Ardmore 21 Year Old 1996 Cask #149022 (A.D. Rattray)

A 21 year old single cask Ardmore released by A.D. Rattray in 2018, distilled in 1996 and drawn from a tight cluster of casks shared across multiple independents: #149022 went to Rattray, #149026 and #149027 went to Adelphi, and #149021 went to Whiskybroker (filled in Oloroso). All four originated from the same Allied era warehouse run, with the bourbon refills holding very similar high outturn strengths after two decades. 214 bottles for the Belgian market at 59% natural strength.

Filled at 63.5% into a single ex Bourbon refill American oak cask in 1996, the spirit matured in dunnage at Kennethmont through the long pre Beam Global window. The wash stills operated on direct coal firing during the distillation, the heating regime that defined every Ardmore vintage between 1898 and early 2001. Twenty one years brought the strength down to 59%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Refill American oak at this age frames distillery character without overwhelming it. Cis whisky lactone gives soft coconut and pine, vanillin from oak lignin shows as light custard, syringaldehyde adds a hint of clove. Coal era furfurals from direct flame distillation carry through as toasted oat and caramelised brown sugar. Ester driven apple and pear from the Kerry yeast component sit at the centre, with inland peat reading as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at integrated moderate intensity rather than dominant smoke.