Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye 8 year old single barrel 971

The plan seemed airtight. I'd save my sample of Thomas H. Handy (2011 edition) rye for a special occasion. And after my second daughter arrived, I knew this was the moment. Then I pulled the sample bottle — poured for me by Florin (a prince) five years ago — from storage, only to discover that 2/3s of the whiskey had evaporated and the remainder was full of swirling murk. I'm an idiot for waiting so long. And yes I'm an idiot for having given it not one, not two, but three sips just to make sure it was really spoiled. It was really spoiled. Moral of the story: DON'T WAIT FIVE YEARS TO CONSUME A SAMPLE.

Now the night was zipping by and I wanted to taste something while my nose and palate were still working, so I grabbed my last Smooth Ambler / MGP single barrel rye sample. It was also from Florin (a prince) but from only 2.5 years ago. That was back in the day when these bottles were selling for 1/5th of their current "value" on the secondary market. But I love full strength MGP rye more than most single malts, so here we go.

Brand: Old Scout
Company: Smooth Ambler
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

Region: Maxwelton, West Virginia (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Age: 8 years
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Retailer: Davidson's
Barrel: 971
Bottled: 11/12/14

Alcohol by Volume: 60.9%

NEAT
The nose starts off bourbon-like, thick with vanilla, caramel and cherry syrup. Then apricot and dark chocolate notes arise. Underneath is a floral rye note, and a minor pickle brine thing. And cinnamony churros! A good lack of heat. The palate is more rye-ish. Dark dusty spices, a jar of multicolored peppercorns. Salted caramels and fennel seed. Sweet and tannic with a velvet texture and very little burn. It finishes with honey and black pepper. Sweet lemons, fennel seed and barrel char. Medium length.

Gonna drop it to the standard Old Scout Rye abv:

WITH WATER (~49.5%abv)
The nose becomes more focused. Caramel candies, mandarin oranges, cloves and a hint of flower blossoms. The rye element intensifies in the palate. All vanilla and caramel stuff has been stripped away. It's very spicy and peppery. Hints of citrus and tannins. The finish is all zing. Tangy citrus. Feisty pepper. Curmudgeonly char.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is an impressively easy drinker considering the considerable (sorry) alcohol content. The rich oak notes in its nose will likely appeal to bourbon fans. Rye enthusiasts will prefer the palate over the nose. That's where the rye lies. It dilutes well too, which is another plus.

Due to all that oak, I think it's a half step back of Willett's similarly aged MGP rye, but it's close enough to provide some similar joys. This was a good buy back when this stuff was $50-$65. And, girl, I'm missing those days.

Availability - Secondary market only
Pricing - allot of munny
Rating - 87

NOT Single Malt Report: Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year old Rye, barrel #849 for K&L Wines

If you're new to American whiskies, here's the scoop with this rye.  Smooth Ambler is a whiskey company based in West Virginia.  Though they're distilling their own spirit right now -- and bottling some of it -- they started their business by bottling rye and bourbon that was actually distilled by Midwest Grain Products (MGP) in Indiana.  This was their "Old Scout" brand.  Their MGP rye was a 7 year old, released in batches assembled from a number of barrels, and bottled at 49.5%abv.  Occasionally they also released barrel proof single barrels of rye (and bourbon).  And sometimes they sold those barrels exclusively through specific retailers.  From what I've read, they've started to run short on all those rye barrels.  In the meantime, they're focusing on releasing their own whiskey.

The rye whiskey I'm reviewing today (7 years old, barrel 849) was one of the MGP single barrels that was sold only through one retailer, in this case K&L Wine Merchants.  I foolishly(?) missed out on securing one of K&L's single Old Scout rye barrels, but luckily Whisky Man Florin did not.  So, many thanks to Florin for this sample.

Brand: Old Scout
Bottler: Smooth Ambler
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

Age: 7 years

Maturation: New American Oak

Region: Maxwelton, West Virginia (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Retailer: K&L Wine Merchants
Barrel: 849

Alcohol by Volume: 61.7%

For comparison purposes, I tried this rye side-by-side with the SCN rye from yesterday's review.  No water was applied to either.

