Smooth Ambler’s 1st bourbon release that is distilled, aged, and bottled at their West Virginia distillery. It is a 100 proof wheated bourbon with no age statement, although Smooth Amber says it’s 5+ years old, and not chill filtered. The mashbill is 71% corn, 21% wheat, and 8% malted barely. Aged in #4 char 53 gallon barrels. This particular bottle is from batch 16. N: Pears, fresh bread, oak, malt, the “heads” cut, light hints of vanilla and maple. P: Initial sweetness is overtaken quickly by dryness and bitterness. Light vanilla and maple - bitter apples, pears, oak, malt, corn. F: Dry, astringent, burnt pepper and oak. This has a very atypical bourbon taste profile. This bourbon has garnered quite a few negative reviews and comments. I knew that before I purchased a bottle, but it didn’t stop me. It is fruity and somewhat dry. It’s hard to believe that this is 5 years old. It seems a little light in color considering it’s 5+ years old and bottled at 100 proof. I would have expected it to pick up more barrel notes, but this profile is definitely grain driven. I don’t know if they aged it low in the rickhouse, or not much stave penetration took place, or what, but something is amiss here. If you have ever smelled the “heads” cut of a distillate (the compounds that come off the still before the etOH), you would recognize it in this. Nothing is really “good” about this bourbon, but the tannic/astringent burnt oak finish is the most off putting. I haven’t had a bourbon like this in quite awhile. I’m a fan of this company, mainly because they are pretty straightforward about giving you information about their products, and they have put out some decent sourced products (mainly Old Scout) in the past. I have no doubt they will put out better products in the future.