Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond

A little background

The second release of Old Forester’s Whiskey Row series, this whiskey was created as an homage to the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. Prior to the Bottled in Bond Act, government regulation of bourbon was pretty relaxed, allowing merchants and whiskey dealers to buy and sell spirits of inferior quality. These were often neutral grain spirits that had coloring or flavoring additives mixed in to provide the appearance/taste of true barrel-aged whiskey while keeping production costs very low. To combat this and protect consumers, congress passed the Bottled in Bond Act which laid out a number of requirements that must be followed in order for a whiskey to be labeled “Bottled in Bond”. Old Forester 1897 meets all of those requirements, and the label even references the impact that the legislation has had on whiskey production, despite being passed over a century ago. Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond is bottled at 100 proof and has a retail price of around $60.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Copper

Nose

Honey and oak at first, but after a moment in the glass the familiar Brown-Forman banana rises to greet the nose. Following that, crème brûlée, vanilla, and the slightest hint of dark cherry round out the nose.

Palate

Rich dark cherries mingle with honey on the first sip in a well-balanced duet. After a moment some oak and spice becomes present in the mid-palate. The mouthfeel is medium, and feels neither thin nor oily.

Finish

The finish is quite long, as oak and caramelized banana notes roll from the rear corners of the tongue up to the tip of the tongue over the course of several breaths. The spicy oak from the palate becomes two separate notes that land differently-the oak at the tail of the palate with the rye spice around the mid-palate.

In closing

This whiskey Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond very well balanced, and seems to hit all of the classic bourbon notes, although it is not going to be terribly fulfilling for anyone who drinks bourbon to quench a sweet tooth. While the 1897 bottling may live in the shadow of some of the other Whiskey Row labels, it is a good whiskey in its own right. This pour is a downright classic bourbon profile plus some classic Brown-Forman banana, which is a good thing for me, but maybe a deal-breaker for others.