There's gentler oak and much less ethyl on the nose of this rye compared to that of the SCN rye.  It starts with caramel sauce and salty air.  Then cinnamon and loads of whole cloves.  With time in the glass, the whiskey develops sizable notes of vanilla fudge and cream soda.

Entirely drinkable at this ABV.  The palate starts off peppery and briney, but also has a good dose of brown sugar and snickerdoodle cookies.  Some spearmint leaves too.  A nice bitter bite around the edges, with mulled wine in the middle.  It develops a little bit of a fizzy bitter lemon note after a while.

Caramel, brown sugar, and spearmint in the finish.  A bit more of a spicy zing with time.  And then molasses.  The mint leaves soon turn to mint candy.

COMMENTS:
It's as if this isn't even remotely related to yesterday's whiskey.  I wouldn't say this Old Scout is very complex, nor markedly better than the former regular 7yo release, but it's reliable as heck.  Could set your watch to it, as the old saying goes.  Even with all the alcohol and years of oak, it isn't a palate wrecker like the SCN.  Thank goodness.  If you have a bottle of barrel 849 in your stash, there's no need to hoard it for eternity.  Bust it out the next time you want some fulfilling big rye.  Meanwhile, the rest of us will be without.  :(  Enjoy!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $54.99
Rating - 87

The Autumn Whiskies: Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year old Rye, batch 39

Spring has sprung.  That means it's time for me to write about my Autumn Whiskies: one Old Scout Rye, one indie Ardmore, and two indie Clynelishes.  I'll review them in the order of expected post complexity: from easiest to hardest.

First, up the rye.  As you may know, Smooth Ambler is a West Virginia-based spirits company that has until recently bottled only whiskies produced at Midwest Grain Products WonderFactory™.  Like a few other new companies, they did the NDP (non-distiller producer) approach while their own distillery was being built.  Now they are distilling, so now they're bottling their own stuff, MGP stuff, and their stuff blended with MGP stuff.  For instance, their Old Scout line will continue to be MGP whiskey probably until their own bourbon and rye gets old enough.  Though I have heard stirrings that the rye batches were temporarily(?) discontinued.  If you know more about this than the usual rumors, please let me know.  (After I'd written this post, I found out the rumors are true, this rye has been discontinued for the time being.  Crap.)

I've haven't had a bad Old Scout yet: two single barrel bourbons, one K&L exclusive bourbon, and three of the rye batches.  Click here for some of those reviews.  My Autumn bottle was of the 7yo rye, batch 39.  It was a good drinker.  My wife and I enjoyed it, but I got the last drop.

Oh, my beard was so tiny at that time. Adorbs!

Brand: Old Scout
Bottler: Smooth Ambler
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

Age: 7 years

Maturation: New American Oak

Region: Maxwelton, West Virginia (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Batch: 39
Bottled: 6/9/14 (by Nathan)

Alcohol by Volume: 49.5%

I'll keep these notes short and sweet because this one hits the target every time.

The nose has some nice dark fruitiness, like black cherry syrup.  Rye bread at the periphery.  Cloves, nutmeg, and carob in the middle, then smaller notes of oak pulp, clover honey, and lemon zest.  After 20 minutes in the glass, the whiskey picks up some barrel char, mint, and caramel.  The black cherries become maraschino red cherries.

The palate is very creamy, full of vanilla extract and spice cake.  Corn chips (though there's no corn in this).  Gingerbread, heavy on the ginger.  With that time in the glass, notes of black pepper and rye bread show up.  A little bit of lemon, a pinch of salt, and a hint of umami underneath.

More ginger in the finish, along with the nose's black cherry syrup.  Some tannins and citrus tang on the tongue.  Vanilla bean and soft rumbling heat.

