Old Scout Binny's Private Selection Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:

- $50

- 114 Proof

- 5 Years

- Barrel No. 31905

- Indiana

This is one of those whiskeys where by now I pretty much know what I'm going to get. After all, this is a single barrel, cask strength bottling of MGP rye. This has stuff has been bottled under so many different labels, of course at varying ages and proofs, but almost always the 95/5 mashbill.

This is a single barrel, though, so it should have its own unique qualities. And, it was good enough to be selected by the tasters at Binny's (though if you look at number of private barrels sitting on the shelves at Binny's lately, it doesn't exactly scream discriminating).  So, what's another cask strength, single barrel MGP rye?? At least I know going in I'm going to to enjoy it!

And yet, when I first popped the cork, poured my glass and took a big whiff, I wasn't much of a fan of the nose. I got notes of dark chocolate and cherry cola. Good so far. But, what followed that were notes of bitter oak, and a healthy amount of pine-scented household cleaner. At first I thought it was just the typical pine note and I was blowing it out of proportion, but I definitely got that Pine-Sol note off of every single pour. 

Luckily, though, that note did not carry over to the flavor. It made for a bit of a weird experience getting something so strong on the nose but not in the flavor, but that was a good thing. Rather, I got a great, strong cinnamon spice. There was a bit of a bitter note, but it came across as more of a coffee note. And this all seemed to mix with a cherry and dark chocolate note that just really worked.

There was a light pine resin note, but nothing even close to approaching that cleaner note. Rather, it was a welcome note of pine, one that came across as natural and complementary to everything else going on. And all in all, this was a rich, sweet and spicy pour. In fact, the last few pours of the bottle were even sweeter and incredibly enjoyable.

This rye also had a great oily texture, which made for an incredibly long finish full of that same, bold cinnamon spice I got up front as well as the rich dark chocolate notes. 

If I could have gotten past the nose, this would have been one of the best MGP ryes I could recall. But that nose was really off-putting, despite how good the whiskey actually tasted.

Grade: B

Smooth Ambler Founders' Cask Strength Series Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:

- $60

- 123.6 Proof

- 5 Years

- Batch 1

- West Virginia

The only rye I've had from Smooth Ambler was their 7 year rye from from their Old Scout line, and more recently, their single barrel rye from a couple years ago.  Of course, those were famously ryes sourced from MGP. Those older ryes are now highly sought after and command a pretty penny on the secondary market.

While this is certainly different whiskey than what was previously bottled, I was nonetheless very excited to see sitting on the shelf a 5 year, cask strength rye from Smooth Ambler, this time of their own making! I'm a sucker for cask strength ryes as it is, but to get an initial offering from an established distillery and with 5 years of aging behind it, there was no way I wasn't buying a bottle.  How I missed any news about this as an upcoming release escapes me, but getting those surprise finds is still a lot of fun!

The nose was a spicy, sweet and rich blend of cinnamon and toffee. It also had a light peppery spice to it to kick it up a bit. There was a rich licorice or anise note on the nose as well, but it wasn't dominating. I also got a bit of sweet tobacco leaf, something I usually get from a single malt, not a rye.

On my first sip, right away I noticed that this doesn't drink up to its proof, which is usually very dangerous. It led with a peppery caramel note right up front, and at times that leaned more towards a burnt sugar note, with a light smoky accent. 

There was also a grain-forward cereal note to it. That note seemed to be complemented by a cinnamon note that reminded me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, but with a little bit more kick. It was almost like a cinnamon liqueur note, rather than a cinnamon sugar note. 

The finish was dominated by the cinnamon note, almost like I had just finished eating cinnamon flavored hard candy, like a fireball.  That note that reminded me of a cinnamon liqueur seemed to linger long after every other flavor had dissipated.  

All in all, this gave me the spice and the punch that I usually want from a good, cask strength rye. But, it seemed a bit one-dimensional, with nearly every note being some play on cinnamon. If this had just a touch more complexity or finesse, it would have been excellent.

