Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond

Smooth and oakey

I’ll enjoy it, but I won’t write home about it

On the last pour of a bottle procured a couple of months ago in San Francisco duty free, and the absence of notes until now probably reflects my feeling that this bourbon is merely . . . fine. Enjoyable, certainly, but without anything to set it apart as a higher-priced limited edition. Nose of cake batter, vanilla, red fruits, some faint hay or grassiness, grape drink. An initial searing heat when the bottle was first opened has been tamed a bit--but there's still a fair bit of fire. Heat and musty wood on the taste, followed by vanilla, char, black tea, bitter cherry, and something reminiscent of an herbal, bitter liqueur. Finish is hot but swift, warming the throat (with the heat persisting), but not a lot of lingering flavour. At $20 and consistent availability, I'd make this a go-to (like some of the other bottled-in-bonds that punch above their weight-class--think Evan Williams, Old Grand Dad); at $50, you're asking a lot.