Comments:
This was such a reliable rye.  I know these Old Scouts are getting tougher to find, but if you locate batch 39, know that you won't be disappointed.  That is, of course, only true if you like MGP rye.  Smooth Ambler set the ABV at a good point so that it's very drinkable neat.  Its price is/was very reasonable for a 7 year old MGP rye, especially since other companies (specifically Redemption) are selling 7yo batches for twice the price, though all of 10 degrees higher in ABV.

Availability - Many batches are still being sold by specialty liquor retailers, but they're getting harder to find
Pricing - $40-$55
Rating - 87  (this batch only)

WTF Is This? Faultline Straight Bourbon Whiskey

I'll start with the obvious then work my way back into the details.

"Faultline" is an exclusive brand created by K&L Wine and Spirits.  Rums, brandies, tequilas, and whiskies have been bottled and released under this label and sold only through K&L.  "Straight" means that the liquid within was matured for longer than two years in oak barrels; and since there's no age statement on the label, that means the liquid was actually matured for longer than four years.  "Bourbon Whiskey" means that the mashbill was at least 51% corn and the resulting spirit was aged in new American oak barrels.

But K&L doesn't distill its own spirit so it's time for more info...

Luckily, K&L is very open about the contents of this bottle.  As per David Driscoll's notes, this bourbon was blended by John Little of Smooth Ambler using some of Ambler's stock of MGP-distilled bourbon.  There's a mix of 10-year-old bourbon using MGP's lower rye mashbill and 7-year-old high-rye bourbon.  They bottled it at 50%abv and K&L has been selling it for $39.99 for almost two years.

So yes, like last week's WTF, Homestead, this is another MGP bourbon.  But while the contents of last week's bourbon are shrouded in (unnecessary?) mystery, the Faultline's makeup was better disclosed, thus I know WTF I'm drinking here.  Are they the same whiskey though?  I compared my sample of Faultline's straight bourbon with Homestead Bourbon reduced to 50%abv.

(source)

Brand: Faultline
Owner: K&L Wine and Spirits
Region: Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Type: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: blend of 10-year-old and 7-year-old bourbons
Alcohol by volume: 50%
(Sample from swap with Florin)

FAULTLINE NEAT
It has a maple syrup color with some rosy highlights.  The nose is very pretty.  Lots of caramel and hard candies.  Maraschino cherries, cloves, and strawberry popsicles.  A citrus-estery perfume.  Charred US oak and (maybe?) sandalwood.  It gets oakier with time, bringing up some furniture polish and maple syrup.  Lots of cherry lollipops in the palate.  Orange zest and oaky caramel.  Some bright spice notes like cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardamom.  A hint of ripe cantaloupe appears just before the spicy caramel takes over.  A long finish.  Woody, sugary, hints of MGP rye spice.  A citrus note grows with time.

FAULTLINE WITH WATER (~40%abv)
The nose simplifies.  Caramel and oak pulp.  Oranges and rye.  The palate is oranges, cherries, caramel, and wood spice.  Those oranges carry over into the sugary and charred finish.

Meanwhile...

HOMESTEAD BOURBON reduced to 50%abv
The nose starts off with ethyl and paint fumes.  Dove soap, lemon cleaner, vanilla, and orange oil.  It picks up some maple candy with time in the glass.  The palate moves quickly from sweet to bitter to oaky then back to bitter.  Stale peanuts and rye new make.  The finish is made up of sugar, peanut dust, tree bark, soap, and ammonia.

WTF is Faultline Straight Bourbon Whiskey?  Good MGP bourbon is WTF it is.  Homestead at 50%abv is a turd compared to it.  The cask selection and knowledge about when/what to bottle was far superior with Faultline.  I really don't have anything nice to say about the Homestead, so I'll move on.

Faultline is a good tasty drinker at its bottling strength, so I don't recommend adding water.  There's plenty of spice for rye fans and a surprising amount of fruit in the mix too.  Sku liked it, as did Andy over at LAWS.  Even Monsieur MAO liked it, and I'll be damned if he didn't steal my rating.