Grade: B

Old Scout Binny's Private Select Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $50

- 120.4 Proof

- 5 Years

- Barrel No. 24425

- Indiana

Old Scout was one of those bourbons that really introduced me to bourbon. Years ago the stuff that was being put into these bottles was absolutely incredible. Back then I didn't necessarily have an appreciation for the well-aged MGP bourbon that Smooth Ambler was bottling, but I thoroughly enjoyed what was inside.

More recently, though, it seems as though what's being bottled was chasing that previous love and coming up short. I'm not sure if MGP barrels became more expensive, but at one point they pivoted to Dickel-sourced whiskey. While well-aged, it didn't meet that standard that had been set. Even more recently, though, Smooth Ambler appears more focused on releasing its own distillate, and these sourced single-barrels may be fewer and farther between. So I picked this one up for (possibly) one last go at it.

The aroma on this one was different from the start. I don't know that I can compare it to prior Old Scouts I've had as it's been too long, but it definitely was different. I got great notes of chocolate and toffee that were rich and sweet. After that, though, I got notes of apple and peanut. It was almost like a caramel apple with the crushed peanuts liberally sprinkled over it. 

As to flavor, at first I got an interesting blend of cinnamon, chocolate and even coffee flavors. In a way it kind of reminded me of a spicy and slightly bitter Skor bar. It even had a bit of black pepper spice that would linger at the back of my throat.

On the finish I got a lingering chocolat and salted caramel note that I really enjoyed, along with just a touch of cinnamon heat. It also had kind of a wafer cookies note on the finish, too. I can't say I've encountered such a note in the past, but I kind of liked it.

Towards the end of the bottle, though, this bourbon seemed to transform a bit, and the last five to six pours were very peanut forward. I even made note that where once was a Skor bar was now a Payday.  The peanut note really took over the flavor, both up front and on the finish. It was almost as though I had remnants of a fresh spoonful of peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth. I don't mind a peanut note, but this was a bit overdone.

At first I really liked this bourbon, but those final pours were just not my cup of tea.

Grade: B-

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $50

- 99 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No. 10

- Indiana

Not too long ago it seems that Old Scout products had disappeared from the shelves here in the Chicago area. I could regularly find Contradiction, and even Big Level was pretty readily available. But Old Scout, the brand that seemingly built Smooth Ambler, was nowhere to be found.

Of course, there was the occasional exception. Most notably, I recall a well-aged (I think it was 12 years) Tennessee whiskey that was bottled under the Old Scout label and sold as a Binny's store pick. I didn't bite at that mostly due to the price and source. However, when a regular bottling of Old Scout made its way back to shelves at $50, I had to at least give it a try. I've been a fan for the most part, and I was hopeful that I'd find myself a yummy bourbon that would be a mainstay on my liquor store shelves.

The nose on this was actually pretty great. I got a lot of candied orange and brown sugar. I also got notes of dark chocolate. I think what I liked most, however, was the nice roasty quality to this nose. It actually smelled a bit like a stout, with roasty espresso notes as well as dark chocolate. I could have sat there sniffing my glass all day.

As to flavor, my first notes were that it was sweet and rich. I got a decent amount of dark cherry as well as that dark chocolate I was getting on my nose. It also had that roasted note to it, like a roasted coffee flavor, adding a bit of bitterness to the flavor as well.

What I found most interesting about this whiskey, though, was that I got a somewhat distinct Neapolitan flavor to it. I got chocolate and vanilla, but also a strawberry note that was event the sort of fake strawberry that I get from Neapolitan ice cream 

On the finish, what seemed to linger was the bitter espresso note. It was fairly bitter, and as much as I wanted to like it, this just didn't work. The bitter coffee note didn't really seem to go with any of the other flavors, and it didn't add anything great on its own. Rather, it just added this bitterness and some sharp edges that otherwise weren't there. 

