Ardmore 12 Year Old 2012 Rise from Ashes (Whisky Concerto)

A 12 year old Ardmore released by Whisky Concerto in 2025 under the Recital 57.2 Rise from Ashes release, distilled in 2012 and bottled at 57.3% natural strength. Whisky Concerto is a small independent bottler with focus on music themed release naming, with each Recital release tied to a numbered concert metaphor and the suffix denoting the bottling strength. The Rise from Ashes naming may reference cask provenance or a thematic concept. 80 bottles for the German market. 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 ex Bourbon refill American oak in 2012, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Twelve years brought the strength to 57.3%, 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.