Veteran Bourbon Review: Smooth Ambler Old Scout

Official Product Website

History – From the hills of West Virginia comes Smooth Ambler. This company prides itself on being not from Kentucky and striving to mix and create better bourbon. This bottle is from batch NO. 154 and was bottled by Jordan. A message straight from them, “We didn’t just set out to make award winning whiskey. We also set out to create a source of pride for West Virginians everywhere. To embrace the best of everything around us – the land, the people, and the resources – to create a business that would make a difference by providing opportunities for the people in our community.”- Smooth Ambler

Value – I over paid for this bourbon. MSRP on their site is $34.99 and I paid $37.99. This would be a better buy if you can find it at MSRP.

Appearance – The bottle and label is pretty bland, nothing special. Medium length body with a short neck capped with a cork. However it does have a cool logo, an S encompassing an A. This bourbon is medium amber in color.

Nose – Due to the potency of the ethanol, the first deep inhale I took made me sneeze. The remainder of the aroma is completed with hints of oak, butterscotch and/or caramel, and leather. At best, this nose is average.

Palate – I was surprised by the lack of ethanol burn on the palate considering how much was present in the nose. I don’t go around licking leather to see what it tastes like, but based on how it smells, I may infer that it tastes somewhat like leather, with hints of caramel, oak, and possibly even vanilla.

Finish – Hands down the best part of this review. The finish displays very low spice, caramel, and oak. You can actually feel some rye develop at this point. This is a very nice finish.

Summary – In summary, For a newcomer, this is a decent bourbon to start with. Low ethanol throughout the review except for the nose; nevertheless, since most of us don’t sit and vigorously sniff the bottle, this is not a major problem. Caramel, oak, and leather are revealed in the remainder of the review.

“Considering that I had never heard of Smooth Ambler, I decided to try it for a review. Even though it’s not my preferred bourbon, it impressed me. As I already mentioned, it is ideal for a beginner.“

–Eric Watkins

Uniqueness- 1-10 – 5

Appearance- 1-10 – 5

Nose- 1-20 – 9

Palate- 1-20 – 10

Finish- 1-20 – 14

Value- 1-20 – 11