Its price is competitive, $10-$20 cheaper than the Homestead, cheaper than Smooth Ambler's own 7- and 10-year old bourbons, and right between the prices of WT Rare Breed and Russell's Reserve 10yo.  I kinda wish I'd tried this two years ago when it first came it out.  K&L appears to be getting towards the end of its stash and may be partnering with St. George Spirits for a new batch of bourbon soon.

Availability - K&L Wines

Pricing - $39.99

Rating - 85

"DougDogz" Old Scout 8 year old Bourbon vs. George T. Stagg 2013 release

Happy Holidays!  This was an unexpected treat:

The very generous Sku (of Sku's Recent Eats) provided me with a sample of his sample of "DougDogz" Old Scout 8 year old Bourbon a few months ago.  I had first tried it during a very bourbony evening, enjoying it more than some of my favorite dusties, and then waxing romantic over its quality.  When planning this post, I was left with the happy quandary of what I was going to taste with it in order to gain perspective.  I chose last year's Stagg Sr., upon which I've already lavished praise.  But in the process of the nosing and the tasting, I actually gained a considerable amount of perspective on the Stagg instead.

The "DougDogz" moniker refers to Doug Phillips, a bonzai buff and professional glazier who became a whiskey aficionado icon due to his personal selection of historic (and now almost mythical) casks of rye and bourbon from Drew Kulsveen's (Willett) warehouse, six to eight years ago.  For more information, I recommend Sku's two posts (part 1 and part 2) about Doug and his whiskies.  Don't worry, they're not TL;DR pieces (unlike mine) thanks to Sku's succinct style.

Recently, Willett ended its private barrel selection program, likely due to decreasing supply and/or the desire to hold onto the gems for their own official releases.  So Doug went elsewhere to find a honey barrel.  And he found it at Smooth Ambler's warehouse.  Smooth Ambler has done a few Old Scout (MGP-distilled) barrels for retailers like Kenwood Liquors and K&L Wines, and in 2014 they sold bourbon barrel #900 to Doug.  Let's see how it stands up next to Stagg.

SMOOTH AMBLER OLD SCOUT 8 YEAR OLD "DOUGDOGZ" STRAIGHT BOURBON
Brand: Old Scout
Bottler: Smooth Ambler
Region: Maxwelton, West Virginia (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Type: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: 8 years
Distillation date: 4/21/06
Barrel: 900
Bottles: 122
Alcohol by volume: 61.9%
(thank you to Sku for the sample!)

NEAT
Its color is a rosy mahogany. The nose is loaded with spicy oak: fruity cardamom, clove, and cilantro. (This is why I goofily thought this was a rye at first.) Then some more C's: creamed corn, Corn Pops, and clover honey.  The sugar cereal note expands with time.  After 40+ minutes in the glass, the whiskey starts to release big notes of vanilla bean and shisha.  The palate delivers a steady sweet→dry tone poem that's unique to my experience.  It's very bright, with tangerines and orange peel; then rich caramel, mint syrup, and toffee. This gives way to a dry, lightly spiced, almost mineral note.  This continues into the finish.  There's a floral, fruity note from the esters (there, I finally used the word!) which then switches to a tingly peppercorn-filled, almost savory note.  It's endless.

WITH WATER (below 50% abv)
Lots of baked goods in the nose.  More corn, more caramel.  Some honey mustard and dry cheese.  The sweetness becomes simpler in the palate as a bold bitterness moves in.  Grape jam, orange peel, granulated sugar, and black cherry soda are the leading notes.  The bitterness lingers into the finish, merging well with the maple-black-cherry ice cream character.  There's also a little bit of citrus and pepper in the mix.

