Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

It's been awhile since I've done a flavored whiskey review, not since July in fact!

But with my favorite season of the year here - football season - and oh yeah, the fall equinox on September 22, well they're both something to celebrate!  To do that, I picked up a flavored whiskey offering I haven't tried yet, Ole Smoky Amaretto. 

Here's the description from the Ole Smoky website:  We blended the flavors of toasted almond with notes of sweet cherry, to create our Amaretto Whiskey. This smooth nutty liquid was made to savor with friends or in front of a cozy fire.

As I always do when sampling, I tried the whiskey neat, on the rocks and in a chilled shot. When opening the bottle you do get a nice subtle whiff of "Amaretto" the combination of almond and cherry.  It's a pleasant nose and not overly fragrant which is a good thing. An overly fragrant flavoring usually indicates too much flavoring or perhaps a whiskey that is too sweet. You want the flavoring to compliment the whiskey, not overpower it. With its golden-amber color, the whiskey has a nice swirl to it.  In the neat sample and despite the pleasant nose however, I did find this whiskey to be a bit Amaretto forward in taste and at only 56 proof, it lacks that warm whiskey finish.  It's a decent sipping whiskey over ice, like an after dinner sipper, but it's best as a chilled shot.  With mixology in mind, an Amaretto Sour wouldn't be bad.

Amaretto Sour

• 1.5 oz. Ole Smoky® Amaretto Whiskey
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• .75 oz. Lemon Juice
• Fresh Orange Slice for Garnish
• Ole Smoky® Moonshine Cherries for Garnish (once you've had these cherries, you won't want to switch back to regular maraschino cherries)

Costing me about $23 for a 750ml bottle, I'm giving Ole Smoky Amaretto 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  It's a good chilled shot, but if I'm going for a flavored whiskey that's got nutty and fruity notes, I would prefer to reach for Bird Dog Praline which has a warmer whiskey finish and costs less.  Bird Dog Praline is a better whiskey to savor with friends or in front of a cozy fire.