Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon

Another great sample from last night's impromptu bourbon tasting. This review isn't just for the normal 10 year Old Scout bourbon, this is a single barrel, barrel strength that was bottled exclusively for the online whiskey retailer, Binny's. The regular 10 year old comes in at an even 100 proof, while this single barrel is just over 117 proof. I did try a small pour of the regular 7 year old to establish a baseline and to see how well the extra 3 years goes towards improving this lower-to-bottom shelf bourbon. I gotta say, the extra 3 years works wonders here. The nose was still heavy corn, but that's where the similarities to the 7 year stopped. The palate was very impressive: there's vanilla, oak, toffee and even a bit of dark berry and cherries. It was substantially sweeter and incredibly smoother, too. The 7 year old was harsh and kind of uninviting. The finish was a bit short, but pleasant. I'm not sure how difficult this bottle is to find, or even the price point, but damn it was unexpectedly a highlight of the evening. I have to keep my eye out for more from these guys. Good stuff and I recommend you guys to do the same. If this stuff is around $30-40 a bottle I would consider it a steal. Cheers.

A little hot for my preference.

Solid proof with a nice classic nose, I get a lot of alcohol and vanilla. The taste left a little to be desired for me, with a smoky flavor that was likely clove but hinted at a peaty scotch. Interesting. Not my favorite, but I can see why others are fans.