Ardmore 11 Year Old 2011 Cask #801904 (Murray McDavid)

An 11 year old single cask Ardmore released by Murray McDavid in 2023 under the Benchmark Limited Release range, distilled in 2011 and bottled at 57.2% natural strength. Murray McDavid operates under Aceo Ltd ownership with focus on cask finishing and unique wood profile releases. Cask #801904 sits as one of the consecutive casks in the bottler's 2011 #80190x cluster, with the bottler also releasing #801895 & #801905 (Madeira + Tawny Port), #801903 & #801904A (ex Bourbon vatting) and #801906 (Tawny Port) from the same parcel. 137 bottles for the German market. The 2011 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont with steam heating on the wash stills since 2001.

Filled at 63.5% into a single ex Bourbon refill American oak cask in 2011, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Eleven years brought the strength to 57.2%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Refill Bourbon at this maturity gives a clean oak frame around distillery character. Cis whisky lactone reads as soft 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, with a fresh fruit register. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity. New wood, honey and vanilla close the finish.