Lost Lantern Smooth Ambler Single Cask Bourbon Review (Cask #7, Winter 2021)
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B
(Credit: Lost Lantern)
West Virginia’s Smooth Ambler became a fan favorite from the start, establishing a reputation for transparency early on. The company was one of the first to ply the now well-trodden path of starting a whiskey business as a bottler of sourced stock, build a brand, and then transition into becoming a distiller. They have yet to fully complete that transition: one of their product lines is part in-house and part-sourced, and the other is entirely sourced.
Even so, Smooth Ambler is far enough down that path that Lost Lantern is able to source barrels from them for their single cask line. This one is from the Winter 2021 batch (another Smooth Ambler barrel went into the most recent 2022 batch), made with a 71.5% yellow corn, 21.5% red winter wheat, and 7% malted barley mash bill. It was aged in a 53-gallon new oak barrel for 5 years. Bottled at a cask strength of 124.2 proof, it yielded 195 bottles.
The Bourbon
The pour has a deep amber look in the glass, while the nose carries cloves and ginger on a base of brown sugar, caramel and dried cherries. A sip shifted the spicy side to wintergreen mint, but otherwise kept that traditional bourbon base of brown sugar and caramel, accented by dried cherries. Afterward, the wintergreen mint spiciness runs down to a lingering oak finish.
The Price
Expect to pay $80 a bottle for this item.
