Tastes

Alcohol overpowers the first sniff, but after 10 minutes in the glass the aroma gets much better; toffee, marzipan, cane sugar, and vanilla dominate, with a hint of sour wood followed by a grocery store floral arrangement. The palate on first sip is hot, and the alcohol burn hides most of the good flavors you expect in bourbon. After time in the glass, it's much smoother, with vanilla, spices, and brown sugar making an appearance. With water you notice the appearance of stone fruits and the alcohol burn doesn't hide the velvety coating sensation. The finish is short, hot and tart with a hint of flowers, and while not inspiring, it isn't objectionable either. Overall, this is a decent whiskey for a decent price, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. UPDATE: I finally found just the thing to make this a much tastier whiskey: More Whiskey! For every ounce of Old Forester, I've started adding a half ounce of Evan Williams Black Label. The combo is much smoother, the alcohol aroma and smell is gone, and the profile takes on a bit of sweetness that you didn't know was really missing until now. Not something I'm going to do everyday, but a nice experiment nonetheless, with a pleasant result to boot.

Very thin, and not a lot happening on the nose, palate or finish. Very reminiscent of, albeit slightly better than, a cheap Irish whisky NAS blend. Time and/or water only make it worse. You'd be better off with standard Black Label, and if you can find the Green Label, you're worlds ahead of this blend that sells more on marketing than on substance.