Old Forester 100 Proof Bourbon

Nose reminds me of grandma's fruit cake when puts a little to much happy juice in it. Both sweet and very heavy alcohol burn. Vanilla and dark fruit/wine like upfront on the tongue followed by heavy char and ethanol all the down. Lasting spice on the tongue. If you like burn and lingering spice you will like this. It did take a while for the sweeter notes to show on the front of the tongue. Flavor does get better over time. Water does not help in my opinion.

Nose is full of dark honey with classic cherry notes layered over a spicy oak. Mouth feel is medium with cherry, oak, and pepper spice coming through. A burnt sugar note seems to linger through the finish.

Rich, syrupy

A lot of alcohol in the nose and the palate, but the alcohol flavor does kind of fit in with the other flavors that are present. There is a lot of sweetness here and the profile is rich. Rye presence is notable but not overwhelming. Ginger makes an appearance to give the drink some spice, but it does not create an intense burn. There is a bland bitterness that just will not go away though. This bitterness drowns out most of what other subtlety is present with its off, skunky flavor. The dominance of sweetness toward the finish is quite satisfying. Some red fruit pops out at some point, harkening to Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. Unfortunately, the flavor is fairly muddy. Otherwise it has the beginnings of a great bourbon. After extensive time breathing (several hours), the skunky flavor mostly disperses and a mineral element comes through instead. Additionally, a dry, young wood note shows up for the finish. It's a definite improvement because some more of the subtleties come through, but it still definitely is not on par with Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. A little water opens it up, improving its flavor substantially, though it still falls short of Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. Upon inspection, this is a really solid bourbon. Compared to something like Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, this is a bit mineral in flavor, but it is still quite good, just not a masterpiece. E.H. Taylor Small Batch has a flavor that pops a but more in an oddly refreshing way, but it also has more of a vegetal flavor lurking in there. It is hard to deny E.H. Taylor's depth, but the plain good flavor of Old Forester's toffee and vanilla is able to take it on. If anything, E.H. Taylor tastes more like minerals than Old Forester does (though I do like its lingering apple and orange notes). Rich and sweet, with anise, toffee, vanilla, and rye. Rye, vanilla, toffee, cocoa. This is sweet and rich. It's quite good. The fruitiness and tartness contrast well. There is a bit much rye bitterness that I wish were substituted for some smokiness (there this is some smokiness and a bit of wood rounding it out). There is a fair amount of vanilla, but it is not overwhelming. Some minerality is amplified by the tartness, but not in a gross way. The flavor is complex and most of the notes are good. This is a really good drink. Wow, this is astoundingly good with a tremendous amount of richness and complexity, especially for the price. It's a delight to drink and might just be the best bargain in booze. Caramel, wood, cinnamon, hints of orange, mild rye (for a bourbon). The sweetness is wonderful, but is counterbalanced by the rich, robust flavors. It is on the sweet side, but is not overly so. The finish is sweet and tasty. This is a delightful drink. Compared with Knob Creek Single Barrel, this is less old and has a bit of a bubblegum flavor. I wouldn't call it's kids stuff by any means though. There are some bitter elements, particularly from the rye and there are several flavors that pass through. The Knob Creek is better, but this is awesome for the price. There are some minerals from the rye, but with all of the other strong flavors, they seen acceptable. This tastes like a surprisingly old drink, likely because of the new oak barrel and single distillation. There is plenty of wood and a ton of vanilla. It's sweet with toffee flavors and a tart fruitiness. I just wish that one weirdly bitter, vegetal undertone were not here. Some spices come out here too. It's amazing for the price. There is a lot of complexity and most of the flavors are really good. It tastes older than it probably is and is quite rich while avoiding a tremendous burn or strong alcohol flavor. The individual flavors could use a bit more cohesion, but it's still really good, especially for the price. I like the sweetness, toffee, and sweetness a lot. It has some of those nice, fruity, vanilla bourbon flavors with mild mint backing. It's very good. Tons of vanilla with plenty of toffee, some wood, and an herbal backing with a rye pungence and some undeniable alcohol. There is some apple flavor and there are some mineral, floral elements in here too. It's an interesting mix with a complex set of flavors that are generally good and play well together. It has a bit of a rancid element and is a little rough, but this is ultimately a great bourbon, especially for the price. This is quite intense with a big herbal flavor. There is anise but also thyme and other notes. It's far more aggressive than Blanton's, but it's also flavorful in its own way. Sure, it's drying, but the flavor is rounded and super rich. It may be too aggressive, but I enjoy drinking it as a staple. It's no William Larue Weller, but this is a stunningly sippable whiskey and it is well worth its low price. The toffee adds a really nice balance and there are some lovely chocolate notes that somehow blend with the lavender, honey, spice, and other flavors quite well. The cherry is nice. It has some good, distinct flavor that highlights the rye in it nicely. There's a fair amount of alcohol and it's a bit rough, but still pretty fun to drink. Not a refined as Eagle Rare, but still solid. I'm on the fence between a 15 and 16 but I'll leave it at 15 for now.

Fantastic in old fashioneds