If there was ever Bourbon royalty, Old Forester must surely be one of 'em - after all, Old Forester lays claim to being the longest running Bourbon brand in America, even surviving through Prohibition. The brand was established in 1870 by one George Gavin Brown, and is today over 150 years old, and yet remains ever as popular.

George Gavin Brown was brought into the Bourbon trade by his half brother John Thompson Street Brown, and together they had started out a wholesale liquor business, sat along Louisville, Kentucky's Whiskey Row. 

A Brilliant Idea Not Only Saved Old Forester, But Fixed Bourbon

Yet what really got Old Forester going was its ability to survive Prohibition. In the mid-1800's there was a real quality problem with Bourbons - it came down to how folks purchased their whiskey, which they did by simply heading down to a wholesaler and pouring some out from the barrel into whatever they had on hand. It was abit of a pay as you go sought of thing, and folks could purchase as little as a cup or as much as a growler. This incentivised wholesalers to therefore dilute the Bourbon (which they got by the barrel from producers), and often, they'd add in some unsavoury additions.

George Garvin Brown saw this and combined with his time being a pharmaceutical salesman selling whiskey that was classified as "medicinal", he would conclude that what was needed was to exclusively sell bottled and sealed whiskey, which would thus show that nothing else was being added to the Bourbon. When Prohibition had hit, Old Forester was thereby able to receive a license to produce "medicinal whiskey".

A Living Legend That Continues To Stay Relevant

Eventually Brown-Forman would purchase in 1940 the Old Kentucky Distillery in Louisville and relocate its production, and is where Old Forester is produced till this day. Later on in 2018, Brown-Forman would also bring back the Old Forester Distilling Co in Downtown Louisville at the historic Whiskey Row in the original building that was used from 1882 to 1919. The iconic Bourbon distiller is also known for its partnerships, from proclaiming itself the best Bourbon for a Mint Julep that's a necessity for anyone attending the Kentucky Derby, to providing their barrels to cult favourite American craft beer brewery Goose Island for its highly sought after Goose Island Bourbon County barrel aged stout. 

The distillery even has quite the sense of humour and optimism - when Covid struck and the Kentucky Derby Day was called off, Old Forester saw the silver lining and held the Kentucky Turtle Derby which could be viewed on Youtube, and viewers could place bets on any one of six turtles - the last time the same event was held, it was 1945 when the Kentucky Derby Day was held off as a result of WWII.

So with all that said, let's talk mashbills!

Old Forester has one - 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

This recipe has more rye than most, but is also nothing too abnormal, and is used across all of Old forester's Bourbons - the major differences in production that accounts for the variation in flavours across the Old Forester expressions then is where the barrels of whiskies are aged, different bottling proofs, how long the whiskies are aged, and the number of times its barreled, and of course how the whiskey is blended.

And so with all that said, let's try some Old Forester!

Big shout out to Bar Madame (Singapore) for hosting this Masterclass, and to Malt Wine Asia and Brown Forman for supporting it -- It was a great night where we got to try a solid number of Old Forester's, which already has been a big favourite of mine (the 86 Proof and 1920 especially). If you wanna try some great Bourbs, Bar Madame is the place to be, and you can also pick them up from Malt Wine Asia directly.

Bourbon Review: Old Forester 86 Proof, 43% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Gold

Aroma: Bright little flecks of cherry hard candy and baked cherry crumble, with some nuttiness of peanut cream too, and clove and cardamom spices. That's all on a bed of caramel and butterscotch that gives it a really nice richness, that's also not overdoing it - it's not at the point of confectionary. There's also some delicate herbaceousness of parsley, and a light veil of dunnage mustiness that's very evocative. It's mellow and broadly with a nutty-umami-sweetness.

Taste: Lots of honey here, with a rather herbal quality to it of eucalyptus. More of that peanut cream comes through at the back, along with a savouriness of barrel char. Medium-bodied, it's still got that really nice richness. Some bits of red apples come through, wafting about, oak too. That savoury umaminess here is more pronounced, yet always backed up by lots of creamy honey.

