Ardmore 16 Year Old 2009 Moscatel & Oloroso (SaarWhisky)

A 16 year old Ardmore released by SaarWhisky in 2025, distilled in 2009 and bottled at 52.6% natural strength across a combination of Moscatel and Oloroso casks. SaarWhisky is a German family operation based in the Saarland region with a focus on tight selection from European cask broker stock, bottling at natural strength without colouring or chill filtration. The 2009 vintage falls in the early Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont with steam heating on the wash stills since 2001. 112 bottles for the German market.

Filled at 63.5% in 2009, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime before transfer into a combination of Moscatel and Oloroso seasoned casks for the latter stages. Sixteen years brought the strength to 52.6%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling. The peat load at 12 to 14 ppm phenol and the 54 to 55 hour fermentation on Mauri and Kerry yeast both stayed at standard distillery spec.

The Moscatel and Oloroso combination delivers distinct sherry character vectors. Moscatel contributes residual sweet wine sugars, white peach and grape skin character, with floral terpenes from the Muscat grape. Oloroso adds furfural and 5 hydroxymethylfurfural reading as walnut and toasted hazelnut, with tannic dry grip. Steam era distillate shows apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component, and the 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at integrated intensity through a long finish.