Smooth Ambler Founders’ Cask Strength Series Bourbon, 2022, Batch 4

I’d like to thank Smooth Ambler and their PR team for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Oh my goodness, it is great to be back. As much as I enjoy the brackets each year, they all get written ahead of time. So I usually get a few weeks away from writing to relax and get other things done. And, boy, did I get things done this year. Namely, I started a business. Kinda. I’ve been dog-sitting as a side hustle for six years but decided to formalize that business into an LLC. I had to research, buy, and implement booking software, get insurance, and move my clients from the platform I’d been using to the new one. Hell, even small things like business cards and a website needed to be created.

It was an excellent time to have posts pre-written ahead, let me tell you.

What that meant though was that I had a ton of samples stacked up that I wasn’t tasting. And so, let’s just jump into the first one and work our way through the backlog. Tonight’s bourbon is from Smooth Ambler. Smooth Ambler is a small distillery in West Virginia owned by Pernod Ricard. They are best known for their Old Scout line of sourced whiskeys, but they also distill their own as well. Founders’ Cask Strength is made from one of those bourbons that they distilled in-house. Specifically their “Bourbon Mashbill #2” which consists of 71% corn, 21% rye, and 8% malted barley. Founders’ will be released in select markets (California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas) for $54.99 per 750 mL bottle and 900 cases are going to be produced per year across six batches. The press release was kind enough to share a quote from the Smooth Ambler founder (fitting) so let’s hear what he has to say about the product:

As John Little states, “What’s great about the Founders’ Cask Strength Series is we finally get to let y’all taste delicious whiskey we’ve been excitedly working on for years in our part of the whiskey world – West Virginia. With this Bourbon recipe, we add a modest amount of Rye to play well with high corn content and let it age in Char #4 casks in the Appalachian climate.  It’s a surprising meddling of flavors and geographical superpowers that just work effortlessly.  So please enjoy this newly minted convergence of flavors, from our home to yours.” 

Ok. That’s enough with the background. Let’s move on to the important stuff, how does it taste?

Smooth Ambler Founder's Cask Strength Series, Batch 4, 2022

Purchase Info: This was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $54.99 for a 750 mL bottle and is available in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.67

Details: 61.4% ABV. Six years old. Mash bill: 71% corn, 21% rye, and 8% malted barley.

Nose: Honey, cinnamon, oak, and mint.

Mouth: Chocolate, oak, leather, berries, and cinnamon.

Finish: Sweet and medium length. Leather, chocolate, mint, anise, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is quite tasty—lots of oak-derived notes, such as leather and chocolate. The finish is the best and most complex part, precisely how I'd plan it if I were in charge. Delicious.

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Jefferson's Ocean New York Edition and Jefferson's Ocean Rye

I’d like to thank Jefferson’s Bourbon and their PR team for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Last week, I got myself a shipment of whiskey from the PR agency that represents Jefferson’s Bourbon. I’ve enjoyed Jefferson’s in the past but as I was often critical of the cost of the bourbon, I was a bit surprised when they offered me a sample of their new releases. But since “too expensive” is relative, I try to not let that stop me from exploring a new bourbon. Especially when they are providing the sample for review.

Tonight’s two whiskeys are again from the Jefferson’s Ocean lineup. Because we have a lot to cover, let’s just let Jefferson’s tell you what they want you to know about each whiskey and then we can discuss what they taste like.

First, Jefferson’s Ocean Rye:

Welcome aboard rye’s first voyage, joining our Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea family as our 26th voyage. This double-barreled rye whiskey travels the world on ships at sea, blending the bold flavor of Rye with the rich caramelization that comes from the unique sea aging process.

And now Jefferson’s Ocean New York Edition

Prior to landing in New York, the barrels of bourbon traveled around the world sailing through rough and smooth seas while experiencing a wide range of temperatures. When they finished their voyage, they arrived at Manhattan’s first distillery since prohibition. From here, New York’s famous water was used to cut the bourbon to a 98 proof and it is non chill filtered creating a bigger and bolder liquid.

Ok, now that that’s behind us, Let’s see how they taste.

Jefferson's Ocean Rye

Purchase Info: This sample bottle was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 48% ABV.