---

GEORGE T. STAGG STRAIGHT BOURBON, 2013 edition
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Brand: George T. Stagg
Region: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distilled: 1997
Release: Fall 2013
Age: approx. 15 years old
Mashbill: Buffalo Trace #1 (lower-rye; about 8%)
Alcohol by volume: 64.1%
(from my bottle)

NEAT
Its color is an Earl Grey tea (steeped for 3.5 minutes, I dunno, WTF) brown. The nose is full of butters and nuts: roasted hazelnuts, almond paste, almond butter, butter.  There's leather, fruit breads, and toffee.  Caramel syrup is always present, but it takes almost 30 minutes for the vanilla to roll in.  The palate is just as aggressively medicinal as it was when I first tasted it.  Cherry Sudafed (from the '80s) and Robotussin (the good kind, from the '80s).  A bitter black sherry soda.   A Campari and Amaretto cocktail topped with caramel syrup.  A little salt in there too.  The finish goes from black cherry to maraschino cherry. Tobacco, barrel char, vanilla, caramel.  The bitterness remains, as does the medicine.

WITH WATER (below 50% abv)
The nose picks up some orange gumdrops and salted caramel gelato.  Lots of caramel, in fact.  The nuts and leather remain, but are much subtler.  There are also some smaller notes of burnt paper and manure.  There's the Robotussin in the palate, as well as an almost Laphroaigy antiseptic note.  Then cayenne pepper, corn syrup, and wood smoke.  The mouth drying finish is slightly bitter and medicinal.  Some fresh thyme in there too.

---

As I mentioned above, I gained some new perspective on the Stagg 2013.  I always knew it was the most Islay-esque of bourbons, with its medicinal, earthy, occasionally smoky style.  But the brutality of its delivery became very apparent next to DougDogz.  And while Stagg's boldness is to be commended, getting punched in the face is not always the preferable way to receive one's bourbon.  If the mood is right, Stagg can be excellent.  But it can also be exhausting.  And I'm beginning to think that I like some of the Elijah Craig Barrel Proofs better at similar/higher ABVs and younger ages.

The DougDogz Old Scout is more graceful than the Stagg, while being just about as complex.  DougDogz's sweet-dry-spice progressions (also noted in Sku's review) are excellent and give it a step up on the Stagg.  Its spice is very vibrant for a bourbon, which is why I first made the mistake of thinking that it was a rye when nosing it.  But the spice is coming from the excellent barrel, as opposed to the spirit.  It's incredible that this was only baking for eight years.  A hell of a barrel pick by Mr. Phillips.

SMOOTH OLD SCOUT 8yo "DOUGDOGZ"
Availability - You'd have to ask Doug
Pricing - ???
Rating - 91

GEORGE T. STAGG SR., 2013 RELEASE
Availability - Happy hunting?
Pricing - MSRP was $79.99 or $89.99, it has been sold for up to $450
Rating - 88 (downgraded from 92)

Old Scout 7 year old Rye, batch 11 (and also Rittenhouse Rye BIB)

Smooth Ambler is a West Virginia-based company that bottles bourbons and ryes produced by other companies (usually MGP) while their own spirit matures in barrels.  Unlike a number of smaller bottling companies, Smooth Ambler openly states that their rye is from Indiana.  I really wish companies (like Templeton) would disclose when they're bottling MGP rye, not only for legal and ethical purposes, but also because I freaking love that rye.  Seriously, flaunt that sh*t.  Thus, Smooth Ambler does right on that account.

I've been eyeing Smooth Ambler's Old Scout rye ever since it started appearing on the shelves at relatively reasonable prices.  And then I had this sample (thank you, JLR!) sitting around for about a year.  I don't know what took me so long, but here it goes...

...but wait.  Old Scout needed a sparring partner so that I could get some perspective, so I went with Rittenhouse Rye BIB.  Rittenhouse tends to be about $10-$15 cheaper than Smooth Ambler, but it has a similar ABV and I adore the stuff.  It received a rave review from me last year and has since been my House Whisky.  This is our second bottle since the label change.  Anyway, I was bringing in an experienced champ to spar with the newbie.

