Ardmore 11 Year Old 2009 Cask #4033 (The Caskhound)

An 11 year old single cask Ardmore released by The Caskhound in 2021 under a Special Release format, distilled in 2009 and bottled at 57.6% natural strength across a combination of ex Bourbon and Oloroso maturation. The Caskhound operates from Germany with focus on natural strength single cask single malt releases. Cask #4033 sits as the sequential pairing to the bottler's #4032 ex Bourbon release from the year before, with the bottler holding the casks back to release in staged years and apply finishing wood to the later cask. 177 bottles in 500ml format for the German market. The 2009 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont.

Filled at 63.5% into ex Bourbon refill American oak in 2009, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime before transfer into an Oloroso seasoned cask for finishing. Eleven years brought the strength to 57.6%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Oloroso finishing delivers rancio compounds, dried fruit oxidation products and tannic structure on top of the Bourbon base. Furfural from the oxidative wood reads as walnut and toasted hazelnut. Steam era distillate sits at the centre with apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component, and the 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at integrated intensity. A toasted nutty sherried finish with yeasty oily mouthfeel closes the profile.