August 28, 2024
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Wayne found a store pick of Old Forester Single Barrel at Beverage Barn in Henderson on Friday. He wanted to crack it open and I realized that we hadn’t done a formal tasting of Old Forester 1924. Thus, they seemed like a great pair to taste together!
Selected for today’s tasting – each by Old Forester: Old Forester 1924 10-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Old Forester Single Barrel, Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey selected by Beverage Barn.
Please be sure to read our approach to Tasting Whiskey if you haven’t already.
Old Forester 1924 10-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Mashbill – 79% Corn, 11% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Age – 10 Years
Proof – 100
Price Paid – $149.99 (plus tax)
Appearance – Medium amber.
Aroma – Brown sugar and banana – reminiscent of banana’s foster – with cinnamon and nutmeg. Oak and leather are also noted.
Tasted Neat – There is immediately a creamy mouthfeel. Similar to the nose, brown sugar and bananas greet you and have you thinking about ordering a banana’s foster at the first opportunity. There is also caramel, vanilla, maple, light leather and oak.
Finish – The sweet and banana notes fade while cinnamon mixes with smoky notes from the wood and it is very earthy and savory with notes of allspice and white pepper. It provides a very nice finish.
Tasted with dried cranberry – The original flavors are gone but there is a vanilla cream sweetness. Overall, the cranberry muted a lot of the goodness of the original pour.
Tasted with a pecan – This was interesting as it brought caramel and oak forward as well as dark chocolate – much like a chocolate covered banana offered at the fair grounds. Nutmeg takes over as the dominant spice component. Overall, the pecan brought out some nice flavors.
Tasted with dark chocolate – This was not pleasant. It seemed to flatten it out and remove any distinct flavors.
Old Forester Single Barrel, Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey selected by Beverage Barn
Mashbill – 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley
Age – at least 4 years
Other – Warehouse I; Floor 2
Proof – 131.1
Price Paid – $99.95 (plus tax)
Appearance – Medium Amber
Aroma – It somewhat dances with your nose. There are notes of vanilla, cotton candy, dark fruit, chocolate, cherries, oak, and nutmeg.
Tasted Neat – There are many flavors coming forward including wood, toffee, dark cherry, dark brown sugar, dark chocolate, leather, and various spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
Finish – Medium to long finish with black pepper, cinnamon, and cherries. It continues with seasoned oak and burnt caramel then ends ending with cocoa and leather notes.
Tasted with dried cranberry – This eliminated the sweet notes and created zesty notes in its place. The finish is minimal. Not a good combination for this pour.
Tasted with a pecan – Very wood forward, pecan, leather, cinnamon, dark chocolate covered cherries, and plum. The pecan played well with this single barrel.
Tasted with dark chocolate – Creamy mouthfeel with vanilla cream and cinnamon. Minimal finish. Nothing bad but nothing great either.
Discussion and Final Notes
Old Forester 1924 10-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: This mashbill sets itself apart from the standard Old Forester. The 10-year aging contributes to a remarkable maturity, adding complexity from the barrel that we appreciate. What we enjoyed is how the nose aligns with the palate, and the delightful hint of Banana’s Foster, which, surprisingly, doesn’t overwhelm with sweetness, thanks to the underlying barrel and smokiness. When considering the price point, there are other options in this range that we enjoy, but this one stands out. We would recommend trying it first to see if it matches your taste profile. If you are a fan of bananas or Banana’s Foster, then this is a bottle worth acquiring.
Old Forester Single Barrel, Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey selected by Beverage Barn: The single barrel drinks much differently than a traditional Old Forrester. We are wondering if the higher proof and barrel strength allows additional flavors to remain present in a very positive way. Even with the higher proof, it drinks very smoothly and feels more like a 115-120 proof range. For just under $100 and with the flavor profile and high proof, this bottle is a good value and one that we recommend. Scanning the web, there seem to be quite a few store picks for the Old Forester Single Barrel so it is very possible it is available in your area. Check with your favorite liquor store.
This was a fun and interesting taste comparison. Glad we decided to pair them together as they generated a lot of conversation and we realized that these are definitely our two favorite Old Forester expressions.
Cheers,
Rebecca & Wayne
Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Spirit Requirements
Bourbon Whiskey: Made in the U.S, distilled at <= 160 proof, barreled at <= 125 proof, aged in new, charred oak containers, bottled at >= 80 proof. Straight bourbon means it is aged at least 2 years (and must have an age statement if less than 4). In addition, to be Kentucky Straight Bourbon, it has the additional requirement that it must be produced and aged at least 1 year in the state of Kentucky. For additional information on bourbon requirements, please read this post – Bourbon Whiskey.
NOTE: The bourbons in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producers for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.
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