I had to bring out the siblings to welcome home the newest Old Forester Whisky Row release. The Old Forester 1920 is "Prohibition Style" and is bottled at the same 115 proof as Owsley Brown bottled his medicinal whisky during prohibition. At $60, it's just a slight step up in price from the first two Whisky Row releases, which were sold for $50 and $55.
The previous two releases included the 1870 "Original Batch" and the 1897 "Bottled in Bond." The Original Batch is bottled at 90 proof and pays homage to the "first bottled bourbon" crafted by George Garvin Brown in 1870. Prior to this, most whiskey was sold in barrel to bars and other establishments, where it was often adulterated with chemicals, caramelized sugar, prune juice, glycerine or even tobacco spit. The 1897 release is named after the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which offered further protection to consumers from murky marketing and charlatans. To be bottled in bond a whiskey must be distilled at one distillery, during one distilling season, be aged for a minimum of four years and be bottled at 100 proof. This is an upmarket expression of the Bottled-in-Bond category. Others, that are often high quality or a great value include Evan Williams 100p, Heaven Hill, Henry McKenna, Rittenhouse Rye or even Mellow Corn (a corn whiskey). A fourth Whisky Row bottling may be released this year under the 1910 label, which has already been approved.
I really enjoyed the first two releases and the third is my favorite of the bunch. It's darker, richer and more complex than the other two. The proof has something to do with this, but I would imagine isn't the whole story.
It is deep mahogany in color.
The nose is huge and bursting with brown sugar, dustiness, wood, dark, wet tea leaves, cherry, cinnamon and vanilla.
There is a bit of alcohol burn on the palate. It's full of maple syrup, brown sugar caramel, black pepper, cinnamon, oak and saddle leather. The most notable thing about the palate to me is the texture. It's incredibly rich, thick, viscous, syrupy and elegant.
A lingering finish with wood, toasty flavors and saddle leather.
I really enjoy this pour. It's on the medium to high end price range, but really over delivers with flavors and mouthfeel. If you haven't tried this yet, and it's available in your area, I'd highly recommend giving it a try.
