Distillery: Old Forester Distilling Co.
Region: Louisville, Kentucky
Aging: 4 Years
ABV: 64.10% ABV
Proof: 128.2 Proof
Warehouse: K
Floor: 2
Mash Bill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
MSRP Price: $80
Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Amber
Nose: Rich caramel, heavy oak, vanilla, bold spice, dark fruit, anise seed, cinnamon spice, tobacco
Palate: Buttery caramel, lots of oaky tannic spice, charred oak, vanilla, brown sugar, maple, cinnamon toast, almond, rye spice, pepper, tobacco, leather, black cherry, banana, chocolate notes
Finish: Big and heavy finish with a nice oily mouthfeel – leaves you with rich caramel and heavy oak but also quite a bit of spice and heat and a nice Kentucky hug
Is Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength an Approachable Whiskey?
Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength is a big and bold bourbon.
It has all the classic bourbon characteristics in its authentic barrel strength form.
This includes extremely rich oak, caramel, and vanilla notes paired with the oaky tannic spice and heat that comes from a nearly 130-proof barrel-strength bourbon.
This is one I would reserve for experienced whiskey drinkers because the amount of heat on this one will likely shock beginners to whiskey.
Is Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength Complex?
Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength has a few layers of flavor that are very bold and pronounced.
64.10% ABV is one of the highest ABV bourbons I have reviewed and this bottle will certainly let its boldness be known.
With that being said, you are rewarded with rich flavor intensity that fans of peppery rye spice will enjoy.
If you’re a fan of the sweeter more refined and balanced bourbons, you may prefer the Old Forester 1910 a bit more than this one.
What are Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength’s strongest attribute is the high-proof point with full-body bourbon flavors.
This particular bottle has a lot of spice notes to it similar to the Old Forester 1920.
In addition to the spice, it has a high ABV heat that isn’t overpowering, but you can certainly tell it’s there.
Is Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength a go-to whiskey?
Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength is a whiskey that you pull out on a cold winter evening when you’re looking for a heavy pour of whiskey to warm up your night.
Since this is a relatively hard bottle to come by, I will be reserving this one for special occasions or for when I have friends over who enjoy spicy bourbons with a high ABV.
Is Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength priced accurately to its quality?
Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength MSRP price is $80 and I think the bottle delivers on that price tag, especially if you’re a fan of peppery rye spice and barrel strength bourbon.
If you are comparing this bottle to its competitors like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Larceny Barrel Proof, and other high-ABV bourbons like Stagg or Stagg Jr, it is a little bit lacking in depth and complexity.
I personally still prefer the Old Forester 1910 which is my favorite bottle from Old Forester’s normal bottle lineup.
Conclusion for Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength Bourbon
Recently, I visited the Old Forester Distillery on my Kentucky Bourbon Trail Trip birthday with my dad.
Old Forester was an excellent distillery to tour. It was right in downtown Kentucky and they did a great job of taking you through their distilling process from beginning to end where they toasted a barrel right in front of us.
At the end of our tour, we got to do a whiskey tasting that consisted of Old Forester 1870, Old Forester 1897, Old Forester 1910, and Old Forester 1920.
I had already tasted and reviewed all of these whiskeys, but they were new to my dad.
Generally, everyone’s favorite is either the Old Forester 1910 or the Old Forester 1920.
They’re a little bit cheaper than this single barrel barrel strength bottle, but offer excellent flavors for around the $50-60 price point.
If you like a more subtle and smooth bourbon, the Old Forester 1910 is a great choice.
If you like a bolder bourbon, the Old Forester 1920 is for you.
After the tasting though, we decided that all 4 whiskeys were worth the price tag and it really just came down to how much you wanted to spend on a bottle.
I was actually looking to buy a single barrel bottle, but they told me that you could only buy them on certain days when the single barrels were available and that maybe I could check the local stores to see if I could find one (at a price markup over MSRP).
We did not find this bottle on that trip, but we did luck out with a chance to taste the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon and The President’s Choice.
They were two of the best whiskeys I tasted on the entire trip.
Old Forester is a brand that I am always a fan of and haven’t actually found any bottles that aren’t worth the MSRP price tag.
You really can’t go wrong buying any Old Forester bottles and they really are some of my best go-to whiskeys to drink neat and the cheaper price bottles are some of the best bourbons to use in cocktails and a nice Old Fashioned.
Let Us Know What You Think
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Thanks for reading and cheers!
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