In the end, I found myself using the last few pours from this bottle in Old Fashioned's. As a mixer, particularly for an Old Fashioned, this bourbon was great!  On its own, though, it was just decent and nothing to write home to mom about. I think, perhaps, I was most turned off by the finish that provided bitter espresso notes and not a whole lot else.

Grade: B-

Old Scout Binny's Private Selection 5 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey

VITALS:

- $55

- 118.4 Proof

- 5 Years

- Barrel No. 23859

- Indiana

There was quite a gap in time between private selections of Old Scout being offered. It seems like I had not seen any on the shelves since 2016 or 2017 or so. A short while back there were some older ones available at Binny's and Woodman's that were sourced from Dickel, but I didn't bite at those (though a part of me wishes I at least gave them a try).

So, when I saw this 5 year store pick single barrel on the shelf at $55, I decided not to pass it up. Obviously it's significantly younger, but I do like my MGP whiskey, and particularly at cask strength.  Add to that that it's a store pick, and it was a pretty easy decision. I remember I first opened this bottle when the pandemic lockdown first began in March. It was only now, though, that I made it a point to finish it off.

Interestingly, this was kind of a tale of two whiskeys. The way it tasted back in March was completely different than when I finished the bottle off in October and November. When I first opened this bottle, all I could smell was cinnamon. It was like I opened up a pack of Big Red. There was also a slight tobacco note and even a pumpkin pie sort of note. I also got a certain corn syrupy note as well.

At to flavor, though on the first pours it was all Big Red gum, or cinnamon red hots, or fireball candy. You get the point. That artificial cinnamon candy flavor was pretty much all I could taste, and it was just way too much. I actually found that flavor very hard to overcome, and it really wasn't that great of an experience. 

So, I put it back on my shelf and didn't revisit it for a few months. Luckily, when I did, that cinnamon candy note had subsided. Not entirely, but enough that I was able to pick up other flavors and actually enjoyed the whiskey. It was a completely different bourbon than the one I had back in March.

Sweet but earthy notes of vanilla and pecan came through. It also had a slight woodiness to it. These flavors seemed to balance out that cinnamon note, which was still pretty prevalent. It was kind of like pecan pie but with cinnamon red hots mixed in.

The finish was full of cinnamon spice, but the natural vanilla flavor accompanied it, making for a pretty enjoyable finish that lingered for quite a while.

While I really didn't like this at all when I first opened it up, by the time I got towards the end of the bottle, I found I went through it pretty quickly. If it tasted this way from the beginning, I may have given it a higher grade.

Grade: B

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $55

- 114.4 Proof

- 4 Years

- Barrel No. 16745

- Indiana

I remember when I first started to really get into the bourbon hunt. That was around the time that well-aged bottle of Old Scout could still be found, but the Old Scout Ryes were seemingly disappearing from the market. One day on a trip to Mariano's, though, I was able to find a number of bottles of 7-Year Old Scout Rye on the shelf, and so I picked one up. I should have grabbed more, though, because I never saw it again since, and it truly was delicious.

So, when Smooth Ambler announced the new release of Old Scout Rye, even despite that it would be bottled at 4 and 5 years old, I was excited. It's young MGP product, but it's bottled as a single barrel product and at cask strength. And for the price of $55, it is very reasonable. I haven't seen a whole lot of fanfare around it, but I was excited when I was able to grab one off the shelf, and based on my experience with this particular bottle, I'm going to need to grab more!

The nose was full of delicious soft caramel and milk chocolate. It reminded me of a Caramello candy bar, and was so good!! It also had hints of the rye spice as well, with notes of wood and cinnamon. It even had a bit of a grainy note, giving that earthy rye bread flavor to balance it out. Interestingly, it did not immediately come across like the 95% rye mashbill that I'm used to from MGP. This seemed sweeter, like a lower rye-content rye.

The flavor followed suit. I got a lot of the caramel that I got on the nose, but I also got a sweet flavor that I likened to cream soda. Much like the nose, the flavor did not come across as a traditional rye, at least not a high-rye mashbill.  However, what it lacked in spice it more than made up for in flavor.

