Old Forester Rye Single Barrel

Warehouse L; Floor 1 64.3% abv; 128.6 proof Open 2 months Nose - Gingerbread, clove, black pepper, spruce tip, toffee, grilled peach, medium oak, and strong ethanol. This is easily the best part. Palate - Dry grain, dry baking spices, rye bread, gingerbread, maple sugar, tobacco leaf, and lemon custard. Finish is long with dry, hot grain, tannic oak, cinnamon powder, clove, pine, lemon peel, and hot ethanol. The final nail in the coffin for Old Forester single barrel barrel strength. I was already out on the blue label, but I was shocked to find this in my preferred liquor store . It was barely over MSRP and plenty of bottles available. YouTubers raved over this when it was first released, but I have only seen it in the wild a couple of times marked up severely. I couldn't pass it up. It turns out, this is not very good. I've said this with the bourbon as well, but the difference here is even greater. The Jack Daniel's barrel proof rye is significantly better than this for $20 less. This is flat and muted. All burn and little flavor.

Picked this up in April at Jackalope Liquor, while passing through Fruita, CO. Paid a premium for this jackalope bottle... but worth it. Single barrel, barrel strength rye, from Warehouse I, Floor 3, 129.7 proof. Tasting neat. Mahogany color and strong coating legs in the glass. Nose is grassy spicy, cherry fruit, light caramel corn. In the mouth, burnt brown sugar, char oak, tannic leather, and dry baking spices. Oily mouthfeel, hint of ethanol. Finish continues the spicy, oaky, burnt sugar. Tingling grassy mint and dark fruit sweetness linger a long long time. An ice cube softens the aggressive flavors and lets the caramel corn sweetness emerge. Really rich, chewy, big 64.85 ABV single barrel, barrel strength rye Louisville whisky. Excellent bottle.

Some heat, but it so nice and tasty. Great finish