ABV: 61.4%
Proof: 122.8
Nose: Corn, Chocolate
Palate:
Chocolate, Coffee, Black Cherry
Finish: Long and hot with oak, dry cherries
Overall: I was very excited about trying this one. With my home state being West Virginia it’s always exciting to try a product from this great state. I don’t get back there often but I’m never far from my roots. On the nose this was to me was straight forward corn and chocolate. On the palate the chocolate was the predominate flavor followed by coffee and black cherry. It was a deep, dark cherry taste as this whiskey was a full of dry dark flavors. The finish was long and fiery with dry oak and cherries lingering on and on. Did I mention this was a fiery one. I have long preferred stronger spicier whiskies and this one did not disappoint. The flavors were somewhat expected but it was the quality of the juice that did it for me. It’s a straight forward cask strength whiskey. It bites, it burns, and it delivers. It leaves you wanting more and for the past two weeks I was happy to visit the bottle again and again. Neat is the way to go when enjoying this one but buckle up for a ride. If you prefer stronger whiskey then this is one you want to try. With only 6 batches being produced this year and only a handful of bottles with each batch, I’d recommend picking this one up when you can so you don’t miss out. It’s been a number of years since I’ve tried an offering from Smooth Ambler but I’m glad to see them still turning out great whiskies and representing the great state of West Virginia well.
