John Little

Teaches at Astor Center

John began his career in distilling in 2008, as the inception for the business that would become Smooth Ambler Spirits first began to take flight. A fervent reader with a passionate and canny understanding of procedure, Little quickly learned all he could; absorbing everything from hands-on distilling to studying – line by line almost - the Federal regulations on distilling and licensure. Smooth Ambler opened its doors in April of 2010, with John as Vice President, Head Distiller, and part-owner, and Little continues to fulfill those roles today as the business has grown to include the distillation of award-winning and highly regarded Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, and Barrel-Aged Gin. Under Little’s supervision, in tandem with the spirits Smooth Ambler distills, it now carefully selects other fine whiskeys which it merchant-bottles and brings to market under the Old Scout brand, another effort for which it has been highly praised