Tasting Notes for Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Nose: Robust, intense caramel.
Taste: Rich vanilla with roasted coffee notes, spiced dark fruit and mature oak. Mouth-filling. Sweet and intense.
Finish: Deep fruit, spice and oak notes layered over dark caramel and vanilla. Big and bold.
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Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond is crafted to honor a watershed moment in bourbon history – the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. This expression follows the Bottled in Bond standards that whisky must be aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years, the product of one distillation season, one distiller and from one distillery and bottled at 100 Proof. The concept behind these regulations – the idea of ‘sealed in quality’ – was something Old Forester introduced in 1870, as America’s First Bottled Bourbon.
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International Wine & Spirits Competition: Silver - 2020
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, Bottled in Bond Age No age statement but at least 4 years per bottled in bond regulations. Volume 75CL ABV 50%