Ardmore 11 Year Old 2011 Cask #801906 (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 55.2% natural strength with a Tawny Port profile. Murray McDavid operates under Aceo Ltd ownership with focus on cask finishing and unique wood profile releases. Cask #801906 sits as the final cask in the bottler's 2011 #80190x cluster, with the bottler also releasing #801895 & #801905, #801903 & #801904A and #801904 as individual releases from the same consecutive cask parcel. 260 bottles for the European market. The 2011 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont.

Filled at 63.5% in 2011, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime in a Tawny Port seasoned cask for the latter stages. Eleven years brought the strength to 55.2%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Tawny Port at this maturity differs from Ruby Port in delivering oxidative wood character on top of wine derived compounds. Brown sugar, dried fig and walnut from the long aged Port sit alongside residual sweet wine sugars and anthocyanin pigments. Steam era distillate underneath shows apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component, with the 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols reading as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at integrated intensity. A long warm sweet smoky finish closes the profile.