Finish: More of that barrel char savouriness persisting into the finish - never bitter. Lingering notes of clove spices and cherry hard candy. It's rich and supple through the finish, going long on that butterscotch.

My Thoughts

Like getting a shot of whiskey in one of those old Western saloons, this has that old time-y feel to it - and I love it. On the nose, beyond those lovely cherry notes, it brings together a potpourri of dusty peanuts, spices, old oak, butterscotch and that dunnage mustiness that just gives it this perfectly evocative sense of rawness and antiquity. It's rugged yet with that mellowness, it also feels rather refined - it's not entirely uncut and brazen in that sense. This all translates to the body as well, here with a more prominent herbal quality, and even some red apples wafts about, nice oakiness to it too, and of course a good amount of honey. Into the finish, there's more of that savouriness, yet it never does seem to get bitter, progressing into a long finish of that butterscotch that seems to never stop. 

I find this so colourful and with so much character, and I think that's demonstrated so well here because it's cut alittle less rounded, and so you get a more chiselled sense of its personality. A real banger!

Bourbon Review: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch, 45% ABV

As the name suggests, this is an homage to Old Forester's origins in 1870.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Amber

Aroma: More rounded here with a good serving of honey and vanilla cream. Toss in some of that baked cherry crumble too, it really is quite buttery. There's aspects of gentle eucalyptus and parsley, slightly nutty even. Certainly richer here and more rounded here, which does temper the edges and expressiveness.

Taste: That buttery, rounded and rich notes of honey and vanilla cream, even some maltose candy, clearly fills in the body here. It's then got this layer of dusty peanut shells and peanut cream that's bonded to it. Medium-bodied, very mellow and alittle candied.

Finish: There's more of that punchiness here. The eucalyptus and parsley comes through too. It's touches brighter, and more lifted too. Some of that savouriness of barrel char comes through at the shorter but more powerful finish.

My Thoughts

The 1870 Original Batch definitely turns up the roundedness and richness, which makes it more instantly enjoyable and accessible, something that most folks could get behind. It's certainly an easy drinker and still packs in some of that nuttiness and fruits, although I must say that it does trade off some of that expressiveness and character, which tends to happen when there's more richness involved. This is luscious and almost candied at times, incredibly mellow. It also packs a nice oomph into the finish, which I do wish it carried across the tasting, which would have given it more presence. This is definitely richer, even if less expressive than the 86 Proof.

Bourbon Review: Old Forester 100 Proof Rye, 50% ABV

Old Forester built its name on Bourbon's, and so after some 150 years, it's now finally added a Rye! This comes from a historic recipe that was acquired in 1940 by Owsley Brown I, and features a mashbill of 65% Rye, 20% Malted Barley and 15% Corn. What's more is that because of the high proportion of barley used, this undergoes fermentation fully naturally without the need for any enzymes being added to it.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Amber

Aroma: It opens with some dunnage mustiness, and in a couple of seconds it's joined by honey and some parsley. That mustiness and herbaceousness leads here, and with some time, alittle bit of freshly grated clove and nutmeg. That mustiness also extends to a dustiness of sacks of dried nuts, with just a thin thread of floral acacia honey beneath it.

Taste: It's more herbal and floral here, with more acacia honey and eucalyptus. It almost combines to give peanut cream drizzled with some honey. Medium-bodied, it's got a really mellow and good richness. More on herbal cough syrup, which adds to how smooth and rounded it is, almost syrupy.

Finish: More of that honeyed peanuts, with a rather radiant floral aspect. More savouriness of charred meats here. It's actually getting more vibrant into the finish as it opens up.

My Thoughts

This is a really nice take on a Rye whiskey! It sort of holds back on those rye spices - it's there, but not all that prominent - and instead brings out that more floral and herbal quality to it. Wow! It's really mellow and rounded, at times even alittle syrupy. I have to say that that really rounded texture complements the rye florals and herbals superbly, almost giving something of a herbal cough syrup. Also something I noted was that this really didn't come with much of that spiciness, it's ridiculously mellow and rich, seemingly without forsaking any character - that said, I can't quite tell if I like it where it's at or if I might have liked it more punchy. In any case, a pretty unique take on a Rye, very neatly done, that I think everyone has to try. It's the definition of subtle elegance.

