Review #276 - Old Forester 1924
Finally, an age-stated Old Forester bourbon that isn't a unicorn, although it is still a somewhat limited release - they plan to drop more annually. This '1924' bottling is aged for 10 years, and it was released to commemorate a time when Prohibition caused many American distilleries to close, and Old Forester was sourcing some of their whisky from those closing rivals.
Strength is a pleasant 50% ABV (100 proof), but there aren't many other details available about the bourbon on the bottle or the brand's website.
Old Forester 1924
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 120 (2024)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 1 month; bottles at 80% and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Dark complexion, brooding, somewhat sweet. Dark charred oak, dark chocolate, quite mature, with little hints of umami scents. There's cocoa powder and vanilla adding more baking notes, and a bit of tobacco. With more time, we found copper, brown sugar, soft bananas, and Reese's peanut butter cups.
Palate: Medium-thick, nice texture for the strength. Lots of chocolate notes, both sweet and spicy, like a Mexican spiced chocolate. Cinnamon and wood smoke add a dry side, while mushy bananas add more sweetness. With time to open up: leather and savory oak grow stronger.
Finish: A nice velvety mouthfeel lingers, and it's a medium length finish - rounded, soft, and nicely restrained at times. Soft cocoa notes, like a hot chocolate, brown sugar, and it becomes a little fudgy later; soft wood smoke can be found, too.
Final Note: Quite a nice entry from Old Forester here. It shows more maturity than a lot of 10 year aged bourbons, and the emphasis on those chocolate notes is especially strong throughout the experience. You get hints of that classic Brown-Forman banana character as well - it's generally quite a sweet whisky, although not overly saccharine.
To us, value for this bottle is roughly average - it's an expensive bottle, but it's a good bottle, too. If you can find it around the suggested retail price, it's a decent buy, but this isn't a bottle we would overpay for on the secondary market.
Our Average Rating: 7.6 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.23
