Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond

Sweet/Spicy balance. Nutmeg. Vanilla. Earthy/Nutty finish. Slight cinnamon. White pepper

Taste: 1 oz pour in Glen Cairn with 1 cube of ice Nose (3.75): Vanilla and almost like lemon pound cake come forward. A bit of oak. Not complex, very straightforward. I got a stronger nose in original neat tasting. The ice simplifies the nose a bit. Palate (4.25): Some honey-- almost like a bit o honey candy, vanilla, and distinct lemon poppyseed pound cake. The ice/water really enhanced this one on the palate and opened up a sweetness. Finish (4.0): I get a smooth burn from the ethanol, taste a bit of caramel and oakiness. Finish is medium and very traditional with some dryness. With ice this is a very straightforward and traditional bourbon. It is not adventurous but it is great quality. If you are looking for complexity it is not this one. This is a quality crafted bourbon. It is not a puzzler but an upfront sipper that I think may have been better with a bit of ice than neat. The ice quelled the medicinal taste that I wasnt an admirer of without hurting the palate and nose.

Neat, Room temperature, no water added in subsequent tastes, from a Glencairn. Barrel / Batch: undeclared. The nose is vanilla and oak, and it isn't subtle about it all. It kind of leaps out of the glass and smacks you. There's a certain spiciness in there too... pleasant as a background note. The palate hit me as a lot hotter than the 100 proof should be. Heavy on the alcohol, very woody. But the major impression left was hot. A second sip seemed hotter than the first. I've got barrel proofs in the 120's that have less of a bite. The finish was better, but took a little while to get to appreciate. It is a long finish, driven by the full-body tackle that was the palate experience. Once the tingle has subsided, I got to enjoy the vanilla and spice in the finish. Orange too??? And certainly oak is still prevalent all the way through. Second taste, added water to dilute a bit, still room temperature in Glencairn: The nose is sweet, hot, oak, vanilla, and something else sweet... honey perhaps? More complex and pleasing than before. Worthy of multiple deep inhales. The pallet was still warm, even with the addition of water, but greatly improved. More spice than my first taste. Still lots of oak. The burn has hints of ginger in it. The finish is more enjoyable with water added. It is still quite long and leaves the tongue warm and coated for a while. Oak, oak, and more oak prevail. Vanilla is dancing in there too. Overall the barrel dominates this whiskey. I wanted to like it more than I do, but it isn't bad... it's just heavy handed. I suspect this would make an excellent Old Fashioned.