Smooth Ambler Big Level Wheated Bourbon

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.

This is the newest, core bottle from Smooth Ambler, out of Maxwelton WV. This is their “wheater” and I believe it is the first SA release that doesn’t use any sourced whiskey from Indiana contract distillery, MGP. This is bottled at 50% and runs a cool $55 at the distillery. I haven’t seen it on shelves here in Virginia, so I’m glad I grabbed a couple of bottles while visiting family a few weeks ago. This bottle was from Batch 19 and is dark amber/copper in the Glencairn. It’s pretty oily and makes some heavy legs in the glass. The nose is pretty uneventful- even after 20-30min: there’s no barrel, no ABV heat and very weak vanilla and/or sweetness. That’s not a good way to start things off. Happily, the palate picks up the proverbial pace with nice, sweet wheat and cinnamon while coming on strong and a bit harsh. That’s odd for a wheater for sure, but after the faint nose it needs a kick in the pants and this delivers. The finish is long and spicy with lots of warming, woody notes while ending somewhat smooth on the tongue and throat. Overall, it’s rough around the edges for a wheat whiskey, but it still delivers where it counts: flavor profile. This one ran a bit on the expensive side at $55 at the distillery. I’m not sure it’s worth that price but I still recommend giving it a try. Maybe find it at a local bar before splurging on a full bottle for yourself. 3.5 stars. Cheers.

I’ll just get right into this one. The nose was strong and reminds me of acetone. Not making me very excited to taste it. A little sweetness comes out on the nose. First sip was rough. Upfront was a strong alcohol hit. Once that goes away at the very end has an okay sweet corn and spice on the tongue. It lingered for a bit. Second sip was not much different. I added some water and it smoothed out the pure alcohol hit but is not enjoyable at all for me. Overall, I will not be buying this again. Possibly never buy anything from smooth ambler again. $10 bottles of bourbon can be found that beat this.

Made the mistake of buying this based on previous enjoyment of some Smooth Ambler offerings. After reading many of these reviews I quickly regretted my decision. To be fair, my batch (50) doesn’t seem as bad as some earlier ones, but it sure isn’t worth the $55 price tag. Yes it is spicy for a wheated whiskey and yes it is a bit thin on depth. It isn’t as full of acetate as some have noted, but it pales in comparison to cheaper wheats (Weller, Bernheim, Journeyman). Adding water or allowing rocks to melt helps a bit, but not enough. Save your money.

Came in middle of the pack on Wheat bottle flight of 10 different bottles for me. Heavy notes of toasted corn flakes on the nose . Palate is similar with heavy corn notes and wet burlap . Finish soften enough to show notes of almonds. Does have a long finish so if this is your flavor profile , then it’s worth a try . Unfortunately of the 10 of us tasters I gave it the most credit. So disappointing since I usually enjoy Smooth Ambler offerings

Typical bourbony smell with a bit of a musty note - reminds me of corn tortillas. Nice, tart sweetness up front. Pronounced peanutty flavor and long, oaky finish. Notable burn for a wheated bourbon. There’s no rye present in the mashbill, but there’s a spiciness there that could’ve fooled me. All in all, not a bad drink, but probably not worth the price..