Old Forester is not only America’s first bottled bourbon, it’s also America’s longest continuously distilled bourbon. First created around 1871 it was sold exclusively in sealed bottles starting in 1873 and marketed by a pharmaceutical salesman by the name of George Garvin Brown. Brown was the founder of the Brown-Forman corporation which owns a number of alcohol brands today and whose descendants still run the company today.
During prohibition this rye heavy bourbon was one of only 10 brands that were authorized for lawful production, for “medicinal purposes”, and is how it’s remained in continuous operation for over 142 years. What’s even more amazing is that it’s supposedly used the same mash bill of 72% Corn, 18% Rye & 10% malted barley the entire time (which is the same as Woodford Reserve). It is a rye heavy bourbon that doesn’t casually announce it’s rye, but shouts it.
Overall I enjoy this bourbon. It’s rustic, bold and full bodied which makes for a great bourbon to experience now and then. I say now and then because there is a strange medicinal quality laying about in the palate and a varnished wood quality to the nose that keeps it from being a “daily drinker” for me and turns it into more of a weekly one. These two aspects become cloying and overpowering fairly quickly but they’re also what makes this an interesting and flavorful tipple… every now and then.
If you’ve had the Old forester I’d love to see your thoughts or notes in the comments below.
Old Forester Review
ABV: 43%
Price: $17
Distiller: Brown-Forman
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Caramel, vanilla and bourbon spice lead the charge with red licorice, cinnamon, maraschino, brown sugar and some rye popping its head out. Overall a rather standard high rye bourbon nose that has a slight varnished wood quality running under it that seems to grow stronger the more I drink.
TASTE
Caramel, citrus and rye are dominant on the palate with the rye picking up steam the more I drink it. Tobacco, biscuits, pie crust and a musty medicinal quality that is easily pushed aside at first, but keeps building as it’s drank.
FEEL
Like a very fine grit sandpaper. It’s mostly smooth with a little bit of roughness to it.
FINISH
Long dry finish that starts out with a very woody rye and caramel syrup that fades to bourbon spice
SCORE: 86/100
After reading a ton of reviews and complain for budget whiskeys, I picked up a bottle of 86 proof. I’m more of a Canadiean Whiskey drinker (more rye in the bill) and I found that the 86 was much more to my liking than the Four Rose’s, which I found had a more floral flavour profile.
Speaking of the 1920, I had also been reading a lot of good things about that bottle so I thought I’d see if I could find it where I live, in Ontario, just north of Buffalo. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw that the only bottle in my entire province was a mile and a half from my home! I ran to the store and found it was being held for someone else. They called me back the next day and said the other person didnt really want it and the store had been holding the bottle for 6 months! Their loss was my gain..
I find the 1920 to be far more complex in flavour, but still features the banana split flavour that I get in the 86 proof. While the 86 isnt nearly as nice as the 1920, it still makes for my favourite daily drinker.
Thanks again for your reviews!
Chris
Hey Chris, thanks for sharing and I agree on the 1920, it’s my favorite thing they put out. Cheers!
Great review! I went back and forth between the 86 and the 100, but ultimately picked up the 86. I’m fairly new to bourbon and like to work my way up a brand from baseline to top – with my eyes on 1920 prohibition at some point! This one drinks a little smooth to me – totally get that medicinal thing – kinda like cough syrup almost, but not too bad or distracting. Like you said, its distinct, which makes it interesting!
In hindsight, i probably should have started at 100. This proof seems just too sweet/smooth (aka it goes down too easy – not a bad thing sometimes!) – but overall a tasty bourbon, especially at this price!
I like doing the same thing Kevin :) When I get to a new distillery I like starting at the lowest or their core and working up. I do it to get a full idea of the distillery, but also to find that sweetspot of value for money. For me it’s the 1920, but the 100 is an awesome budget option. Cheers Kevin!
Was told to try Old Forrester by a distiller at Buffalo Trace tour. Ordered from high end restaurant Bourbon bar in Louisville. Bartender had an Old Forrester Tattoo over his heart. Best whiskey under $30 maybe $40. Great flavors…Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Spice….smooth with mild bite. No medicine taste to me. My daily drinker for last 5 years. 86 proof $20, 100 proof $24
That’s a great story, thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Just bought a bottle of this. Thought I would read the reviews before I get too far into it. Im no expert. I haven’t met a Bourbon I don’t like.
Has a good flavor. Did notice the rye. Did notice a slight asperine “experience” near the back of my tongue.
Not enough to prevent me from buying. Certainly not enough to complain.
I will say this. I’ve liked JB for a long time.
I will buy another bottle of OF before I will buy JB..
Thanks for sharing Fred, cheers!
