Ardmore 10 Year Old 2008 Popart #001 (Whisky Erlebnis)

A 10 year old single cask Ardmore released by German retailer Whisky Erlebnis in 2019 as the first release (#001) in the Popart Collection, distilled in 2008 and bottled at 61.2% natural strength. The Popart Collection carries a distinctive bold colour design aesthetic across multiple releases, with this Ardmore opening the series. The 61.2% outturn strength indicates a tightly sealed cask with very low evaporative loss, and the small 36 bottle outturn suggests significant cask drainage or a small refill format. The 2008 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont.

Filled at 63.5% into a single ex Bourbon refill American oak cask in 2008, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Ten years brought the strength only marginally below fill, holding at 61.2% with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Refill Bourbon at high outturn strength reads with a tight oak frame. Cis whisky lactone gives soft coconut and pine, vanillin from oak lignin shows as light custard. Steam era distillate lacks the coal era Maillard register, leaving cleaner apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component prominently at the centre. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity. Honeyed barley closes the finish.