Old Forester Single Barrel Bourbon Barrel Strength

Drinking this neat, second pour. This is a store pick, warehouse H, floor 3, 124.7 proof. This one was one of those ones I didn’t know how lucky I was until I got my hands on it. S/O to my local honey hole. I had a jump on this one and immediately poured one out. Alas, I’m reviewing after bottle has been open for a couple weeks. It doesn’t disappoint. This one hits you with aromatics like licorice. There is a fantastic sweetness here like confectioners sugar or taffy. Behind the sugar you may get some nuttiness but it is no profound. The vanilla comes in layered with caramel. Finish is buttery with a long burn. You get the oak and leather at this point but trails off into plum or even cherry notes. The cherry hangs around until the burn dissipates they builds again. This is a solid bottle. Embarrassingly, I haven’t tried all the OFs, but this drinks well above the 1890 and Statesman. I plan on comparing side by side with 1910 but the fact this is full proof might give it an edge.

Nice. A bit strong for me.

Nose is sweet and maybe a little fruity, possibly apple? The palate has a strong cherry flavor up front, possibly with an oak flavor. The finish is definitely long and hot, leaving a tingling feeling from your lips to your tongue and down your throat. There is a distinct pepper and rich caramel flavor to go with it.

Neat. Neck pour. Gallenstein Selection 12, 128.1 proof Warehouse K, floor 3. This is leaping out of the glass immediately. Excited to try one of these. Love Old Forester products from 1920, 1910, Rye, Signature, Birthday. Love what they are doing and love that they made their picks Barrel Proof and not 90 proof. Banana foster on this is intense. Almost Jack Daniel barrel proof intense. I’ve gotten banana on Old Forester before but this is over the top. There is some fun stuff around it though. Powdered sugar and elephant ears fried dough. Really nice cherry. The caramel is super rich too. It’s a nice nose, plenty to pick apart but I wouldn’t call it a great nose. Syrupy as can be and initially so dark and bitter. Wasn’t ready for that. But when the sweetness comes, it comes hard. Alright, I’ll try to break this ride down. On the tongue, dark and bitter. Oak and bitter chocolate maybe. Transitions to the banana foster and once the sweetness hits it heightens all the way to the finish and keeps rising until the legs subside. Leaves with a banana aftertaste. I am getting a slight hint of the powder sugar, elephant ear on the mid palate but it’s a minor aside. The banana foster is the whole show. As I sip more, it does grow more bitter and drying too. Whomp whomp. So it’s yummy, but also lacking. I don’t like how it begins bitter and grows more bitter on the finish the more I sip it. Banana foster is one hell of a good dessert though. I’ll have to head to head this against 1920 at some point. Top of mind it’s below 1920 and 1910 if I rank the Old Forester main stays. I like it better than any OF single barrel I had before though, so the move to barrel strength is still very appreciative. Glad I got this retail as it’s definitely not worth secondary. Be patient if you are hunting this and don’t overspend.

Raised my sights on this one after it has had some air time. Truly a nice, solid, traditional bourbon. After it has been allowed to get some air and I am now about half through, the bitterness and excess heat is gone. I am now left with chewy coconut dusted caramel, some cinnamon, and a smidge of coffee bean. I have really warmed up to this one. First impressions are not always the best impressions. Fine sip here. Still not sure the price for a NAS is worth it, but this is unabashedly bold and beautiful

Party source pick, great nose but hot and undeveloped in the palate. I like the concept but my guess is BF is pumping out underage overprice barrels while the going is good.

Binny's #4939 127.5 pf. Nose- Marvelous and so NOT Old Forester as I find most offerings of OF single barrels at 90 and 100 proof to be one dimensional (banana, caramel, a bit of oak, etc.) This is vibrant. Raspberry and strawberry hits me out of the box. Surprisingly not much ethanol for the proof on the nose. There is dark chocolate in the background with some fresher wood which hints at a perhaps a younger to medium age. Palate- Neat this is a spicy beast. Almost takes your breath away with its tartness and spices. There is a nice tootsie roll thing going on that unfortunately gets eclipsed all too quickly. With 3- 4 drops of water in my pour something wonderful happens- spice gets tempered, I get the dark chocolate I found with the nose, with a bit of maple syrup and brown sugar along with some banana- nut bread. Neat it is a bit HOT. With water it is really a nice bourbon. Finish- This is a hammer with or without the water. It does not disguise the alcohol and unfortunately falls a bit on the bitter and woody side for me. If I do have a disappointment it would be a youthful, ethanol type finish. It will however start your mind realing after the second pour! That said I LOVE what OF is trying to do with this- give you an unabashed version of what their whiskey is straight from the barrel and you can love it, or leave it. It is NOT for new whiskey drinkers who want something "smooth" (a descriptive word that to me just means no character and unchallenging). Overall- 3.5/5 at this writing with hopes that some air might tone down the ethanol and turn up the tremendous notes I detect. At the moment I am sipping on the back porch and listening to Jim Croce's "Don't Mess Around with Jim," ( I know some will not get this reference or the song may be too old) but I find this bottle to be "Jim" and like the song says, "you DON'T mess around with Jim!"

NCBS

Freshly cracked. Third Base Market and Spirits pick. Nose is rich caramel, brown sugar and maple syrup. Light fruits. Tobacco in the forefront too. Nose is similar to a less fruity SJR B10 from memory. Similar to EHT. Robust classic bourbon nose. Palate is round and rich and creamy. I get the heavy dark cherries and tobacco on the back end. Long finish. Finish for dayz. Great bourbon. Like a higher proof 1920 which I love. I use the rating scale below. Distiller uses a scale of 5 and I use a scale of 10, but I’m sure you’re not too drunk to do the math! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice. 3. Bad - Multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not bad, but many things I'd rather have. 5. Good - Just average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Well above average. 8. Excellent - In a league of its own. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect

Damon’s Beverage 62.10% ABV It’s single barrel so they are obviously all different but this selection is outstanding! High in vanilla and cherry notes with the oak and tannins muted. The longer it sits, the more oak I get but this is remarkably good! Nose is amazing right off the bat, delicious palate, and a nice long lingering finish...what else can you ask for. I may be alone here but this particular bottle contends with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof