Tasting Notes for Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Nose: Clove notes spice up a medley of citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, blood orange), all softened with a delicate, sweet, floral honeysuckle character.
Taste: Baking spices (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg) flow into a citrus-fruit mix and shortbread sweetness.
Finish: Soft, with lingering fruit and spice character.
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In 1870 George Garvin Brown created Old Forester on Louisville, KY’s, famous Whiskey Row. In honor of that milestone year in bourbon history, we have crafted a tribute – Old Forester 1870 Original Batch – the first expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row series.
1870 Original Batch echoes George Garvin Brown’s original batching process. Back then, Brown batched barrels obtained from three distilleries to create a consistent flavor profile. To emulate that process today, select barrels from three warehouses, each barrel originating from a different day of production, with a different entry proof and a different age profile. The three expressions of Old Forester are then batched together and minimally filtered to craft Old Forester 1870 Original Batch.
Overall, Old Forester 1870 Original Batch is simply delicious and goes down real easy...too easy. Less spicy and edgy than your typical Old Forester, with more sweet fruity notes. A perfect sipper for a hot Singapore evening! -
Whiskies of the World: Gold Medal - 2019
American Whiskey Masters: Master - 2019 -
Old Forester was founded by George Garvin Brown in 1870 when he created the first bottled bourbon, Old Forester, in 1870. Old Forester is created by George Garvin Brown and named after Dr. William Forrester, who was a famour field doctor at the time. To guarantee consistency George batches bourbon from three nearby distilleries: Mattingly, Mellwood, and Atherton. He seals his whiskey exclusively in glass bottles and signs each bottle as his personal guarantee of its quality.
The U.S. Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 required that bourbon come from one distillery and one distilling season, George Garvin Brown purchases the Mattingly Distillery in 1901.
In 1910, a fire on the bottling line shut down production. Old Forester, which had been dumped and was ready to bottle instead went into a second barrel while the line was repaired. Leading Old Forester to create and sell “Very Old Fine Whisky” the first double-barreled bourbon. The distillery survived the prohibition years when it was granted one of only 10 licenses to produce medicinal whisky, and during the second world war, contributed to the war effort by converting 100% of it's production to industrial ethanol.
The distillery is still run by the Brown family to this day, and in Spring 2015, Campbell Brown, 5th generation Brown Family member, was named as the President and Managing Director of Old Forester following in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather.
What sets Brown-Forman and their brands apart from other distilleries is not only the claim to having the longest running Bourbon on the market today, but also their ownership of their entire whisky production process from the cooperages making their barrels, to the equipment and structures involved in distillation, barrelling, ageing, and bottling their brands. When creating Old Forester consistency is key and achieving the required level depends on several key factors including barrels made to an exact level of toast and char, the use of a proprietary yeast strain, a signature high rye mashbill, heat cycled warehouses, and a large tasting panel that approve every batch after Master Blender Jacky Zykan has done her magic. Old Forester has only had 3 Master Distillers since 1963 which has helped to keep things consistent across the board. -
Producer Brown-Forman Style Kentucky Straight Bourbon Age No age statement Volume 75CL ABV 45%