Nose: Wintergreen, cinnamon, bubblegum.

Mouth: Cinnamon spice, nutmeg, bubblegum, and cardboard.

Finish: Medium in warmth and length. Notes of bubble gum, spearmint, and baking spice.

Thoughts: Lots of bubble gum on this one. At least to my palate. This isn't a world-beater by any means, but it isn't bad. It just doesn't align with my palate. I prefer my rye whiskies to have a little more ' 'rye" flavor to them. So I'm neutral on this one. I'd drink it if you were pouring, but probably wouldn't choose it off the shelf if I was pouring

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Jefferson's Ocean: New York Edition

Purchase Info: This sample bottle was provided at no cost for review purposes. They did not provided a suggested retail price but the Bourbon Review is reporting it as $99 for a 750 mL.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.67

Details: 49% ABV. Cut to proof with New York water.

Nose: Cinnamon, vanilla, red berries, and hints of oak and wintergreen.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon, red fruit, brown sugar, wintergreen, dried grain, and raw almond.

Finish: On the longer side of medium length. Notes of nutmeg, wintergreen, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: I'm very pleasantly surprised by this one. I'm not usually a huge fan of Jefferson's Bourbon, but this one is pretty good. It has a nice spiciness. Unlike the other Jefferson's Bourbons I've had recently, this doesn't stray too far away from the stereotypical "Bourbon" flavor profile. I usually describe Jefferson's as a "change of pace" bourbon because it is a bit different than the other bourbons on the market. This needs no such disclaimer. I'm a fan. Though the $100 price point of the Jefferson's Ocean New York Edition release does leave a bit to be desired. Especially if you are on a dogsitter’s budget like I am.

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New Riff Balboa Rye Bottled-in-Bond

We are flying by the seat of our pants on this one tonight folks. I’ve not only lost the receipt from when I bought tonight’s whiskey, but it was long enough ago that I honestly don’t even remember where I bought it, much less how much it cost. It was long enough ago that all of the snow that is in the photo above (about a foot and a half or so) has melted and is currently in the process of being replaced by upwards of two feet of new snow.

I don’t usually wait so long between purchase and review, but it got stuck behind something and overlooked for, I’m guessing three months or so. It seems one of the many things that I’ve forgotten about this whiskey is exactly when I bought it. Let’s move forward with what I do know though.

I first became aware of New Riff’s Balboa Rye Bottled in Bond Whiskey when it was re-released as part of their Fall 2020 slate of Whiskey Club Releases. I know this because I bought the other two of the three that were released that October and because I never delete an email if I can help it. It was part of a, probably ill-advised, harrowing two day road trip to Cincinnati and back during the height of the Pandemic. I doubt I will ever again drive that far in one day only to turn around and drive back home the next.

So first things first, what is Balboa Rye? Why is it the name of this whiskey? Is this some sort of Rocky reference? In reverse order:

• No.

• It is the name of the rye variety in used in the mash bill

• Balboa Rye is an heirloom rye grain grown by New Riff’s Corn farmer Charles Fogg. The variety dates back to the 1940s and, according to the New Riff website was popular in Indiana at the time.

So what is an heirloom rye grain? I’m going to let New Riff’s website tell you this one since their explanation will probably also answer many of your followup questions.

Heirloom rye presents a great challenge to those that grow heirloom crops. Winter rye is a promiscuous grain that can easily cross-pollinate. Winter rye seeds must be grown in isolation to accurately produce seed varieties. If they are allowed to cross with other varieties, the identity of the original will be lost. Farmers and distillers that use heirloom rye have to start with seeds from one particularly known provenance. Depending on the person, ‘heirloom’ can have many different meetings. Typically, the term refers to older varieties of rye (or other plants, or livestock) that date from the early 20th century or even back into the 1800s. Older varieties are often discarded by farmers due to their lower yield. For distillers, however, a low yield can be beneficial because there are more flavorful grains wherever there are lower yields. This is the same for wine, where lower-yielding vines are highly prized for depth of flavor in their grapes. Heirloom grains, including rye, have disadvantages that can make them tough to work with. They’re less disease-resistant and more susceptible to insects. The older varieties are more susceptible to disease, and don’t yield as well. For those who produce rye whiskey, like New Riff, the choice to grow single-strain or heirloom rye is impactful. A way to showcase the provenance of rye grains is through the wonderful rye whiskey from New Riff Distilling.

