Ardmore 18 Year Old 1999 Cask #801671 Rum (Creative Whisky Company)

An 18 year old single cask Ardmore released by the Creative Whisky Company in 2018 under The Exclusive Malts banner, distilled in 1999 and matured exclusively in a single rum cask rather than the standard ex Bourbon or sherry format. David Stirk's Lanarkshire based operation has carried Ardmore across multiple ranges since the mid 2000s, with rum cask Ardmore being an unusual configuration that points to a single ex Caribbean or Demerara rum barrel rather than a finishing exercise. 198 bottles for the German market.

Filled at 63.5% into a single rum cask in 1999, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the wash stills' direct coal heating regime in the final years before the 2001 switch to steam. Eighteen years brought the strength to 56.4% naturally, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Rum cask maturation produces a distinctive flavour register. Residual molasses sugars from the previous rum fill carry across as treacle, dark brown sugar and dried tropical fruit. Furfurals built up in the rum's own production amplify when met by coal era Ardmore's own Maillard products from direct flame distillation, giving deeper pastry and caramelisation notes. Apple and banana esters from the Kerry yeast fermentation pick up tropical edges from the cask. Inland peat phenols read as dry leaf, heather smoke and an earthy hearth note that runs under the sugar driven palate.