Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Rye 4 Year

On the nose its a classic MGP rye with dill, citrus, and spice. On the palette, it’s oily and thick. Spicy and oaky with a bite. The finish is herbal, spicy, and long. I like MGP rye and this is one of the best I’ve had.

Well I kinda wish I had a bottle of Dickel rye sitting in my shelf right now to try side by side because this smells exactly like it. Not a bad pour. Just enough sweet, spice, and dill to keep me coming back for another taste. But what i do have sitting in the shelf I can compare, is Sagamore Cask Strength Rye….. Well trying these back to back is pretty interesting because I wasn’t super impressed with the Sag but for the price I got it on clearance from a closing liquor store I was happy. So a little research and Sag is also MGP rye, so how do they compare? First sip SAOS 56.8%ABV. Spicy rye tiny bit of sweet lots of spearmint. You can tell this one is young but it’s not terrible at all. Next sip Sag 57%ABV. Very similar but more muted flavors. There’s definitely no spearmint but the overall flavor profile is very very similar. So which would I choose? It’s a toss up they are both similar but the SAOS has more of a spicy rye flavor to it so really it’s what you’re in the mood for that day. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Would I buy it again for $50? Probably not just because there are so many selections out there around the same price point to try out. But if someone asked me if it was worth trying at a bar I’d say yes if it’s a reasonable price per pour. I sure wish I was able to try the older SAOS bottles that were apparently amazing. Oh well maybe in another 10 years we’ll see them around again. 10/11/22

The nose is somewhat astringent, citrus, maybe grapefruit, orange. The palate hits like MGP rye, which is to say, pretty good. Sweet vanilla, cherry, then grassy rye notes, dill. Many thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the generous pour!

Rating: 14/23 This is just 4 year old MGP, which I normally think of as pretty uninspiring. I've heard some good things about this though and I've never had cask strength 4 year old MGP before, so I figured I'd give it a chance. N: Uh, oh. Alcohol hits me first. Giving it a minute, dill, lime fruit wedges, and light mint come out. It's lighter than I'd expected considering the proof, but I kind of like this fun nose. Giving it a little more time, a little wood starts to show itself. It's kind of toasty with occasional faint vanilla. Sniffing more deeply, I do get some young alcohol, but it isn't too bad considering the proof. P: Big with wood and alcohol hitting, then the dill flows in. The dill just sits on top of everything. Young MGP is often too sweet, but this is just on the right side of the line. There's a bit of grain and creek water sweetness mixed with the sweetness of the lime fruit wedge candy. Lots of tannins come out of the barrel and bring some prickly spices with them. Some mint as well. This is where I wish I could say that there's a lot of complexity, but there really isn't, unfortunately. The full flavors are nice with the high proof, but there is also a lot of alcohol and the edges of all of the flavors are rough from the minimal aging. F: Wood, tannins, dill, mint. The drier finish relative to the palate is nice. - Conclusion - This is solid, but I'm far from amazed. The amount of flavor packed in seems high for 4 years, but the youthful alcohol and balance definitely seem appropriate for 4 years, or perhaps even a little younger. After a bit of side-by-siding with Wild Turkey Rare Breed (14/23) (more complex, but more alcoholic), Early Times Bottled In Bond (15/23) (maybe slightly more complex, but also more balanced), and George Dickel Single Barrel 15 (15/23) (more complex and balanced, and surprisingly not really more tannic) I've concluded that this is unfortunately just a 14. I like it well enough, but it's not that complex or mature.