So now that that is out of the way, let’s see how this tastes and see if I was unlucky back in 2020, when it was sold out before I could buy it on my overnight adventure.

New Riff Balboa Rye Bottled-in-Bond

Purchase Info: Honestly…no idea. It looks like the MSRP was $49.99 back in 2020 so I’ll go with that.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 4 years old, 50% ABV, Bottled-in- Bond. Mash bill: 95% Balboa Rye, 5% malted rye. Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: Cedar, cinnamon, brown sugar, menthol, a deep earthy note.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon, caramel, mint, and almonds.

Finish: Medium-long and warm with notes of cinnamon and almond.

Thoughts: This is one of the more interesting whiskies that have come across my desk in recent months. Please don't confuse "most interesting" with "best" though. It’s quite good, don’t get me wrong, it's just different enough that I will probably need to be in the mood for some thing interesting and different before I reach for this one. Which is fine, since it looks like none of the stores near me are currently carrying it.

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Bernheim Barrel Proof, A223

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

I have the distinct pleasure of watching a puppy this week. He’s only about five months old, so there is a lot of energy. So much so that his usually energetic older brother was asleep shortly after arrival as other pups took over the duty of playing with the baby. It also means that I am saying a lot of things like: “Get out of there.” “Where did you get that?” and, of course, “Get that out of your mouth!”

I have to be on my toes. If things get too noisy, I get nervous. I get even more so when they get quiet. Which, as you might have guessed, makes tasting whiskey a little hard to do. And explains where I was on Tuesday. Well, that and it was Valentine’s Day, so I spent the evening with my wife, chasing the puppy around to get “whatever it was that he found this time” out of his mouth. Puppies are a lot of work, but at the end of the day, my reward is a sleepy little puppy who resembles nothing more than a wet noodle.

But you aren’t here to hear about my new little buddy. You want to know about the newest barrel-proof release from Heaven Hill. Well, as you might expect, Bernheim Barrel Proof is a barrel-proof version of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey. Being a wheat whiskey means that the mash bill used to create it is at least 51% wheat. In this case, it is exactly 51% wheat, with the other grains used being corn (37%) and malted barley (12%). The press release claims that, just like the standard bottling, this is at least seven years old.

This looks like it will be a twice-yearly release, with the second installment coming in the fall of 2023. But enough of that, let’s see how it tastes.

Bernheim Barrel Proof, A223

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $64.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: 59.4% ABV. Mashbill: 51% Wheat, 37% corn, 12% Malted Barley. 7 to 9 years old (per the press release).

Nose: Brown sugar, spearmint, caramel, and a nutty note.

Mouth: Hot and spicy. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, spearmint, almond, and a bready note (that last especially with a bit of water).

Finish: Hot and medium to long. Follows the mouth with notes of cinnamon, almond, and spearmint.

Thoughts: When neat, I think this is just a little too hot. That isn't such a big deal for me since I usually enjoy a small piece of ice in anything over 100° proof. Speaking of water, a little water accentuates the "bread," notes, and tames the heat. I like it, but not as much as the Elijah Craig or Larceny Barrel Proof whiskeys. My wife disagrees and says it is just as good as the other two.

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Painted Stave Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey

Late last year, I was in Total Wine, planning ahead for things to review. There is an employee there who I chat with about bourbon when he’s working. It never hurts to get the ear of a liquor store employee. Even if a Total Wine employee is unlikely to help you score sought after releases, if they know that you know your bourbon, they are less likely to try to push Spirits Direct items your way.

Well, most of the time. This guy knows that I know my stuff. In fact, he’s an occasional reader now. And knowing that, he only suggests the Spirits Direct stuff when he honestly likes it. So when he told me that he honestly liked this one while also saying something to the effect of “I know, I know, Spirits Direct,” well, I decided to take a shot on it.

