Old Forester - Single Barrel

Nose: The nose is light with corn sweetest being the most powerful element. It has hints of alcohol and generally has very light amounts of “classic” bourbon smells. Palate: This is a warm bourbon. It isn’t harsh nor burning, but it does have a little more heat to it than average. It isn’t unpleasant and fades fairly quickly. It also fades a bit on later sips. The flavors lean towards dark chocolate, burnt sugar, and molasses with some hints of pepper, light cinnamon and just a hint of rye spice. Despite the slightly higher warmth factor, the mouthfeel is very nice. It is oily but still in the middle range. The finish is right about in the middle range, not too short and not long. Later sips included some hints of dark cherry flavors. I like the sweetness of this one, but it has other stuff going on, so it isn’t JUST sweet. It is an interesting sipper. Comments: I had to go to New York City to get this bottle a few years ago. That is to say, I didn’t HAVE to…..it was an excuse to take a day trip to NYC on a beautiful spring day. There’s a large liquor store in Manhattan called Astor that, at the time, was the only place around that had single barrel bottles of Old Forester. Since I’ve always liked Old Forester, I made the journey to get it. It wasn’t crazy expensive….I THINK it was in around the mid $30 range. If you are ever in NYC and have some time, this is a pretty cool store and worth a visit. Since my trip, other places closer to home have come out with Single Barrel selections of Old Forester, so it may be easier to find one closer to home now. I like this. This is 90 proof and I do think that the heat is a little closer to what you would expect from a 100+ proof. But, I still like it. The mashbill is reported to be 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley and it is reported to be 4 1/2 years old. In January of this year (2020), Old Forester reported the relaunch of their Single Barrel program. They have eliminated the 90 proof and will now offer a 100 proof and a barrel strength. I’ll be looking for them and will report back if I find them……