Ardmore 15 Year Old 2009 Cask #707558 (Keeble Cask Company)

A 15 year old single cask Ardmore released by Keeble Cask Company in 2025 under the Fragrant Drops range, distilled in 2009 and bottled at 58.6% natural strength. Keeble Cask Company is a small independent bottler with focus on natural strength single cask single malt releases, with the Fragrant Drops range carrying their primary single cask line. 221 bottles for the Dutch market from cask #707558. The 2009 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont with steam heating on the wash stills since 2001. The high cask number indicates a Beam era distillery fill rather than a broker numbered parcel.

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. Fifteen years brought the strength to 58.6%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Refill Bourbon at this strength delivers distillery character with 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 and a fragrant fresh fruit register. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity. Chocolate and toasted nuts close a long warm finish.