Ardmore 16 Year Old 2008 Cask #800223 (Gordon & MacPhail)

A 16 year old single cask Ardmore released by Gordon & MacPhail in 2024 under the Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength banner, distilled in 2008 and bottled at 57.2% natural strength. G&M's long warehouse contract with Ardmore has produced the most complete record of single cask outturn for the distillery across both coal and steam eras, with this release representing the steam era profile that became standard from 2001 onwards. The 2008 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period. 191 bottles for the European market from cask #800223.

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. Sixteen 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 baked custard, syringaldehyde adds clove. 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. A soft creamy lactic edge closes the finish.