I like to find a pint of whiskey that comes in a plastic bottle to stuff in my backpack when i go backpacking in the mountains. I found OF in such a bottle and I was surely pleasantly surprised when i opened it up at 11,000 ft.–definitely seemed like a step up from Evan Williams. I do think I’m with you that there’s a unique flavor in there, bordering on medicinal/varnishy.. I just thought that was maybe a product of drinking from a plastic bottle over the course of a few days. I found it to be a little strange but not really off-putting, kind has an old-timey vibe?
Either way I just discovered OF100 and at $24 I think it just replaced Old Grand Dad BiB as my bargain daily drinker. Your reviews are my favorite I’ve found on the web, thanks! cheers
Thanks Evan, sounds like you do my kind of backpacking ;) That OF100 is a hell of a bargain and one of my favorite drinkers for sure. Cheers!
Tried a bottle of Old Forester 100 looking for something cheaper than the top shelf bourbons I had been sampling with mixed results. Was very pleased with OF100. Like others have said, I am not much good picking out hints of cardamom and fennel and grandma’s chair cushion. There are a handful of basic flavors I recognize and my chief criteria are that the stuff have those flavors in decent strength, be smooth enough to swallow without gasping/choking, and not have any off notes (like swamp water). OF100 surprised me as being very smooth for a mid-price bourbon, with good flavor. One unique taste I found was what I identified as “wood smoke.” That taste was stronger and more noticeable (and more enjoyable) when I drank it outdoors in the evening, versus indoors. (I think it’s worth considering what impact the odors and aromas of your indoor air might have on your experience with a particular bourbon. Crisp, fresh, outdoor air might “open” up a bourbon in a way stale indoor air might not. Just a thought.) Anyway, OF100 is definitely a brand I’d keep around.
Nice, thanks for sharing. cheers!
I tried the OF after becoming addicted to Four Roses Single Barrel. To each his own, I am returning to FRSB. It appears to me the OF could use a little more (2 years+) aging.
Buffalo Trace has been my go to bourbon. Alas, it is seemingly extinct. That and I have been searching for an under $20 bourbon for cocktails. I did not try the 86 proof Old Forester, but I am impressed with the 100 proof.
My question is: do you know the age of Old Forester? Is Woodford Reserve a longer aged version? ( same mash bill, same company)
Hey Matt,
I haven’t found anything official or confirmed about the ages, all that is know is that it’s 4+ years. Sorry I don’t have any more info.
Cheers!
I’m a long time Bulleit drinker.
With the right combo of ice and branch water, I can’t see much of a taste difference.
But I do see a wallet difference.
OF was the first bourbon I felt was really good back in the early 1990s. I get a nice vanilla banana spice flavor which I attribute to the higher than normal rye componate. Just recently tried it again and wish I hadn’t waited so long. Nice balanced bourbon with a great finish. Not bad foe $16!
For $16 that’s a heck of whiskey for sure. Cheers!
I keep a bottle around, also Buffalo Trace and Burnside Bourbon from here in Portland Oregon. I largely agree with your tasting notes. I am no expert but I get some bananas foster in the nose and in the palate. One of the things I like about Bourbon is that you know you are drinking something, it is not a shy spirit. Old Forester delivers
I often get that kind of a Bananas Foster note in bourbon, but not in this one. Though it’s also been a while since I had it, could be more so now. Cheers!
Thanks, I enjoy your reviews very much.
Cheers Enrique, thanks!
Enjoying a glass of Old Forester now. I’m enjoying the more rustic elements – the corn mustiness , cherry and wood. On a second glass I sometimes get guava which is weird but interesting. I like Buffalo Trace and JW Weller, too, but this is my current favorite.
Awesome, thank for sharing. Cheers Dirk!
I just tried this today(more of a protest purchase against the tomfoolery going on with my favorites at Beam), and I love it! I will be elevating this to my daily drinker. Great nose, super flavors come at me, and a decent finish. Very pleased. Cheers!
That’s awesome man. Cheers!
I keep a bottle of this around. It is not the smoothest but has a nice quality to it. The rye is there and it tells you so, like a cheaper Woodford in that regard. What I do find interesting is my favorite restaurant in town (The Exchange, New Albany IN, which is Louisville metro area so this is serious bourbon drinking country) uses this in their Old Fashioned and I think it fits that bill perfectly. Something about the smoothest finishing bourbons does not work well there, and I agree with there choice in using this. And I pretty picky about my Old Fashioneds.
Josh, if you are near Louisville cross the bridge to New Albany and check out The Exchange, great food, a great bourbon menu too, and good people.
Thanks for the tip SirRaoulDuke, I’ll definitley do that next time I’m in the area and thanks for sharing. cheers!
I’ve always liked just about anything with rye, and I’ve now included Old Forester in the mix.
It’s a snowy, cold day, and this whiskey is just perfectly on-point for the day.
My grandfather always kept a bottle of whiskey stuck between hay bales and tobacco hanging…..those three smells always makes me feel better. God bless Kentucky. And then stand for Dixie.
