Ardmore 11 Year Old 2008 Alles rund um Whisk e y

An 11 year old single cask Ardmore bottled in 2020 for the Alles rund um Whisk e y event series, distilled in 2008 and bottled at 54.8% natural strength. The release was bottled by an undisclosed source for the Alles rund um Whisk e y trade and community event in Germany, with 135 bottles produced for the event market. The 2008 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont, with the wash stills running under steam heating since 2001.

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. Eleven years brought the strength to 54.8%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling. The peat load at 12 to 14 ppm phenol and the 54 to 55 hour fermentation on Mauri and Kerry yeast both stayed at standard distillery spec through the period.

Refill Bourbon at this age frames distillery character cleanly. Cis whisky lactone gives soft coconut and pine, vanillin from oak lignin builds a baked custard register. Steam era distillate reads cleaner than coal era stock, with apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component sitting prominently at the centre. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity rather than dominant smoke.