Smooth Ambler Whiskey Wishlist - Custom Bottling Auction - 12/6/14

[Artful Drinker]

Greetings, y'all.

NOTE: While we have always been very careful to avoid egregious self-promotion on here, we thought since this will be for charity it would be OK.

A by-product of our barrel program is that we inevitably wind up with over-run bottles from many projects because most of our distributors just aren't set up to handle partial cases. We've struggled for some time as to what to do with these odds-and-ends bottles (most of the time JL and I just drink em privately at home...) but we think we've come up with a fantastic and fun solution: We're going to host an event at the Distillery in WV on the evening of December 6th and auction off, in a handful of lots, groupings of these custom, sometimes hard-to-find bottlings.(ALL proceeds will go to a TBD charity!)

We'll have a cocktail hour with small bite appetizers beginning at 6PM for carousing and to get an up-close look at the bottles featured in each lot, with a live auction to begin at 7.We hope this event serve as a great way to get together, visit with friends old and new, and celebrate some great whiskey by raising much needed money for a worthy cause.

Ever wondered how you could get your hands on several SA custom bottlings at once? Itching for something we bottled for a private group or distant retailer who sold out before you could get there?

Now's your chance...

JF

[oke&coke]

Sounds like a good idea and a fun night. Wish I was there.

[wadewood]

curious if these have stickers of the stores/groups that picked them?

[squire]

You guys are making it harder for me to find excuses not to visit.

[Artful Drinker]

curious if these have stickers of the stores/groups that picked them?

Yep.

I'll post a partial list Thursday afternoon.

[HP12]

Yep.

I'll post a partial list Thursday afternoon.

That will certainly whet the appetite.

[Tony Santana]

Sounds awesome. Sorry I can't be there. Can I bid remotely?

[tylermke]

Yep.

I'll post a partial list Thursday afternoon.

Will the groups or stores that have bottles in the mix be made aware beforehand?

[Artful Drinker]

For Tony: I'm not sure how we would accommodate this. However, you certainly could have a representative in attendance.

[SmoothAmbler]

Will the groups or stores that have bottles in the mix be made aware beforehand?

Absolutely. We would never put a bottle in there without approval.

[TunnelTiger]

What a totally great idea!

[KyleCBreese]

Interested to see the list and what will be available. I needed a reason to use some unused vacation days at work.

[Artful Drinker]

This is by no means complete, but it's a quick glance at a few that we'll have available.

[ramblinman]

Whoever makes it to this needs to give the DPS rye a good home. I am in love with that barrel and have probably bought half a dozen bottles of it.

[oke&coke]

This is by no means complete, but it's a quick glance at a few that we'll have available.[ATTACH=CONFIG]19638[/ATTACH]

Ahamanahamanahamana. DROOL!!!!!

[KyleCBreese]

What are the age ranges? I have only seen 7-year in NJ.

[Artful Drinker]

7-11, just like the store.

Note: The VOS 14 isn't custom, necessarily, but we're gonna throw it in anyway.

Edited October 21, 2014 by Artful Drinker

[TunnelTiger]

Y'all are just first class all the way.

[Harry in WashDC]

To get to you all from where I am, I go toward the second star to the right then straight on until morning.

Thanks.

[garbanzobean]

This is by no means complete, but it's a quick glance at a few that we'll have available.[ATTACH=CONFIG]19638[/ATTACH]

Haha, I think I see a Petite Cellars bottle over there on the right. This may not be the right location, and if so I apologize, but I do have a question about some of your bottlings: The Petite Cellars bottling I have is an 8 yr old 36% rye at 114 proof. It doesn't specifically state that it is a single barrel or barrel proof (and 57% is an awfully round number), whereas other bottlings I have seen by Smooth Ambler do. Does Smooth Ambler do custom batches/proofs, or is this just a case of the customer not specifically asking for single barrel/barrel proof on the label? I asked at the store, but the folks there weren't sure. Regardless, great work! Keep it up.

[Artful Drinker]

Except in rare cases, the custom bottlings are always single barrel cask strength, though the COLA we had approved does not explicitly state that. Among other reasons, this was so we DID preserve the flexibility for bottling options when and if we wanted them. Bottling at a specific (and lower) proof is done most often for on-prem customers, for whom a high-proof is not always desired since the spirit can be destined mostly for cocktails. In this case, the even proof of 114 was just a fluke and not a request on the part of Petite Cellars.

[portugieser]

Looks like a great event. I've been enjoying a custom bottled SAOS 8-year bourbon from Warehouse Liquors in Chicago and it is sublime!

[garbanzobean]

Except in rare cases, the custom bottlings are always single barrel cask strength, though the COLA we had approved does not explicitly state that. Among other reasons, this was so we DID preserve the flexibility for bottling options when and if we wanted them. Bottling at a specific (and lower) proof is done most often for on-prem customers, for whom a high-proof is not always desired since the spirit can be destined mostly for cocktails. In this case, the even proof of 114 was just a fluke and not a request on the part of Petite Cellars.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the quick response. Your willingness to keep us whiskey nerds in the loop is a huge part of why I continue to buy your products.

Wish I could make it out to your auction, but the wife is unfortunately too far along for us to travel. I'll definitely be passing your event along to friends, though.

[Artful Drinker]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the quick response. Your willingness to keep us whiskey nerds in the loop is a huge part of why I continue to buy your products.

Wish I could make it out to your auction, but the wife is unfortunately too far along for us to travel. I'll definitely be passing your event along to friends, though.

You're welcome here anytime you can make it. Congrats on the addition to the Fam!

[Artful Drinker]

As promised, here is a partial list of bottles available. There are some typos here (the site won't let me delete this post for some reason) but I will repost a more complete and corrected list later.

Whiskey_wish_inventory.pdf

Whiskey_wish_inventory.pdf

Edited October 23, 2014 by Artful Drinker