orange, and the Corryvreckan ash/salt/lemon), then in comparison the Galileo is chalk/lemon-cream/pineapple. The Galileo's taste is more focused at the roof of the mouth whereas the Uig feels more like a full mouth.

-Glenlivet 18-- Shares some of the tropical notes (especially at the start), but Galileo is less smooth and sweet, more complex and sharper in a challenging sense. -Wiser's Legacy-- Shares the lightness, grapefruit and (to a much less extent) anise notes, but Galileo is of course lacking the same extent of rye, is a little fuller with tropical and marsala notes, and also introduces mineral tones. -Laphroaig QC-- Shares the smoky citrus pudding effect, but Galileo is much less smoky/nutty and is lighter/more pineapple-y.

Finally, I think it best compares to...: -Bowmore 17-- Shares the pineapple levity, the extreme lightness of peat, and other features (degree of salt), but the Galileo has more of that chalky mineral taste and other challenging complexities like the anise. All considered, I would personally steer to the Bowmore, but the Galileo does keep expected standards.

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