Oddly, it's an enjoyable bottle, but not my favorite from the series for precisely a reason which, in other bottles, would be a revered prize: it's almost perfectly balanced! In fact, it's TOO balanced. Most Ardbeg bottles have an aggressive flavor strain running through them, be it a strident ash-heap, engine char, campfire smoke (Ardbog); a musty, mushroom and cottage cheese laden funk (Supernova); a kale and seaweed-forward vegetable medley (Kelpie); or some other assertive bent. Galileo has almost all of those, but they have a fair degree of self-restraint...there just isn't a punch like the others from the series. What does make the bottle rather enjoyable, and a standout among Ardbegs, is the number of unique taste notes it contains: the nose has medicinal and Band-Aid characteristics to be sure, but a surprising amount of citrus in it as well, such as orange rind, marmalade, white grapes, banana (not so much clove), and a bit of grass, which give way to more malt-forward notes such as nugget, butterscotch, and meringue. These are present in other Ardbegs, but Galileo does play a better host than other releases. Still, the showing just doesn't provide the in-your-face flavor showcase I have come to expect from Islay's most edgy distillery. The nose is the most fulfilling part. Palate thins a bit, with a mild pepper and ash finishing off into a medium, oily slightly drying finish which, regrettably, is again rather thin (in distinction to drams like Uigeadail where it goes on for days). There's a bit of solvent, pencil eraser, bubble gum, and perhaps brown sugar, but it's over too soon. Good, though not a standout Ardbeg. Still, it's better than most things gracing the shelves.