Bourbon Review: Old Forester Single Barrel Exclusive For Singapore, 50% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Amber

Aroma: Rather floral here, there's an immediate waft of white florals that resides atop a base of deep honey. There's a big herbal element going on here too, of herbal cough syrup. It's rich and with great depth.

Taste: Lots of honey coming through here, touches of that peanut cream, more on butterscotch and maltose candy. It's medium-bodied with a very delightful richness. Those florals take up more of the backdrop here, almost coming through in the form of acacia honey.

Finish: Dusty peanut shells surface, still with streaks of honey, although here there's more of a savoury aspect of charred meats. That honey still providing a really nice medium of richness. Specks of pepper, yet really rich into the finish.

My Thoughts

I found this to be a really understatedly bold expression that always kept its firmness with a good richness of honey, yet it never really quite comes off as confectionary. This really resolute backdrop then seems to allow it to express a whole lot of complexity, from big florals to herbals, and even nuttiness and savouriness, always taking their turn to combine and almost elevate that honeyed core. The richness here is of course aced, yet I should also point out how much I enjoyed that herbal floral quality about it, that's almost reminiscent of traditional herbal syrups.

Bourbon Review: Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength For Bar Madame 126.6 Proof, 63.3% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Aroma: Oh wow! There's warm banana bread that comes through right on the open, really warm and comforting, with this almost homely quality to it. It's accompanied by warm honey and clove spices, with also some really fresh dunnage mustiness. With time more florals comes through, even integrating with that honey to give something of acacia honey.

Taste: That honey just coats the palate. Medium-bodied, it's really rich, filled in with big striking savouriness of barrel char - never does hit any bitterness though. There's some green grape candy in there too, which together makes for a sweet savouriness.

Finish: More of that dusty peanut shells, savoury barrel char, yet also a long runway composed of honey and butterscotch. It's a long finish with a deep warmth.

My Thoughts

First time we're getting that warm buttery, honeyed, banana bread tonight! And obviously we can't say no to that! This expression feels much more well bounded to its core, which sort of slowly emanates outward. Giving it some time does wonders to open it up, where it showcases some nifty tricks, combining and integrating with its various traits to express new ones. The palate whilst honeyed, focuses on delivering this very interesting sweet savouriness of barrel char and green grape candy - what a combination! It's thoroughly enjoyable though! That finish then takes you down an infinite runway of honey and butterscotch, with along the way a deep warmth, which is just incredibly riveting!

Bourbon Review: Old Forester Single Barrel Rye Barrel Strength 130.2 Proof, 65.1% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Aroma: It's giving peanut brittle and caramel, toss in several stalks of parsley for that herbaceousness. It's got that really good richness, bold yet really mellow, and perhaps a little confectionary.

Taste: That richness carries through to the palate seamlessly. There's that caramel, with more of that herbals coming through - lots of herbal cough syrup and manuka honey in fact. There's also more in the way of aromatics of lacquered wood. There's a very nice punchiness here that leads towards that concentrated and rich core.

Finish: More peanut-y into the finish, peanut brittles, it's quite savoury-umami here of barrel char, yet layered with a good serving of caramel.

My Thoughts

Compared to the standard 100 Proof Rye, I found this Single Barrel Rye much more masculine and bold, with a more firm and fortified quality to it, even as it shares much of the same characteristics of the 100 Proof Rye that I really liked - the honeyed herbals that really come through nicely. Here we find less in the way of those white florals, and instead there's more of this deep sense of antiquity that comes through from lacquered wood notes that really surface on the body. This is definitely rounded and more beefed up than the 100 Proof Rye, although it does come at some trade off in the way of expressiveness, losing out that florals yet gaining that lacquered wood. It's a real toss up!