Ardmore 9 Year Old 2012 Cask #803809 (Brave New Spirits)

A 9 year old single cask Ardmore released by Brave New Spirits in 2022 under A Cask Noir Production, distilled in 2012 and bottled at 58.5% natural strength. Brave New Spirits is a Glasgow based independent bottler operating across multiple themed single cask lines, with A Cask Noir Production carrying their darker label aesthetic releases. 255 bottles for the European market from cask #803809. The 2012 vintage falls in the late Beam Global ownership period at Kennethmont with steam heating on the wash stills since 2001, before the 2014 sale of Beam Inc to Suntory Holdings.

Filled at 63.5% into a single ex Bourbon refill American oak cask in 2012, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Nine years brought the strength to 58.5%, 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. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity. Honeyed barley closes the finish.