Smooth Ambler Smooth Amber 7 Year Old Rye

It has been almost 4 years since I last tried this one. I wonder if this batch will be as smooth as the previous one. Smooth Ambler… it sure sounds good. This craft distiller from West Virginia has only been around since 2009, by the way.

Honeysweet nose on molasses and some spices. Nosing this blind, you would be forgiven for mistaking this for a rhum agricole. Fairly perfumy in all honesty. Luckily not so much that it becomes disturbing though. Some Double Lait chocolates. And all the way in the background a rather unpleasant smell of sweat… how weird.

The body is light, but the liquid very sweet. And quite spicy now. No fruitiness whatsoever, though. This tastes like a mix of syrups with caramel and brown sugar, sprinkled with nutmeg, cloves and some black pepper.

The finish is rather short, but quite feisty.

Not as smooth as its predecessor, but a lot sweeter, making this ideal for a cocktail – maybe. Neat, this is just so-so.