Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

50% ABV
$115
Website
Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

What the Distillery Says

The Whiskey Row Series’ 1924 10 – Year – Old is a limited annual release celebrating another milestone in Old Forester’s storied history.

During Prohibition, more than 200 distilleries were forced to close. Old Forester, however, continued operations because the federal government issued us one of six medicinal licenses, P-3. In 1924, Old Forester acquired barrels from closed distillers, with different mash bills, and bottled that liquid as Old Forester. This release commemorates that moment in time.

Aroma: Soft notes of fudge, cocoa, marzipan, and cured tobacco layered over hints of rich oak and warm cinnamon.
Taste: Chocolate covered graham cracker dusted with cinnamon.
Finish: Hints of spice and graham cracker crumbles.

What Gary Says

Nose: Caramel, fudge, vanilla, walnuts, pipe tobacco, charred oak and a hint of leather.
Palate: Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, walnuts, cinnamon with a hint of cherries and oak.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with toffee and oak spices.
Comments: This drinks well neat but try a couple of drops of water – brings out a bit of citrus on the nose and palate, and also thickens the mouthfeel nicely (borderline creamy). 10 years is a solid age for bourbon in my humble opinion – definitely getting some oak notes but not approaching too much. My only objection on this one is the price. It isn’t insane by today’s standards, but at almost twice the price of Old Forester 1920 – definitely didn’t love it that much.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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The Glenlivet 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenlivet 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$28-32
Website
The Glenlivet 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

One of the world’s most popular malts, the double-oak-matured 12 Year Old whisky embodies The Glenlivet’s signature fruity style.

Fruity, Smooth & Balanced
Representing the heart of The Glenlivet’s signature fruity style, this 12 year old single malt is double oak matured, intertwining tropical fruit and sweet vanilla flavours notes. The result is an irresistibly smooth whisky, crafted to be savoured slowly.

The mineral-rich water that comes from Josie’s Well helps form the flavours during mashing and fermentation, whilst the specific height and width of the copper stills add a delicate yet complex character.

Nose: An elegant combination of banana and pineapple, vibrant aromas of summer meadows
Palate: Sweet fruit notes of peaches and pears complemented by vanilla and toffee.
Finish: Smooth, gentle and long.
Cask: European and American Oak.

What Gary Says

Nose: Soft, floral with fruit notes (apples & pears), honey, vanilla, malt and a hint of peaches.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, vanilla, peaches, light caramel, honey, shortbread cookies, canned mixed fruit and a hint of anise.
Finish: Short and smooth with a bit of vanilla, oak, and poached apple.
Comments: Richard and Matt reviewed this back in the early days of 2009, as it’s one of the more popular single malts out there. I honestly had forgotten they had reviewed it before I ventured out to do so myself, but had similar conclusions with Matt on it being pretty average (although it is noteworthy that the price today is similar to what it was 15+ years ago). Nothing objectionable in the glass or on the news, but also nothing that really stands out.

Rating: Average

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Gambit No. 6 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Gambit No. 6 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Finished in Wine, Apple Brandy, Sherry & Tokaji Casks

46% ABV
$70
Website
Gambit No. 6 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Foley Family Wines and Raptor Communications for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

THE DETAILS
ARE THE
DIFFERENCE
A rich and dry six-cask finished bourbon whiskey that reveals itself in layers of baking spices on the nose, and a balanced palate with hints of cacao, sweet tobacco, and a diverse blend of ripe fruit notes. Perfect sipped neat or in an Old Fashioned.

6-year Kentucky Bourbon
6 Distinct Cask Finishes

  • Sonoma Chardonnay
  • Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Apple Brandy
  • Oloroso Sherry
  • Muscatel
  • Tokaji

Why 6 Casks?
That’s the GAMBIT. Chip originally envisioned a double wine barrel-finished bourbon but found that adding four more barrel finishes added something unique to the blend in structure, palate, and finish.

What Gary Says

Nose: Fruity with pears, apricots, figs, vanilla, oak, bit of cocoa, caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint and a hint of mandarin orange.
Palate: Dark chocolate covered cherries, toffee, red wine, red berry compote, cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla, brown sugar and pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with citrus spice, cinnamon and honey.
Comments: Very interesting pour. The nose is bourbon with the fruit dial cranked up. On the palate the wine cask really stands out, enough so that the bourbon doesn’t stand out quite as much (not that it’s “not bourbon”, but harder to pin down). All that said, this is very enjoyable sipping neat, although a few drops of water doesn’t hurt it – bringing out more cocoa on the nose and taking the dark chocolate more towards milk chocolate (plus thickening the mouthfeel nicely).

Rating: Stands Out

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Austin 121 Cask Strength Light Whiskey

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review / ,

Austin 121 Cask Strength Light Whiskey

66.9% ABV
$94
Website
Austin 121 Cask Strength Light Whiskey
We would like to thank Austin Craft Spirits Company and The Whiskey Bard for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

AUSTIN 121 CASK STRENGTH LIGHT WHISKEY
Welcome to the family! Austin 121 shares the same crafting principles as Austin 101 Light Whiskey, the most-awarded Light Whiskey ever. Austin 121 starts its life as a barrel of Austin 101. We sample and select a few exceptional barrels with unique character and excellent flavor. When the whiskey achieves perfection, after aging longer, it is bottled at full cask strength. Currently, Austin 121 is available as a single barrel program with select top retailers in Texas.

