Smooth Ambler Founders' Cask Strength Series Bourbon

Vanilla hits the nose immediately when pouring. After the drink settles, spice oak and cinnamon whiffs start to emerge. The whiskey tricked me into thinking it would be vanilla-heavy, but it turned toward blackberries and pecan wood with a long tart finish due to the blackberries. The whiskey transitioned from tart to spicy, ending with cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Not too often does a whiskey entirely change its profile from start to finish, but that is precisely what Smooth Ambler does.

Distillery Information

In the land of mountaineers and moonshine, the Smooth Ambler distillery was founded in 2009 in rural Greenbrier Valley in Maxwelton, West Virginia by current CEO and Master Distiller, John Little, and his father-in-law TAG Galyean (yes, spelled with all caps). Little and TAG were already working on a plan to create a West Virginia-based business together. In 2008, TAG read a TIME Magazine article about the growing micro-distilling movement and brought the concept to John, who immediately fell in love with the idea. Tag famously told John Little, “We can do this in your garage.” The idea of a small Appalachian craft whiskey appeared to be the perfect fit. John Foster joined the Smooth Ambler team as the National Director of Sales and Marketing, and together the two Johns set out to craft the whiskey, which they would want to drink. In 2017, Smooth Ambler Spirits (SAS) agreed to sell a majority stake of their brand to Pernod Picard USA. The total sales amount was not disclosed to the public, but the investment of capital from Pernod will allow the distillery to increase production and grow its team. John Little, co-founder, and CEO will remain in place, along with the Director of Sales and Marketing, John Foster. Since selling the Wild Turkey brand to the Italian company Campari in 2009, Pernod Ricard USA has worked hard to expand their American Whiskey portfolio with Smooth Ambler, Jefferson’s, and Rabbit Hole.

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