Ardmore 10 Year Old 2012 Cask #803805 (Double V)

A 10 year old single cask Ardmore released by Double V in 2022, distilled in 2012 and bottled at 57.7% natural strength. Double V is a small Belgium based independent bottler with focus on natural strength single cask single malt releases drawn from European cask broker stock. 237 bottles for the event market from cask #803805. The 2012 vintage falls in the late Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont with steam heating on the wash stills since 2001, before the 2014 sale of Beam Inc to Suntory Holdings.

Filled at 63.5% into a single ex Bourbon refill American oak cask in 2012, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Ten years brought the strength to 57.7%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Refill Bourbon at this strength delivers distillery character with 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.