Tasting Notes for Old Forester Statesman
Nose: Devil's food, clove and oak spice with an undercurrent of raw vanilla.
Taste: Buttery leather is quickly dominated by a bold flash of pepper, cinnamon bark and sharp citrus.
Finish: Intense spice and eucalyptus which fade into orange cream and caramel.
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Created in 1870, Old Forester is the only bourbon continuously distilled and marketed by the founding family before, during and after Prohibition. Old Forester Statesman is a relativey new release from the venerable Old Forester brand, and was originally created as a tie-in with, 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle', but really defies all expectations of what has come to be presumed from movie tie-ins, presenting a balanced, distinguished, and delicious bourbon. It was so well received in fact, that is has now become a permanent member of the Old Forester range.
Created using hand selected casks from the warmest part of the warehouse, Statesman is the sweetest and fruitiest of all Old Forester bourbons, and also has the least amount of oakiness. There are plenty of other bourbons out there that aim for this profile, but there are none that really nail it as well as Old Forester have with the Statesman release. For fans of sweet and fruity bourbons, Old Forester Statesman is definitely on the "must try"list. -
The American Whisky Masters: Master - 2017
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Silver Medal - 2020 -
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 47.5%