Ardmore 12 Year Old 2009 Cask #708497 (Brothers in Malt)

A 12 year old single cask Ardmore released by Brothers in Malt in 2021 under the Knockandy Hill series, distilled in 2009 and bottled at 60.6% natural strength. Brothers in Malt is a German independent bottler with focus on natural strength single cask single malt releases. The Knockandy Hill series name references the source of the spring water used at Ardmore Distillery, the slope behind Kennethmont supplying the spring fed water that drives the mash and reduction throughout the operation. 232 bottles for the German market from cask #708497. The 2009 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 2009, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Twelve years brought the strength to 60.6%, indicating dry warehouse conditions across the period.

Refill Bourbon at this strength delivers distillery character with concentrated intensity. Cis whisky lactone reads as 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. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity. Honeyed barley closes a long warm finish at full strength.