Painted Stave Distilling is a craft distillery and cocktail bar in Smyrna, Deleware. Located in the Old Smyrna Theater building, they are currently 9 years old. Just a couple of years younger than this site you’re reading now. They make gin, vodka, some liqueurs, an Irish-Style whiskey, a Bonded Corn whiskey, Bonded Bourbon, and of course this Bonded Rye whiskey. Here is what the producers have to say about their rye whiskey:

Painted Stave Rye is a shining example of our approach to branding at Painted Stave Distilling: celebrate and retell local history. Just to our south, Diamond State Rye (editor’s note: this seems to be an earlier brand name for their rye before it was a Bottled-in-Bond release) was originally made by the Levy & Glosking Distillery, which was shut down by the strong teetotaling movement in our county before prohibition. While the mash bills are likely different, many of the branding elements were inspired from the original design, and presently serves as the template for all of whiskies. DSRye, is a Maryland rye-styled whiskey, where corn is added to contrast the spicy nature of rye and produce a whiskey with more subdued spice and rounder subtler flavors. The sweetness of the corn helps balance the dry spiciness of the rye to yield a spirit that is right at home in a classic Manhattan or sipped on fresh ice. At least four years in heavily charred white oak barrels, no chill filtering, and ready to rock.

Alright, let’s see how it tastes.

Painted Stave Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: $41.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.80

Details: 4 years old. 50% ABV. DSP-DE-21002. Batch/Bottle Number: 5-297

Nose: Spearmint, caramel, anise, clove, and red fruits.

Mouth: Spearmint, bubblegum, cardboard, plums, and cinnamon.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Notes of spearmint, cinnamon, bubble gum, and cardboard.

Thoughts: This is a weird one. On the nose, it reminded me of Peychaud's Bitters with some spearmint and caramel. On the mouth, it reminded me of the gum that came with Topps Baseball Cards in the 1980s, along with spearmint and spice. Same with the finish. Honestly, this isn't for me. At least not on its own. In a Sazerac, it works wonderfully, probably due to its resemblance to Peychaud's. So, I'm pretty neutral on this one. I'll probably keep it in the cocktail cart and use it in cocktails.

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Calumet Farm Small Batch Bourbon

I’ve been noticing something about myself lately. I almost never buy a bourbon that is between $52 and $72 unless I am buying it to review on the site. It was brought to my attention last night when I realized that even though I adore Old Forester 1920, I think that I’ve only actually purchased it two or three times since it was released in 2016. It’s price lives in a price blind spot I have that spans the previously mentioned $52 to $72 range.

So what causes this blind spot? Well, mostly money. As you might guess, in order to keep content going on the site, I end up buying a lot of bourbon. So much so that when I am looking for something that I don’t need to review, I often get lazy and get a handle of Wild Turkey or Maker’s Mark. In my market those are in the $40 to $50 range. But occasionally I want something different. But those familiar prices stick in my head as I scan the shelves. Even if the “something different” is $50 for a 750 mL bottle, my brain sees it as “not too expensive.”

However, when I am looking for something a bit special, I start looking at items that I’ve seen before, but passed over because of price. Maybe it is a store pick or a bottle that has a bit more age on it. In either case the price will probably be some where north of $75. Which as you may have noticed leaves about a $25 window that I almost never buy anything from. And I need to change that. Might be time to start looking specifically at that price range. Which has things like tonight’s bourbon, Calumet Small Batch.

We’ve discussed some of the very expensive 14, 15, and 16 year old expressions that Calumet has released, but until now I’ve not looked at any of the lower priced bottles that have come out since they changed their bottle design to the “wine bottle” shape. So let’s see what the company has to say about their Small Batch bourbon.

Each small batch (50 barrels) is crafted from a blend of premium Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: 15 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and 8 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Bourbon Details: Distilled/Aging Location: Kentucky. Batch Size: 50 Barrels. Potency: 86 Proof (43% Alc/Vol). Mash Bill: 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley. Bottled By: Three Springs Bottling Company, Bowling Green, KY.

Ok so now that we discussed price and provenance, let’s get to the important part: how does it taste?

Calumet Farm Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 43% ABV. Blend of 15-year-old and 8-year-old bourbons. Mash Bill: 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley.

Nose: Wintergreen, Flintstones vitamins, cotton candy, caramel, and oak.

Mouth: Vanilla, caramel, nutmeg, and black tea.

Finish: Medium in warmth and length. Notes of oak, cherry, and baking spice.

