Smooth Ambler is bringing back MGP sourced straight bourbon but it’s a lot younger than it used it be. I’ve heard that it is a blend of 4-6 year old bourbon with an average of 5 years and their website claims that it approximately 5 years old. It is NCF and 99 proof which are pluses for me. The old SAOS bourbon was amazing, the American Whiskey wasn’t great and the Dickel sourced juice was very polarizing so I’m a little nervous to see where this lands.
Smooth Ambler Old Scout Straight Bourbon Batch 6
Age: NAS on bottle, approx 5 years according to their website
Abv: 99 proof
Price: $45
Mashbill: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malt
Bottled By: James
Neat
Nose: Sweet and grainy with brown sugar, vanilla and a bit of corn.
Taste: Butterscotch, cornbread and faint warm spices. Middling mouthfeel.
Finish: Medium length soft finish with faint sweetness and hints of baking spice.
Conclusion
First off I really wanted to give this a better review but it’s not quite there yet. I’m not surprised with how this went after reviewing Mic Drop 3 and I will say this was definitely better, if lower proof, bourbon at a lower price.
All in all it was good but a little young and a tad underwhelming though it had hints of the things I really enjoyed about the old releases. I’m glad I got the bottle but also glad I didn’t buy a backup. This bottle does give me more hope for SAOS going forward and much like New Riff I can imagine a well chosen single barrel of this being very good. Hopefully as MGP catches up on demand we can see SAOS get back to the 7-8 year range in the not too distant future and maybe one day see a return of the 10 year single barrels.
TL;DR: Good, if a little young, high hopes for future releases
6 - a good whiskey I’m still happy to drink
Fair - Worth the money, happy with my purchase
Scale
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