I got sweet notes of butterscotch candy, which seemed to work really well with the viscous mouthfeel of this whiskey. I also got marshmallow, which all combined to give sort of a note of rice crispy treats, but ones made with corn flakes instead.  It was kind of like those green wreaths with the cinnamon red hots that some people make at Christmas time.

It had a bit of that milk chocolate flavor from the nose, and even some cake frosting notes. Even the earthy notes were on the sweeter side, as I got a nutty note that reminded me of cashews. However, while the front end was all sweet, the finish was all spice. That's where the cinnamon notes came in, hitting the mouth after each swallow with a nice, spicy cinnamon red hots type note. It was almost like the spice was just waiting in the weeds to pounce. It's that great, spicy finish that had me diving right back into each next sip.

Ultimately, while it didn't have the age of those earlier releases, this was still released as a single barrel and at cask strength--two things going for it that my earlier experience with Old Scout Rye didn't have. Regardless of age, though, I absolutely loved this!! The balance of sweet and spice was perfect, and the flavors were incredible. Given that it's single barrel, and assuming they will keep putting this product out (I'm not sure whether it's intended to be limited or not), I'm going to be picking these up with some regularity.

Grade: A

Smooth Ambler Big Level Wheated Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $59
- 100 Proof
- NAS
- Batch No. 11
- West Virginia

Smooth Ambler has been able to develop quite the cult following around its Old Scout line, sourcing delicious bourbons for years. They've bottled some of their own stuff as well, though those offerings haven't quite garnered the attention that the Old Scout line has. Recently, Smooth Ambler released Big Level, a wheated bourbon that is all their own.

Although no age is stated on the bottle, the interwebs tell me that it's 5+ years old.  What I take from that is that, while that is certainly still on the younger end, it's not as though they rushed this product out early for the sake of generating revenues. Rather, somebody felt it was aged well enough to bottle it under Smooth Ambler's name and release it to market.

The nose on this was interesting. I got some alcohol off of it, but oddly got a bit of a charcoal flavor. I know it was distilled in Virginia, but that alone should not have imparted such a note. I also got a bit of overripe apple, which I've always associated with young, craft whiskies.

My first impression upon taking a sip was that this is very sweet, like sugar cookie sweet. It had a bit of a baked goods flavor to it, but with a whole bunch of sugar to it. Unfortunately, it also had that craft-ish flavor to it, that familiar over-ripe apple flavor that is just so off-putting. Granted, the sweetness was something that other craft whiskies haven't been able to accomplish, but it was still hard to get past.

On the finish I got a certain amount of tartness that just didn't work for me either. I like a good cherry tart note. However, this was more of a "bad blackberry" type note. It had that dark berry note, but it just wasn't quite right, and it certainly wasn't enjoyable.

I don't know if it was the wheat or what, but I also got a distinct wood note, like chewing on a twig. It was earthy and dry. That with the tartness gave a bit of an orange peal, and even some amaretto flavor. Don't get me wrong, though, this did not approach the flavor of an old fashioned or anything like that. Rather, these were just more the bitter aspects of these flavors, and they just didn't work to make this much more enjoyable.

I had high hopes for this whiskey, and as I made my way through the bottle I wanted very badly for it to improve over time and with a little oxidation. But, in the end, it came across as unbalanced and unrefined, and I just didn't find it that enjoyable.

Grade: C-

Smooth Ambler Old Scout American Whiskey

VITALS:
- $35
- 99 Proof
- NAS
- Batch No. 6

Smooth Ambler out of West Virginia has been producing some quality rye and bourbon for quite some time now. Their rye, store picks and single barrel bourbons are pretty well sought after, because, quite frankly, they're good whiskeys! Whenever Smooth Ambler announces a new product, I am therefore intrigued, and their release of an American Whiskey was no different.

The nose is predominantly cereal notes, with hints of vanilla and the soft scents of sweet tobacco leaf. It reminded me of a more grain-forward Irish whiskey in this sense, like Green Spot only with corn flakes added in.