<3번 블라인드 위스키 시음평> ​ ​ 🌑향 : 이제 보통 버번이나 보통 라이는 없을 것이라는 배경으로 향을 맡아봅니다. 제 코에는 담뱃재 냄새가 많이 나는 걸로 봐서는 왠지 버번이나 라이인것 같습니다.(당연한 이야기를 하는 중) 향에서부터 스파이시함이 단단하게 잘 느껴지고 아주 갓 벤 잔디나 박하향이 잘 납니다. 예삿 도수는 아닐 것으로 보입니다. ​ ​ ​ 🌗맛 : 입에 들어오면서 달콤한 맛이 납니다. (역시 이것도 무언가 피니쉬인건가?) 진짜 고깃집에서 고기 다 먹고 주워먹었던 박하사탕맛이 납니다. 바로 스파이시함이 잽 3번을 날려주더니 입안에 퍼집니다. ​ ​ ​ 🌕피니쉬 : 목넘김 순간에 엄청 단 맛이 마치 스카치에서 느꼈던 그것과 같습니다. 뭐지! 상당히 수상해집니다. 레드프루트가 느껴지는데, 이젠 결국 이렇게 산으로 가는건가 싶습니다. ​ ​ 도수 : 55도 종류 : 버번인데 달콤한 피니쉬? 점수 : 7.5/10 (야박한 제 점수체계에서는 엄청난 고득점입니다) ​ 🍀한줄평 *짙은 담배향으로 시작하고 박하향으로 이어지다가 마지막에는 레드프루트스러운 조화가 아주 맘에 듭니다, 겪어보지 못했던 아름다움 ​ ​ ​ 결과는? 버번에 쉐리피니쉬인줄 알았으나 라이에 싱글배럴인건.... 완전 실패 ㅋㅋㅋ ​ 도수는 다르지만 요롷게 생겼답니다 ​ ​ <보틀 공개 후 시음평> 올드스카웃 라이 싱글배럴 CS 4년 (Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Rye Cask Strength 4Yo) 58.9% ​ ​ ​ 🌑향 : 확실히 고도수의 오일리함이 잘 느껴집니다. 도수가 높아 향을 계속해서 깊이 맡기가 어려우면서도, 기름으로 남아버린 너티함, 향을 숨겨버리는 스파이시, 화(사)함과 박하가 느껴집니다. ​ ​ ​ 🌗맛 : 처음 터치가 역시나 강렬합니다. 강한 단맛을 동반한 라이의 허브함, 약간의 담배맛(생오크향)이 어색하지만 아주 조화롭습니다. ​ ​ ​ 🌕피니쉬 : 목넘김은 역시나 쉐리처럼 탁! 치는 달콤함이 일품입니다. 이 포인트 덕분에 술을 마시는 속도가 빨라지기까지 합니다. ​ ​ ​ 🍀한줄평 : *"라이맛"이라는 고정관념을 없애준 보틀 *다음에 눈에 띄면 들여봐야겠다라는 생각 *MGP 일 잘하네?!

My barrel clocking in at 61.4% abv. 4 year age statement. I know of the fabled SAOS barrels of old; how will the new, younger product stack up? Nose is punchy and herbaceous with lemongrass, mint, eucalyptus, white pepper, coriander, and rye spice, with an English tea biscuit sweetness underneath. Smells young, but also smells like a good rye should. Palate follows suit with most of the notes described above, but instead of biscuit sweetness it’s more of a honey/graham cracker which helps bring balance. But make no mistake this is no 51% “barely rye”; herbals are center stage. Flavors are large and in charge; smacking you right in the face. Finish is a bit jagged, with the youth showing in the form of camphor, pepper, and prickly heat. Also a citrusy sour note that is close to grapefruit which is odd, but not unpleasant. Mouthfeel is extremely grainy; I mean…did someone just mill rye flour directly into my mouth? It is rare that a mouthfeel will make or break a whiskey for me, but I think this is one of those times. Overall, a pretty standard 4 year MGP sourced rye. Make no mistake, this is in no way bad and in a parallel universe where this is the only 95/5 MGP rye then it would be the bomb. But in this one, it’s 51.99 and I can get superior MGP ryes (like Bonesnapper X-Ray) for roughly the same price point. Falls short of rebuy status for me. Wouldn’t mind seeing what say, a 6 year version is like in a couple of years.

Nose: cinnamon, honey, candy corn, raisins, biscuits, wood spice. Palate: caramel, butterscotch, candy corn, rye spice, mint. Very hot but extremely flavorful. A few drops of water opens up butterscotch and nuttiness on the nose and likewise on the palate. This is most complex at its full proof.