Market Watch, November 2019

98 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM NOVEMBER 2019The Return Of Old ScoutWest Virginia craft distiller Smooth Ambler recalibrates its whiskey portfolio New whiskey releases make a splash but when a SKU disappears it usually happens quietly That was the case with Old Scout a popular whiskey sourced from Indianas MGP Ingredients and bottled by Smooth Ambler Spirits Just a few years ago the West Virginia distillery was selling every bottle of Old Scout Bour bon and rye that it could ship eventually running out of mature whiskey altogether Since September 2016 Smooth Ambler has bottled only a few barrels of Old Scout Bourbon mainly limited to gift shop sales But now Old Scouts 99 proof Bourbon is coming back for good Smooth Ambler opened its doors in 2010 distilling Bourbon gin and vodka on a small pot still system and laying down the whiskey to age but like many new distillers it looked to purchase whiskey for an additional revenue stream In 2011 the company bought its first barrels of Bour bon and rye for Old Scout continuing to buy more as finances allowed But founder and CEO John Little was cautious about overspending I made a really big mistake by not buying 10000 barrels that we had an opportunity to buy he explains I couldnt fathom having all of that debt and that much whiskey I just figured it would take us a lifetime to sell and it made me nervous It turns out it didnt take a lifetime It took about four years From the start Old Scout so named because Little scouted out the whiskey rather than distilling it was a hit and Smooth Ambler bought as much as it could afford At the time there was plenty of mature whiskey being sold by larger distillers but as Bourbon grew in popular ity those stocks dwindled Old Scout was doing great and although Smooth Ambler was making its own whiskey Little knew that the sourced line would continue to be an important part of the company So it began purchasing new make Bourbon from MGP and laying it down into barrels around 2014 Those first fills are now going into the bottle as the new iteration of Old Scout Old Scouts age crept up over the years when it was discontinued the Bourbon had a 7 year age statement but Little says the whiskey often contained liquid up to 10 years old In its reincarnation the 495 abv Old Scout Bourbon will be 5 years old the same age as when it debuted with a recommended price of 45 about 5 more than before Smooth Ambler Spirits was acquired by Pernod Ricard just a few months after it discontinued Old Scout Bour bon In the ensuing years the company has focused on pulling together its disparate expressions which once included Old Scout rye Old Scout 10 year old Very Old Scout Old Scout American whiskey Yearling Bourbon and other whiskies into a more cohe sive lineup Going forward Smooth Ambler will offer three distinct whiskey lines Old Scout which will always be sourced Contradiction which blends sourced and house made whiskey and its own house made products like Big Level wheated Bourbon While Bour bon is the focus Little says there will be a Contradiction rye in the next year or so as well as a house made rye On the private barrel front Smooth Ambler is offering a couple hundred barrels of the re released Old Scout Bourbon for whis key clubs and retailers as well This time around with planning and financing secure Old Scouts supply should be stable Smooth Ambler will release around 60000 bottles of the Bourbon this year with slow and steady growth projected for the next couple of years The company is planning for older releases eventually but Little says theres no reason to wait I would love for this to be seven and if it was seven I would love for it to be ten because thats how I want to do more and I want it to be better and better he says But the reality of it is its really good whiskey right now and its ready mwSusannah Skiver BartonSmooth Ambler is once again bottling its MGP sourced Old Scout Bourbon SPIRITS SPOTLIGHTMW1119_