Ardmore 9 Year Old 2013 Cask #TWC 0303 (The Whisky Chamber)

A 9 year old single cask Ardmore released by The Whisky Chamber in 2023, distilled in 2013 and bottled at 58.3% natural strength with an Oloroso profile. The Whisky Chamber operates from Germany with focus on tightly selected single cask single malt releases at natural strength, with the TWC prefix on cask numbering indicating the bottler's own warehouse system rather than distillery fill numbers. 324 bottles in 500ml format for the German market from cask #TWC 0303. The 2013 vintage falls in the early years of Suntory Holdings ownership of Ardmore via Beam Suntory, formed by the 2014 acquisition.

Filled at 63.5% in 2013, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime in an Oloroso seasoned cask. Nine years brought the strength to 58.3%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling.

Oloroso at this maturity drives rancio compounds, dried fruit oxidation products and tannic structure. Furfural and 5 hydroxymethylfurfural from the wood read as walnut and toasted hazelnut. Quercetin tannins give a dry grip across the palate. Steam era distillate underneath shows apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component, with the 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols reading as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at integrated intensity. A nutty smoky sherried finish closes the profile.