Review #72 Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength: Bourbon

Score: 8.3 / 10

Distillery: Brown-Forman Shively

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Not getting as much love as it's older barrel proof cousin Old Forester's 12yr Birthday Bourbon, but still a decent barrel proof to have around. Also if you are looking for the 90 proof version of the single barrel, it has been replaced with this 100 proof version. So... I would say that Old Forester is starting to trend in this direction with this being their standard barrel proof edition.

Recently Old Forester has been moving away from the "Medium" class of bourbon that they are well know for, to creating more specialty quality products. Striving to keep up with some the best whiskey brands. So keep trying their new offerings in their upper price ranges, because you may just be pleasantly surprised!

Whiskey Review:

Nose: Mocha is apparent, cinnamon, heavy cream, vanilla, spiced wood, maple syrup mixes to form a sweet and spicy combination

Palate: Oily vanilla quickly becomes malty before getting hit with a wave of cinnamon, clove, seasoned wood.  A luge of subtle citrus slides around on the palate while swishing.

Finish: Medium - Long overall finish. Astringent orange rind, charred oak, tannic and long lingering leaves you loving the sip.

Score: 8.3

Scale:

S+ Sensational - The Pinnacle (9.5+)

A - AXEceptional (astounding) (9-9.5)

B - bravo (step aBove average) (8-8.9)

C - competent (7-7.9)

D - disappointing (6-6.9)

F - flush it down the toilet (fail) (5.9 below)

Notes: Availability? Uncommon - Rare. You won't come by this everyday, so if you see it I would pick it up if the price is decent. Maybe not what you would wait in line for, but also not too easy to come across.