Smooth Ambler rye is a whiskey sourced from LDI’s 95% rye mashbill. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about them and I personally have nothing against LDI whiskeys. I’m also a huge fan of cask strength offerings and the price was right so I jumped on this bottle.
Nose: Lots of heat up front. That should be expecting given the whopping ~64% ABV. Plenty of traditional LDI rye spice notes come after the hot ether blast. Lots and lots of mint then all the very sweet wood sugars come through. Caramel and toffee predominate. The nose is very pleasant.
Taste: Taste is the reverse of the nose. A repeat of the same sweet caramel wood sugars come immediately up front on the palette. The sweetness then gives way to the tingly minty fresh rye spice. The tingle starts to intensify as the rye spice takes hold. The high proof makes this one an intense assault of sweet flavors but not as much so on the mint. It packs a lot of heat but is incredibly drinkable even at proof. I did not want to add any water. The age has done a lot to balance out the spice punch compared to the younger high proof ryes I am used to like Willett and Handy.
Finish: Short to medium finish. Deep sweet notes of fudgy dark cocoa. Pretty standard flavors in a finish for me but certainly very enjoyable. The crisp mint is there but light. Very little burn which is remarkable given the proof. It doesn’t linger as long as I expected given the proof.
Notes: There is a lot of murmuring lately about how Smooth Ambler is the new Willett Family Estate. If they keep these prices and this quality up I would be inclined to agree with that prediction. It may not be the most layered or complex whiskey that I’ve had but it’s pretty damn tasty. Unlike other hard to find/higher priced barrel proof whiskeys out right now Smooth Ambler is very accessible and very affordable. Like those whiskeys though it is also high proof, tasty, and extremely drinkable at proof. I don’t know what else you could ask for.
Rating: A-
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