Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 13 Year

Nose: Smells of cherry, vanilla, brown sugar, and some corn. It has an aroma that suggests a potential bite, but it's not intimidating. Palate: Delicious. Some have likened it to cherry cola, but I find it more comparable to the Dr. Pepper Cream sodas I've been enjoying recently. The cherry notes are present, along with a crisp, creamy texture. There's also a subtle smokiness. Finish: A touch of spice appears initially, then quickly gives way to a pleasant, woody sweetness that leaves a memorable impression. My best comparison is black walnut ice cream.

Intriguing. The aroma has a vitamin-like quality, with a touch of fruitiness. The taste has hints of caramel and not too much heat, with a flavor like chewable vitamins emerging on the finish. It's not terrible, but the subtle vitamin taste is not ideal and lingers once detected. It would receive a slightly higher rating if it weren't for the $80 price tag, the 13-year age statement, and the fact that it's a 13-year-old.

I wasn't fond of this when I first acquired it, but I decided to retrieve it from the back of my collection. It's slightly better than I recall. I certainly didn't detect the strong vitamin flavor I remembered (though a hint remained). It's best enjoyed either neat or quickly over ice. Adding water accentuates the vitamin notes.

Wow, spice and heat hit your tongue immediately and continue all the way down. The aroma is somewhat like vitamins, and some of that carries onto the palate. The remaining flavors are strong and bear some resemblance to certain 4 Roses Private Selects.

Consumed neat at 53.5% ABV, a 13-year-old from Tennessee. Initially, abundant sweet corn, vanilla, and baking spice are present, with oak notes. The texture is syrupy, delivering brown sugar upfront. Vanilla and oak dominate the taste, with significant sweetness. Highly enjoyable and exceptionally smooth, a simple sweet indulgence.

Distilled in Tennessee at 54.9% ABV, batch 13464. I cannot get past the vitamin characteristic; I dislike this greatly. I do acknowledge it possesses more complexity and flavors beneath the vitamin that others might appreciate, but I do not.