Not a daily or even every week drinker but I like beer, and whiskey. When I am in the mood fro whiskey I drink it straight or on the rocks and Old Forester seems to be all I buy anymore. It is a whiskey no doubt. Has a oak/ woody taste to me and no nasty lighter fluid smell or taste. I liked the saloon analogy someone said about. It does seem to be a blue collar whiskey and well I am a blue collar guy. (Underground miner) Cheers all!
Thanks sharing Danny. Cheers!
Old Forester was the first bourbon I ever had, snuck it right out of my Dad’s bar
cabinet as a kid. It was a staple in his booze collection and I still like it to this day. I like all bourbon, just like some better than others.
“I like all bourbon, just like some better than others.” <- I've been saying that for years! Cheers Karl, and thanks for the story.
I wouldn’t call what I get from this ‘medicinal’, but I will say it’s got a good deal of heat to it. With that acknowledged, let me reminisce a little: When I was a little kid, I’d watch old westerns from the 1950s, through the John Wayne stuff of the ’60s, to the Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns.
I always had the idea that a real bourbon *ought* to have quite a lot of heat to it, and just enough flavor to make it worth drinking.
Old Forester delivers exactly what my younger self expected a bourbon to be. This isn’t any Bulleit, Maker’s Mark, or even Old Grand Dad. This stuff is raw, woody, and with a healthy flare of burn on it. When you want SALOON whiskey, this is what you ask for.
Love the story, thank for sharing. Cheers!
I have been enjoying the exploration of the world of bourbon (having been told that I should drink scotch.) but I was born in central Kentucky and there must some kind of bourbon gene lurking in there. I really enjoy the Old Foesters 86; in fact, I keep a second bottle in case of blizzards or floods or hospital.
Looks like a great site. Just found it recently.
I find nothing of the “poor mans” whiskey in it. I getting older and I just don’t feel any need to impress academics, etc. it is a good bourbon, reasonably priced, right next to where I watch ball games and read. By the way, why is it seemingly unavailable in so many states. Just curious.
Hey Gerald,
Thanks for the comment. If it’s not available in certain states that’s likely due to the distributors in the area not carrying it.
Cheers!
It’s found in Virginia, Louisiana and Wisconsin, in a thousand mile triangle surrounding Kentucky, so it gets around. I find it a unique middle- shelfer and love the rye character the best of all. Cheers to us aging folks.
Wow as a neophyte I find your reviews very helpful! Just bought this today for 17 bucks, for a litre, and I’m really enjoying it! While maybe not top shelf, but for the working class like myself this is spot on. Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming!
Thanks Jack, glad you’re enjoying the site. Cheers!
I tried this based upon your review. I think it’s great whisky and a bargain with a capital “B”. I love it! The rue note is amazing. I’m an Islay drinker and I love Irish and Bourbon too. Old Forester is awesome-count me in!
Cheers Dennis!
Been enjoying a bottle of this for the past few weeks, and it reminds me of a ‘poor mans’ Buffalo Trace.
Jim bean man. Started picking up Apple finish. Must be barrels. Started searching found old forester. Not bad sippin.
Amen, it’s a great sippin’ whiskey.
Your reviews are awesome! I use them as a reference standard for buying new drinks. In this case, however, I have to (respectfully and apologetically) disagree. You gave both Old Forester an 86 and Old Overholt an 83, and from what I can tell, Overholt is the superior beverage.
Old Forester has this overwhelming candy-apple flavor I can’t shake. The spice finish is nice but it doesn’t make up for the saccharine sweetness of the initial burst. That being said, it works really nicely as a base for an Old-Fashioned (whose predominant flavor notes are sugar and spice and everything nice).
As a mixer, I’d put in the mid-80s. Neat, I’d put it around 80 or so.
That being said, thanks for running this blog and thanks for your detailed reviews. I look forward to trying the other stuff you’ve rated highly.
Hey Will,
Thanks for sharing and nothing wrong with a little friendly disagreement. Cheers!
I love the stuff personally. I don’t get anything in there that I’d call medicinal. For me, it’s in daily drinker territory. I’m useless at distinguishing individual flavors if they don’t absolutely beat me over the head, but there’s a bit of something in here that I might call “nutty” or compare to praline. The only other whiskey I’ve found it in was a Willet Pot Still (barrel 3144), my favorite whiskey ever. The WPS was better stuff, but at twice the cost and I had to drive two hours each way to get it.
To my taste, Old Forester tastes like a rarefied, sophisticated $50+ bourbon — for under $30.
It’s good stuff, definitely in my daily drinker category (anything 85+ is a daily for me) and medicinal doesn’t always mean bad. I love big peaty Islay scotches and those are very medicinal. It’s all in how it plays and balances off of the other flavors.
Thanks for sharing, cheers!