On the palate, the whiskey immediately strikes me as being sweet. This was a bit unexpected. I was immediately hit with brown sugar and orange peel to give it just a bit of bitterness to counterbalance the sweet brown sugar. The cereal notes from the nose are there as well, though more subtle than what I expected. My initial impressions from my first pour were that it's an okay whiskey, but that it feels like after time it could really open up and that the cereal and vanilla notes might eventually take over.

As I made my way through this bottle, other notes came to the front that I hadn't noticed at first. A certain cocoa flavor made its way in, and, mixed with the cereal and brown sugar flavors, reminded me of chocolate covered graham crackers (a seriously underrated dessert/cookie in my book). It also seemed to take on a creamy nougat flavor, making this more like a dessert whiskey. While it didn't have that over-sweet, sugariness that some whiskeys have, it was nonetheless more sweet than I'd prefer, and it seemed to get more sugary as time went on.

Overall, I like that Smooth Ambler is releasing new products such as this as well as their wheat whiskey. They continue to make quality products, and this is no exception. Although I didn't find this whiskey to be great, it is nonetheless very good, and I'd recommend to anyone that they give it a try. At the very least, it seems to be well-priced and you won't be stuck with the buyer's remorse of overpaying for a bottle you don't really enjoy.

Grade: B-

Smooth Ambler Old Scout 10 Year Single Barrel Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey

VITALS:
- $50
- 114 Proof
- 10 Years
- Barrel #3060

The other night I wanted nothing more than a sure-fire, good, solid bourbon, something I hadn't had before but knew was not going to disappoint me. And so, I reached for this 10 year Old Scout Single Barrel. I've had store pick single barrels in the past that have been incredible, so I knew that I was at least getting a very good bourbon, if not something great.

Perhaps I had some bias going into this one, but it certainly did not disappoint. In fact, I found myself working my way through this bottle relatively quickly. Whenever I found myself with a choice of pours for the evening, this was the clear cut winner.

The nose on this was delicious! It had the typical brown sugar and vanilla aromas, but what set it apart was a distinct cocoa butter smell to it that I just couldn't stop sniffing! My wife usually looks at me cockeyed when I just sit there smelling my drink over and over, but with some whiskeys they smell so good you can't help but take it in. Such was the case here.

The first sip was sweet vanilla up front, very ice cream-esque. However, it had a nice peppery bit on the back end, just seconds after it hit the tongue. On the finish, that peppery spice became more of a cinnamon spice, which hung around for a while, tickling the back of my throat.

Showing its age, it had some wood tones to it. However, it was just enough to notice it, and not enough to provide that bite that comes with higher-aged bourbons. This one is well within that sweet spot where the oak adds enough flavor without adding too much.

After having this open just for a few days, it sweetened up immensely. What was previously a nice ice cream intro parlaying into an inoffensive cinnamon spice was now simply a caramel bomb. The caramel was so prevalent it almost smacked me in the face. I was quite surprised at how the flavor profile seemed to change so much in so little time. The cinnamon remained on the back end, but mixed with the lingering caramel flavor gave it almost a spicy butteriness, if that even makes sense.

I liked this bottle to start, and just a few pours in I loved it! I hope against hope that with the recent purchase by Pernod Ricard things will nonetheless remain the same at West Virginia based Smooth Ambler, because they have always done an amazing job of sourcing excellent bourbon and bottling incredible tasting single barrels.

Grade: A-

Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $40
- 99 Proof
- 7 years
- Batch No. 52

The Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Rye had eluded me for quite some time. While it was supposed to be generally available, I simply hadn't seen it in the wild anywhere. Having heard good things about it, I always kept an eye out.

I ended up finding it at a local higher-end grocery store called Mariano's. Among their whiskey selections were a number of craft options the likes you don't find in most grocery stores, and there, at a cool $40, were a number of bottles of the Old Scout Rye. It only took me half a second to grab one and head for the checkout line.

