Ardmore 14 Year Old 2007 (SMWS 66.215 Balsamic minotaur)

A 14 year old single cask Ardmore released by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society as cask 66.215, distilled in 2007 and matured first in refill ex Bourbon American oak before a finishing period in Pedro Ximenez sherry. The Society's 66 distillery code has been one of the most active peated Highland output channels for decades, with this PX finished release framing Ardmore's inland peat against the sweet, raisin driven character of late season Spanish dried fruit wines. 256 bottles for the French market at 59.6% natural strength.

The 2007 vintage falls in the same year that Beam Global launched the official Ardmore Traditional Cask, breaking the distillery's long silence as a single malt brand. The spirit was filled at 63.5% into refill ex Bourbon American oak in 2007, matured at Kennethmont, then finished in a PX cask. Fourteen years brought the final strength to 59.6%, with the Society's standard no chill filtration policy applied.

The PX finish drives a sweet sherry register on top of the Bourbon base. Glycerol and residual grape sugars from the seasoning give raisin, fig and date paste depth. Eugenol and vanillin from the seasoned oak add clove and warm spice. Steam era Ardmore lacks the coal era Maillard register, leaving apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component at the centre. Inland peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and an earthy phenolic note that runs underneath the sweet wood character.