Company: Smooth Amber Spirits Co.
Distillery: MGP
Region: Maxwelton, West Virginia
Aging: No Age Statement but Smooth Ambler states that the bottles are “approximately 5 years old”
Batch No: 108
ABV: 49.5% ABV
Proof: 99 Proof
Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
Price: $35
Smooth Ambler Old Scout Tasting Notes
Appearance: Golden Honey
Nose: Caramel, oak, vanilla, citrus notes, brown sugar, rye spice, almond
Palate: Caramel, charred oak, rye spice, black pepper, leather
Finish: Hot, heavy finish that lingers for quite a while – leaves you with a bold rye spice, black pepper, and a ton of charred oak
Is Smooth Ambler Old Scout an Approachable Whiskey?
Smooth Ambler Old Scout has a lot of spice and pepper to it.
This pour will be very spicy, especially for a beginner to whiskey.
Is Smooth Ambler Old Scout Complex?
Smooth Ambler Old Scout has a few layers of flavor.
It starts with big and bold charred oak and caramel.
It quickly turns to rye spice and black pepper that feel quite hot and spicy on the palate.
You get a tiny bit of fruit notes as well, but they’re mostly overpowered by the rye spice and pepper.
What are Smooth Ambler Old Scout’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Smooth Ambler Old Scout has a lot of spice flavor to it.
Being 36% rye and only 60% corn, it’s expected for this to have a lot of rye spice flavors and be a little hotter on the palate than your normal heavy corn bourbon.
Is Smooth Ambler Old Scout a go-to whisky?
Smooth Ambler Old Scout drinks a little hot for me to sip on regularly.
This is one I would reserve for when I have friends over who are fans of rye whiskey.
Is Smooth Ambler Old Scout priced accurately to its quality?
Old Scout delivers right around its price point.
While I don’t prefer the heat and spice from the rye, for just $35 this is a pretty solid option if you like the heat.
This is also an excellent whiskey to use in cocktails to add a nice flavor kick to your favorite cocktail recipes.
Conclusion for this Smooth Ambler Old Scout
If you’re a fan of high-rye bourbon, this may be one you want to check out.
It’s packed full of flavor and really wakes up your taste buds.
What is interesting about reviewing this bottle is that I’ve had the chance to review two other single-barrel store picks from my local Pennsylvania liquor store – an Old Scout 5 Year and an Old Scout 7 Year.
The Old Scout 5 Year was very similar to this standard bottle, but the 7 Year was absolutely spectacular.
I am very surprised how much a 3 year difference can make or maybe my local store just picked a stellar bottle, but I will still probably buy single-barrel store picks from Smooth Ambler when I see them just because of how good that 7 year was.
Let Us Know What You Think
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Thanks for reading and cheers!
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