The nose is a traditional rye spice, with some vanilla and pepper and a bit of cherry to it. On the first sip I couldn't help but notice how smooth it is. It's 99 proof, but had very minimal burn.

The flavor was all dark fruits and spice. It was like a mix of cherry and plum with cinnamon. It also had a nutty, pecan flavor behind it. I found it to be incredibly tasty from the first pour.

Perhaps it was the bottle, perhaps it was me, or perhaps it's just a complex rye, but while the cherry flavor stuck around, as I made my way through this bottle, the cinnamon and nut flavors were muted and a distinct coffee flavor came to the forefront to mix with the cherry, along with a chocolate undertone.  This cherry and coffee mix was really interesting, and the differing flavors continued to hit my tongue in waves, even if they were different than on the first pour.

This is a very warming rye, certainly spicy, and would be very good on a cold winter night. I happened to enjoy this bottle over the summer, and, don't get me wrong, I absolutely enjoyed it on warm summer nights, sitting on my couch in the air conditioning.

Grade: B+

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Binny's Private Selection 10 Year Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $60.00
- 107.8 Proof
- Aged 10 Years
- Barrel #1689

I've only had a Smooth Ambler product once before, and while I enjoyed their seven-year bourbon, it wasn't as though I was blown away or anything. However, when I got the opportunity to grab a private selection of their 10-year bourbon and to enjoy it at barrel strength, it was a must-buy moment. I've heard incredible stuff about their 10-year, particularly the private selection, barrel-strength bourbons, and I just had to see for myself.

I couldn't be more thrilled with a bourbon purchase I've made! This bourbon is full of the traditional bourbon flavors you'd expect, coming across as a powerful vanilla bomb, sweetened by caramel and toffee, and balanced out by a slight woody, oak flavor that is only prevalent enough to make you know it's there, but not to get in the way of the other flavors.

Each of the flavors are robust and easily distinguishable, causing you to notice them over and over with each sip. And to be clear, this is absolutely a sippin' whiskey. At 107.8 proof, it's got a heavy burn, but it does not detract from the enjoyment or in any way detract from its flavor. Rather, I believe the higher proof allows the vanilla and caramel to come forward and keep the tannic wood from overwhelming.

This bourbon is very dark in color and it is very thick in texture and very heavy on the tongue. While it isn't always this case, in this instance, that is certainly reflective of the richness of this bourbon.

I absolutely loved this bourbon from the get go. It embodies nearly everything I love in a bourbon. It is rich and sweet, and full of vanilla. On the back end it has a mild clove spice, indicating a higher rye content in the mashbill, followed by a lingering oakiness, but without the tannins, showing its age without drying out the whiskey.

I enjoyed every sip of this bourbon, without question, one of the best I've ever had!

Grade: A+

Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Straight Bourbon

 

West Virginia may not be known for its bourbon (perhaps better known for its moonshine), but Smooth Ambler has nonetheless made a name for itself among American Whiskeys as a consistently good producer. 

 

Having passed it over many a time to go the more traditional route of the Kentucky bourbon, I finally decided to give this bottle a try.

 

The first thing I noticed is the vivid reddish bronze color of the whiskey.  Certainly bourbons are a darker whiskey, but this had an auburn quality about it that had me intrigued.

 

The nose was notably fruity, with pronounced apples and almonds in the aroma.  I liken it to a fruitier almond liqueur smell.

 

On the tongue, though, the high rye content of the mashbill stood out.  It also had an up-front flavor of cooked cherries.  The finish had hints of mint with a spiciness at the back end to complement its mild sweetness on the front end. 

 

There was nothing eye-popping about this whiskey.  Nonetheless, I found myself really enjoying it, particularly the father down I got in the bottle.  The first pour came across as ordinary.  However, with each subsequent pour, the whiskey smoothed out considerably and took on a buttery flavor that was unexpected (and the nose smelled unmistakably like my wife's Shea butter lotion, as odd as that may be).

 

It's a very warming pour that I could really enjoy during the winter months, and I look forward to trying other products in the Smooth Ambler line.

 

Grade: B