Ardnamurchan AD/08.23:02 Europe Core Batch

Bottled in August 2023 as the second batch of that month, AD/08.23:02 in this European Core Batch run is an Ardnamurchan core release at 46.8% ABV from ex Bourbon casks. The distillery filled 10,854 bottles for European distribution.

Production follows the standard regime: Concerto barley milled into a copper topped semi lauter mash tun, fermented 72 to 120 hours in seven stainless steel washbacks on a single strain distiller's yeast, then double distilled through wash and spirit stills with reflux boil balls to a new make of 74 to 76% ABV. The release combines peated and unpeated runs from the distillery's split regime. Spirit was filled at 63.5% and matured on site in dunnage warehousing at Glenbeg, where coastal humidity slows the rate of extraction relative to rack warehouses.

Maturation in ex Bourbon American oak alone focuses cask interaction on vanillin and whisky lactone, with the toasted oak sugars driving the honey and malt extract notes through Maillard chemistry. The greenhouse character points to retained ester compounds from the long fermentation, particularly ethyl hexanoate (apple) and isoamyl acetate (banana) that the higher new make strength preserves through condensing. The peated phenols (guaiacol, syringol, 4 methylguaiacol from St Fergus Highland peat at 30 to 35 ppm) from the peated portion sit as a backbone rather than dominant note, with citric brightness and new wood signalling the cleaner American oak palette.