SapperDawg
05-09-2015, 07:23 PM
This week, we put two bourbons together that are not exactly pure KY products. Our tasting focused on Smooth Ambler Old Scout seven year old, and Michter's Small Batch. Both of these are distilled and aged in Indiana, as best as I can tell, with Old Scout blended and bottled in West Virginia, while Michter's is blended an bottled in Louisville, KY.
I am unsure of the Michter's mash blend and it has no age statement, but the Old Scout is high rye - 36% - and we suspect the Michter's to be a higher rye as well.
To the tasting: Old Scout really surprised me, as I was not expecting to like it as much as I do. It is definitely spicy, but you don?t get the alcohol heat from a 99 proof, likely due to the age. This one was best for me over an ice ball, and I enjoyed tasting the change in it as the ice melted off.
Micther's was surprising to me as well, as I was prepared for it to be a dud. There is some rye spice here, but not on the level of Old Scout or even Four Roses Small Batch. It was a smooth drinker without a heavy nose.
The Old Scout was $49 at my local store, and I think Michter's runs about the same. If I had to add one of these to my shelf it's the Old Scout hands down.
http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo192/scumglove/2AF911E0-46C3-41BE-ABF8-D865C1E52F20_zpshbzoosnm.jpg (http://s375.photobucket.com/user/scumglove/media/2AF911E0-46C3-41BE-ABF8-D865C1E52F20_zpshbzoosnm.jpg.html)
I am unsure of the Michter's mash blend and it has no age statement, but the Old Scout is high rye - 36% - and we suspect the Michter's to be a higher rye as well.
To the tasting: Old Scout really surprised me, as I was not expecting to like it as much as I do. It is definitely spicy, but you don?t get the alcohol heat from a 99 proof, likely due to the age. This one was best for me over an ice ball, and I enjoyed tasting the change in it as the ice melted off.
Micther's was surprising to me as well, as I was prepared for it to be a dud. There is some rye spice here, but not on the level of Old Scout or even Four Roses Small Batch. It was a smooth drinker without a heavy nose.
The Old Scout was $49 at my local store, and I think Michter's runs about the same. If I had to add one of these to my shelf it's the Old Scout hands down.
http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo192/scumglove/2AF911E0-46C3-41BE-ABF8-D865C1E52F20_zpshbzoosnm.jpg (http://s375.photobucket.com/user/scumglove/media/2AF911E0-46C3-41BE-ABF8-D865C1E52F20_zpshbzoosnm.jpg.html)