OLD SCOUT RYE
Brand: Old Scout
Bottler: Smooth Ambler
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

Age: 7 years

Maturation: New American Oak

Region: Maxwelton, West Virginia (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Mashbill: 95% Rye
Batch: 11
Bottled: 3/14/13

Alcohol by Volume: 49.5%
(sample from swap with buddy JLR, top 1/3 of bottle)

RITTENHOUSE RYE BOTTLED-IN-BOND
Brand: Rittenhouse

Owner: Heaven Hill
Type: Straight Rye Whisky (no 'e'!)
Age: minimum 4 years
Region: Distillery - Louisville, Kentucky; Warehouse - Bardstown, Kentucky
Maturation: New American oak
Mashbill: 51% Rye (per Cowdery here and here)

Bottle Code: B1494
Bottle Year: 2014

Alcohol by Volume: 50%
(from my bottle, top 1/3 of bottle)

OLD SCOUT
Neat:
The rye is Rittenhouse Rye-colored.  The nose starts with a very balanced mix of orange oil, vanilla extract, dried coriander, fresh dill, menthol, and made-in-China-toy plastic.  It gradually releases notes of melting brown sugar, milk chocolate, pine needles, and VOC-full paint.  The palate starts out a bit sharp with more heat than expected from its age and ABV.  But it softens up in under ten minutes.  There's lots of mint, some cayenne, ground cumin, and lemon pepper.  So it's nice and spicy.  After a while there's an expanding note of sweet meyer lemons, but it's not too sweet overall.  Some stone fruits start to show up in the finish, along with caramel, black pepper, and bread crusts.

With water:
The nose gets fruitier (vague!) and sugarier (not exactly English!).  It becomes very pretty and floral.  Some black licorice, sarsaparilla, green peppercorns, and curry powder too.  The rye grain's intensity increases in the palate.  It gets spicier, with some chili powder slipping in.  Though the spice is met well with candied sweetness.  More vanilla as well.  More mint, vanilla, and lemons in the finish.  Spicy and sweet.

RITTENHOUSE
Neat:
The rye is Old Scout-colored.  The nose is very nutty (hazelnuts and almonds).  There are smaller notes of wood smoke, rose blossoms, baklava, and nutmeg.  It opens up slowly, the nuts receding slightly.  Then limeade, Cow Tales, and menthol arrive.  The palate is even nuttier: almonds, pecans, peanuts, and walnuts.  Lemon curd on salt rocks.  Sourdough bread.  It's almost totally lacking sweetness.  Ah but a sweet creamy (almost malty) note arrives in the finish.  Then smoked almonds skins, caramel, cayenne, and limes.

With water:
Smoked hazelnuts and peanuts lead the nose.  A hint of orange peel, but a lot of corny bourbon showing through.  The palate becomes almost unbearably nutty and sweet.  Perfumed, too.  At least in the finish some bitterness and fresh parsley jump in.

So....that didn't turn out the way I'd expected.  The champ got knocked down.  Old Scout showed very well, its nose and palate were surprising.  Or maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising since I'm a fan of MGP rye.  It also swam well, while the Ritt couldn't even float.

I am not saying that Rittenhouse's quality has declined since they changed labels.  We went through a previous bottle with the new label with great speed and joy earlier this year.  But the particular batch (B1494) of Rittenhouse from this review was good (though a bit aggressive on the nutty side of things), not awesome.  It's still worth its price, but I know there are better batches out there.

Meanwhile, I don't know if other batches of Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye are as solid as batch 10.  But I'm willing to take a chance on a bottle if find one for less than $40.  Costco had it for $30, but that zoo's record with whiskies is 0-2 for me, so I skipped it.  Anyway, pleasant surprise this Old Scout.  It'll probably be the next rye I buy.

OLD SCOUT 7yo RYE, batch 10

Availability - Many US specialty retailers

Pricing - $35-$50

Rating - 87

RITTENHOUSE RYE BIB, code B1494

Availability - Most US specialty retailers have Ritt BIB in general

Pricing - $22-$28

Rating - 82 (adding water not recommended)