Thoughts: I really like this one. It has enough oak influence to keep it feeling fancy, but not so much that it is over powering. I enjoy the sweetness in the mouth and the heat of the baking spice. Even at 86 proof, it doesn’t taste overly diluted and has a nice spiciness to it. As I discussed above, $60 is a lot of money. And it is a little more than I’d like to pay for this one. It feels like it would fit better in the $40 to $50 range. Luckily I found it at Total Wine for $49.99. And for $50, I'd be happy to buy this one again.

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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A123

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

On tap tonight, we have Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. We looked at the whiskey’s stable-mate on Tuesday going in-depth on what Larceny Barrel Proof is and what the labeling means. Tonight, I think we are going to jump right into taking a look at the whiskey. By the way, according to the press release, this is the start of the 11th year of Heaven Hill’s line of products. So Happy Anniversary to them! Can you believe it has been that long? Man. I’m getting old.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A123

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is: $69.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 12 years old, 62.8% ABV. Non-chill filtered. Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley

Nose: Cinnamon, chocolate, leather, red fruits, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: First Sip is hot and oaky. Notes of caramel toffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, and leather

Finish: Long and warm. Notes of leather, oak, nutmeg, and red fruits.

Comparison to C922: A123 has a much more vibrant nose. By comparison, C922 guards its secrets much more closely. A123 is hotter and focuses on leather and baking spice notes when compared to the dark chocolate and nougat that C922 is showing. Both finishes are long and warm and basically follow their mouths. Both are excellent and I'm having a hard time choosing between them. Can’t I just have both?

Thoughts: Another home run in a long line of them. If a bourbon could be put into a hall of fame, the entire Elijah Craig Barrel Proof line-up would go in on the first ballot.

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Larceny Barrel Proof, A123

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Welcome to January folks. Sure, I know that it’s almost half over, but as far as I’m concerned January starts when Heaven Hill drops the first of their three-times yearly batches of Larceny Barrel Proof and Elijah Craig Barrel proof. I always look forward to these releases. Any why might that be, you ask? Because they’re always delicious. And it is nice to look at things that you know are going to be tasty. Since it is the first drop of the year, let’s go over a little basic info as to what this is.

Born as an offshoot of Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald line of wheated bourbons, Larceny bourbon uses wheat instead of rye as the “flavoring” grain. In this case, Heaven Hill tells us that the recipe is 68% corn (remember to be bourbon it needs over 51% corn in the mash bill), 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. This release being barrel-proof means there is no water added to the batch. They dump, blend, and bottle at whatever strength it comes out of the barrel. Now, of course, that sometimes leads to a very hot product. The first batch of this was so hot that I was worried as to what they were trying to accomplish. In the intervening years, it has calmed itself a bit.

Speaking of different batches if you run across this in the store, how do you know which batch you have? Heaven Hill has nicely given us the key to knowing what is in our hands as we hold that bottle of the precious liquid. The batch code is made up of three parts. The first part is a letter, A, B, or C. This corresponds to if it is the first, second, or third batch of the year. The second part is a number, to this point it has always been 1, 5, or 9. This is the month of the year the release came out. The final part of the code is made up of the final two digits which indicate the year. So in this case A123 means it is the first batch of the year and it was released in January of 2023. Simple.

But unless this is your first time learning about the Barrel-Proof releases from Heaven Hill (in which case: welcome! the bar is in the corner. pour yourself something nice), you actually just want to know how this one tastes. So let’s dig in.

Larceny Barrel Proof, A123

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: Heaven Hill’s wheated mash bill (68% corn, 20% Wheat, and 12% malted barley). 6-8 years old. 62.9% ABV.

Nose: This is a caramel bomb on notes of oak, vanilla, and a hint of wintergreen.

Mouth: Very warm but not uncomfortably so. Notes follow the nose with caramel, oak, and wintergreen.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium length. Strong cinnamon candy notes.

Thoughts: Normally if I see this on the shelf I pick it up because it is delicious. However, I don’t usually get too bent out of shape if I don’t run across it because in this market Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is usually easier to find. This time however, I really hope that my local store gets their hands on a bottle because if I see this one, it is coming home with me. This might be my favorite release of Larceny Barrel Proof yet.

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