Ardmore 8 Year Old 2013 Cask #800644 (UD bottler)

An 8 year old single cask Ardmore from an undisclosed source bottled in 2021 under The Art Collection series, distilled in 2013 and bottled at 60.1% natural strength. The Art Collection is a series tied to label artwork rather than a specific bottler identity, with the release carrying no declared bottler and 231 bottles produced for the Italian market from cask #800644. The 2013 vintage falls in the early years of Suntory Holdings ownership of Ardmore via Beam Suntory, formed by the 2014 acquisition.

Filled at 63.5% into a single ex Bourbon refill American oak cask in 2013, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Eight years brought the strength to 60.1%, indicating dry warehouse conditions across the period with ethanol concentration rising rather than falling.

Refill Bourbon at this strength delivers distillery character with concentrated intensity. Cis whisky lactone reads as coconut and pine, vanillin from oak lignin shows as light custard, with syringaldehyde adding a faint clove edge. Steam era distillate sits prominently at the centre with apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity. Honeyed barley closes a warm long finish at full strength.