Brown sugar | Tobacco | Charred oak | Nougat | Stone fruits

Brown sugar | Caramel | Raisin | Allspice | Toasted oak | Rich, dense flavors

Black pepper | Brown sugar | Seasoned oak | Leather | Tobacco

Little & Foster Whiskey Company is a new venture started by John Foster and John Little, the duo behind Smooth Ambler and creators of the once great Old Scout brand. Smooth Ambler distills its own whiskey; however, soon after startup in 2009, Little and Foster launched a sourced brand in 2011, Old Scout, which featured matured MGP whiskey. The company was always transparent about sourcing, which was deliberately evident in the name, “Old Scout,” and those old barrels became the stuff of legend within the whiskey community. The brand maintained always-on-shelf products as well, and ultimately reached peak enthusiasm levels around 2015-2016.

Unfortunately, sourced mature stock ran out, and the Old Scout brand was ultimately suspended, while others, such as Contradiction, lived on. Pernod Ricard later took a majority stake in Smooth Ambler in late 2016, and Little and Foster continued their involvement. However, they later split and launched a new brand and venture: Little & Foster Whiskey Company. Little & Foster Marriage of Mashbills Straight Bourbon Batch 1 is their first release, and harkens back to the days and style of Old Scout.

The first batch of Little & Foster Marriage of Mashbills Straight Bourbon is a six barrel blend aged in Indiana before being transferred to West Virginia to finish, ultimately bottled in Kentucky at their bottling partner site, Wenzel Distillery. The bourbon has a dense concentration of flavors, with a persistent brown sugar sweetness that’s nicely complemented by layers of tobacco, oak, and various spice notes. Accents of stone fruit, nougat, raisin, and leather help build depth, which is apparent throughout the sip. The bourbon has a pleasing, oily texture and leans more heavily towards the darker side of the flavor notes mentioned.
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Little & Foster Whiskey Company is a company to watch, as the duo were one of the first on the scene during the early days of highly sought after sourced bourbons nearly two decades ago. Now with a glut of supply and ages trending upward, a company’s ability to find more desirable sourced barrels and ultimately put together a well-executed blend is more important than ever.