Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style

Hot but very complex. Chocolate

Edit - Just a quick update as I finished this one. I knocked it down from 3.5 to 3.25, again solid but disappointing for the price and hype. Very hot and dry for a 115 proofer. The bottle opened up more over time and with a couple of water drops, but it was still mostly just a very dry cherry taste on the palate. If high-proof whiskey is what you're after, I think Rare Breed, Knob Creek 120, Jack Single Barrel BP, and Maker's BP are all better buys. Hot on the nose with some spices, dark fruits, tobacco, and dark chocolate. The palate was pretty disappointing for me. There are so many different flavors here, but I thought they clashed more than anything. For me this was pretty hot, even for a 115 proof, and none of the flavors really stood out against the heat. It mellowed out with a few drops of water, but even then I didn't think it was particularly good. It basically tasted like a spicier version of the 100-Proof OF, with more cherry & black pepper, and a little less banana & vanilla. It's definitely worth trying and I'm glad I gave it a shot, but I will not buy it again at $55-60 personally. For higher-proof options, I think Knob Creek's Single Barrel picks are a much better buy. The ones I've tasted have a similar flavor profile to the 1920, but were much more well-rounded, and $10-15 less expensive.

Strong but sweet at the end. Very good!

I'm used to higher proofs like bookers and other barrel proofs that are better at hiding their proof on the nose which this one wasn't great at hiding but, still able to get some nice caramel and vanilla on the nose. The taste was caramel red apple and the finish was long with a caramelized charred barrel.

OldFo 1920 *NOSE: Fruit Cocktail in Syrup, the kind with extra Cherries. Burnt Brown Sugar. Freshly opened pouch of Chewing Tobacco. Raw Almonds. Varnished Oak. A Light Floral note comes and goes. Tread lightly or get admonished with a big hit of Heat. *NEAT: Cherry. Deep Vanilla. Oak. Black Pepper heat. Pretty Basic. Just a tick on the Astringent Side, but not so much it's an issue. Thick Clingy finish with a BIG Kentucky Hug blooming in the chest. Cinnamon, Cherry and Oak layer on the palate with each sip. *SPLASH: Nose gets Gooey, Sticky Caramel. The Palate gains some much needed complexity with Chocolate, Coffee, Sweet Cream and Hazelnut notes. A little added Barrel Char. The finish becomes Super Sweet. Fittingly the empty glass smells just like a Milky Way wrapper. *VERDICT: I finally decided to review something from the Whiskey Row Series. I have a bottle of 1910 that I just can't make up my mind about ,so I haven't put pen to paper on it yet. I really enjoyed this. Pretty basic when consumed Neat, but man do a few drops of water open this one up. I see lots of people who are making "1915" by mixing this with the 1910, and I can definitely see how that would be a worthwhile experiment. I wish that I liked the Old Forester profile better, but I applaud everyone involved in this series for experimenting with batching, barrel placement, entry proofs, etc. to create unique bottlings. This just edges out the Rye as my favorite OldFo so far.