Last night, Louis 649 hosted a tasting of Old Forester bourbon. According to Master Distiller Chris Morris, New York City has not seen a tasting like this in a generation or more. Well, I’m glad they came and even more glad that I was there to see/taste it.
Chris started with the history of Old Forester and Brown-Forman. An interesting story to be sure, but I won’t retell the whole thing here. Just know that Old Forester is the longest continually produced bourbon brand and George Garvin Brown was the first to bottle bourbon for retail. Previously, bourbon was purchased by the barrel and there could be great variety in barrels even within the same distillery. Brown started by vatting whiskey from three distilleries to produce a signature taste profile and bottling the vatted bourbon under the name Old Forrester (they later dropped the second ‘r’). After the passage of the Bottled-In-Bond Act, Brown purchased a distillery and started making bourbon using roughly the same recipe they use today. I’ll leave the rest of the story for Chris to tell. Now let’s talk about the whiskey…
Old Forester 86 Proof
This is the flagship Old Forester, produced with a high rye content and a low percentage of sour mash. As a brand, Old Forester rarely talks about age. Chris chooses barrels based on flavor, not age. However, most of the bourbon in 86 is aged 4-5 years old.
Nose: Smells like bourbon; oak, vanilla, sour mash, orange shellac. I’m reminded of the less offensive notes in Jim Beam.
Palate: Teacakes and Christmas spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.). Very smooth and a little sweet.
Finish: Short, a very quick (and low) burst of burn and it’s gone.
Comments: Mild, easy going, but with some flavor too. The 86 is not as bold as I like my bourbon, but is very enjoyable. I would recommend this as a good starter bourbon.
Rating: Average
Old Forester Signature
The Signature keeps alive the tradition started with the Bottled-In-Bond Act. It follows all the rules for Bottled-In-Bond, including the 100 proof requirement. If you think this is just high octane 86 though, you are wrong. Chris has specific things he looks for when choosing barrels for the two labels. For Signature, he’s looking for bold.
Nose: Big nose; coffee, crème brulee, chocolate, and tobacco leaf. When agitated, a sweet floral bouquet emerges (lilac, violets and honeysuckle).
Palate: Amazingly smooth, viscous, strong rye notes (mint, cinnamon, nutmeg), citrus and caramel
Finish: Again there is that burst of burn, but here there is some oak, dark berries and chocolate. It disappears too quickly though.
Comments: Very easy to drink at 100 proof. In NYC, Signature is hard to find and runs almost twice the cost of the 86 proof. Is it twice as good? I think so.
Rating: Stands Out
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (2009)
Birthday Bourbon is released once per year, represents a single day’s production and different each time. This difference comes from environmental conditions, variables in process, and length of maturation. The 2009 vintage is roughly 13 ½ years old and 97 proof.
Nose: Less chocolate and coffee than the Signature, but more caramelized sugar. It’s softer in general. Some of the orange shellac from the 86 proof comes back into the equation.
Palate: Dry, delicate, wood heavy with rye spice (mint and nutmeg) and hints of smoke and earth.
Finish: No burn, the rye notes hold on for a bit, but the finish is fleeting.
Comments: There is an almost Scotch-like character to this bourbon. The flavors are light and balanced. I’m reminded of a bourbon barrel aged Balvenie I once sampled. Very enjoyable.
Rating: Stands out but different.
Of the three, my favorite is the Signature. It’s what I look for in bourbon. I like bold flavors. The nose intrigues and impresses me.
We finished the night with one of Louis 649’s signature cocktails, the Gold Rush (Old Forester 86, lemon juice and honey). I highly recommend it.
-Matt