A Unique Light Whiskey Experience
Austin 121 Cask Strength Light Whiskey has a more intense nose with mineral, butterscotch, and vanilla aromas and is darker and spicier than Austin 101. It also exhibits unique barrel characteristics such as spiciness or buttery sweetness and a long, shockingly smooth finish. Each bottle has its barrel number and the specific cask strength, varying from 121 to 136 proof.

How can it be over 125 proof? Austin 101 enters the barrel at 125, but while aging, a small portion evaporates through the oak. This loss is called Angel’s Share. The extreme heat and dry hill country air can cause the “Angel’s” to take more water than alcohol. So, it is normal for the proof to vary and increase with age.

Precision Crafting
The whiskey is column distilled to a higher proof to create less byproducts and congeners while preserving the natural sweetness and taste of the original grain. It is delicious the moment it comes off the still, and only the finest hand-selected barrels qualify to hold it.

The Ultimate Light Whiskey Experience
Austin 121 has the intensity and purity of a wheated bourbon mash made from 100% Texas grains. Bottled right from the barrel, you will enjoy the ferocious, darker spice flavor of a unique light whiskey at full cask strength. This spirit is easiest to enjoy over one large, cold cube where it stands up well to a little ice.

What Gary Says

Nose: Vanilla, honey buttered bread roll, butterscotch, hint of fruit and oak.
Palate: Thich with a creamy mouthfeel, raw saw palmetto honey, cast iron corn bread, butterscotch, dark fruit notes with cinnamon and pepper spice.
Finish: Short in length with dark honey and pepper.
Comments: As we don’t see a lot of ‘light whiskey’, added a short excerpt below*. This returns to the same mashbill as the Austin 101 Light Whiskey (so moving from 101 to 111 to 121 – not a progression of the same spirit). Definitely get the familial relation to the 101, but this one has the volume turned up. Of the three Austin Light Whiskies, this one I could sip and enjoy – which is faint praise. For the money (nearly double the cost of the 101 at nearly a hundred dollars), I’d be pretty disappointed. The sample here also notes it is aged “at least 1 year”, and given the used casks I think they aren’t providing the spirit many option to develop flavor unfortunately.

Rating: Probably Pass/Average

 

*Light whiskey is an entirely different category, so important that when approaching it you’re not expecting it to be ‘bourbon’ or ‘rye’ or ‘corn’, because if you do – you’re likely to be disappointed. Where bourbon can’t come off the still any higher than 160 proof (80% ABV), light whiskey has to be higher than that (but less than 190 proof or 95% ABV, since then you’re classified as a grain neutral spirits). There are other legal requirements, but most light whiskey is used for blending into flavored products.

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Austin 111 Cask Strength Light Whiskey

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Austin 111 Cask Strength Light Whiskey

55.5% ABV
$63
Website
Austin 111 Cask Strength Light Whiskey
We would like to thank Austin Craft Spirits Company and The Whiskey Bard for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

AUSTIN 111 CASK STRENGTH LIGHT WHISKEY MADE WITH RYE
Bold, award-winning, and crafted for the true Texas spirit.
Austin 111 is the latest expression from Austin Craft Spirits Company—crafted from a unique mashbill of 70% Texas rye and 30% non-GMO Texas white corn. Steam distilled to over 160 proof and aged for at least one year in recycled, award-winning Texas bourbon barrels, this whiskey undergoes a slow proof reduction with pure Hill Country water to achieve its signature 111 proof (55.5% ABV).

The result is a whiskey that’s darker and spicier than its predecessor, Austin 101, yet shockingly smooth. It delivers a perfect harmony of bold rye spice balanced with a subtle, brown-sugar sweetness from the barrels and a light, mellow oak finish.

Award-Winning Distinction

Recognized with a Gold Medal at the 2025 Denver International Spirits Competition, Austin 111 is the rye whiskey enthusiasts have been waiting for.

“Austin 111 is the rye whiskey our fans have been craving since we started this journey with Austin 101. We’ve spent years perfecting this—listening to the buzz at whiskey clubs and festivals—and the result is a cask-strength stunner that’s bold yet silky.”
– Tom Buchsbaum, Co-Founder

Austin 111 joins a family of renowned spirits—including Austin 101, the Double Platinum Best in Class winner; Austin 121, a cask-strength favorite; and Austin 85, our cocktail-ready light whiskey—each reflecting our commitment to 100% Texas grains, sustainable barrel practices, and precision distillation.

What Gary Says

Nose: Toasted oak, rye toast with grilled corn and a hint of caramel.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper spice.
Finish: Short in length with a hint of caramel and pepper spice.
Comments: As we don’t see a lot of ‘light whiskey’, added a short excerpt below*. Unlike Austin 101 Light Whiskey, this doesn’t remind me much of corn whiskey, and does have an entirely different mashbill. This is also an older product, with the bottle noting it is aged “at least 1 year”. Noticeably darker in the glass, and I get a note of rye on the nose. I think there’s potential in light whiskey (as noted before, I’ve had some I really liked), but this was similar to the Austin 101 Light Whiskey in terms of not being in my wheelhouse.

Rating: Probably Pass

 

*Light whiskey is an entirely different category, so important that when approaching it you’re not expecting it to be ‘bourbon’ or ‘rye’ or ‘corn’, because if you do – you’re likely to be disappointed. Where bourbon can’t come off the still any higher than 160 proof (80% ABV), light whiskey has to be higher than that (but less than 190 proof or 95% ABV, since then you’re classified as a grain neutral spirits). There are other legal requirements, but most light whiskey is used for blending into flavored products.

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