Old Forester Archives - First Pour Cocktails

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon – Baytowne Spirits

Posted on March 29, 2023February 14, 2023 by Nick

If you just want to have your Old Forester with a bit more power, then you should consider Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon. As the name implies, these bottles are made up of single barrels, and barreled at barrel strength. Unsurprisingly, they’re quite high in proof, and suggest that they might also be quite strong in flavors. This pick comes from Baytowne Spirits in Rochester, NY – where in addition to an amazing selection of single barrels, they have an outstanding selection of rums.

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon

This barrel has the following stats:

Warehouse: K
Floor: 2
Proof: 130 pf
Common Abbreviations: OFSBBS / OFSiBBS

Sight: Solid Auburn

Smell: The nose starts with a blast of oak spice and cherry. Notes of more fruity elements come out, such as macerated strawberries and ripe banana. Brown sugar and caramel roll around over a layer of heat. The spiciness grows and builds in ways ranging from peppercorn to chili to clove and allspice.

Sip: The start is smooth and more moderate bodied. Cherries cooked in brandy and chewy caramel come sliding out in thick waves. There are more fruity elements like dried strawberry and banana. Walnut comes in with full force and give more pepper and brown sugar elements room to grow. Things get increasingly hot, not unsurprisingly – with a rip of oak in between.

Savor: The ending keeps plenty of oak, walnut, cherry jubilee, and caramelized sugar notes. The ending is dry, tannic, and maintains a bit of warmth throughout. It lingers for a longer period than you might expect, but maintains the oak flavor – adding some cigar box and dried cherry as it goes.

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon is both complicated and relatively straightforward at the same time. This seems like a contradiction, but what it delivers is consistency of flavor. In all of the tastings I’ve had of this particular bottle, it tends to pull a very consistent flavor profile, and the glass drinks the same at the start as the beginning. As neat drinking goes, this is a barrel proofer that’s quite good, especially for Old Forester fans.

In Cocktails:

In a Manhattan it immediately makes you aware of its prescience. The weight alone is probably in the top 5 of Manhattans I’ve ever made (unsurprising again, given the proof) and the finish reflects this further with a bit of a heat. In the middle are waves of oak spice, caramel, fire roasted cherries, and cigar spice box. The flavor profile doesn’t really ever relax, but instead either sends spice, bombastic fruit, or oaky notes. Drinking it as it warms up, begs for more heat, but lets a bit more of the vanilla and berry notes through. If you’ve been reading previous Manhattan notes, you might conclude (quite correctly) that this is a bruiser of a bottle in the drink – which might excite some hardcore bourbon enthusiasts.

In Review – Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon is a powerful, beast of a bourbon. The flavors match the strength, and it delivers a well rounded experience. Fans of Old Forester’s regular offerings should find a lot to like here, and it should be a stretch to grab a bottle. If you’re not a huge fan of Old Forester or barrel strength offerings, this is going to be a stretch – especially at $80, and more than double that on the secondary.

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418

Posted on March 22, 2023February 14, 2023 by Nick

Old Forester offers three different bottlings at 100 proof. We’ve covered two of these, the Signature 100 and the 1897 Bottled-In-Bond, both of which can be found on the shelf easily. What’s less common is the highly sought after Old Forester Single Barrel. Barreled at 100 proof, this offering proposes flavors with less proof than their barrel strength offerings, but also is typically selected by a retailer. While this is priced close to 1897, is it worth the hunt?

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418

Warehouse: H
Floor: 4
Proof: 100 (A.B.V. 50%)
Secondary Abbreviation(s): OFSiB, OFSB

Sight: Between Tawny and Russet Muscat

Smell: There’s a surprising amount of warmth coming out of this nose that gives way to caramelized peanut treacle and spicy oak. Caramel, vanilla icing, and powder sugar join in for a very dessert like character. A banana French toast gets in there with a slight red berry compote element. Like it’s on the whipped cream with the French toast.

Sip: The start is on the sweet side, and very approachable with plenty of caramel and vanilla cake notes. The nuttiness quickly catches up with a strong roasted peanut brittle character. There’s a nice amount of cinnamon spice here, and a bit of that caramelized banana again. There’s a build of cigar box and toasty oak that come in as well.

Savor: That sweet caramel and toasty oak spice roll through with a beautiful amount of vanilla icing. The banana foster notes lean in throughout the rest of the palate, but the oak also gets more spicy as it goes, giving off cigar box and clove with a certain sweetness.

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418 is complex, sweet, and enticingly layered. The nuttiness is well balanced with the caramelized notes, and the baked goods mixing with the banana tones is really a well balanced mix of flavors. While the influence of the oak is strong, it also doesn’t overwhelm the more delicate flavors. As a single barrel, this bottle is well balanced and enjoyable.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418 is smooth, caramelly, lightly banana oriented, and solidly spiced. There’s a good amount of sweetness here, and the general texture is rich. On the finish, it carries forward a blast of spice, ranging from cinnamon to clove to nutmeg, before picking up some notes of vanilla cake. As a Manhattan it’s good, if heavily spiced.

In Review – Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418 is a really a solid bourbon, especially at $50. Single barrel variation should thoroughly be expected to come into play with these, and as such you’re likely to have more success if you’re already an Old Forester fan. If you can’t find this, remember that Old Forester Signature 100 Bourbon comes in at the same proof point. Although in my experience the flavors won’t reach this level, the cost is less than half at $21.

Old Forester 1897

Posted on June 3, 2022April 18, 2022 by Nick

Old Forester 1897 is a bottled-in-bond offering from Old Forester / Brown Forman. This means it’s held in a government warehouse for 4 years and is distilled in one season. The end result is a 100 proof offering that comes in at about $50. If this sounds like there’s not a lot of info, that’s because there isn’t. For a product that comes in double the price of their Signature offering, and at the same proof, the basic difference appears to be the bonding and label (and minimum 4 year age). So is it worth over double?

Old Forester 1897

Sight: Chestnut / Oloroso Sherry

Smell: There’s a softness to the nose that gives way to a caramelized brown sugar and maple syrup nose. Notes of bananas and fresh cherries creep in before a dose of spices pop in. There’s a surprising amount of heat to the nose, and the fruit gradually grows in strength with just a hint of acetone or floral elements.

Sip: The palate is warm and full of brown sugar and spices. Clove and cinnamon jump out with a bit of cigar box and charred oak. Roasted banana and cherry jam come in, before giving up a bit of tobacco. There’s a slight mocha cream going on as well. It is a touch hot.

Savor: The finish is more of the light brown sugar and charred oak. It lingers with a hint of burnt marshmallow.

Old Forester 1897 is fine, with a nice nose and pleasant palate. The nose is rich, if slightly on the easier side, but it doesn’t ever quite elevate to captivating. The taste follows suit. It has a lot of nice elements, and it seems to fringe into refined, but then falls short. It almost seems like it misses a little bit of a punch, but it certainly isn’t bad.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, Old Forester 1897 is balanced and inviting. It lets loose some of it’s tobacco, spice, and brown sugar while giving the vermouth space to work. Then it adds in some brown sugar before it works into the background. The overall drink is actually quite bright. Overall it’s nice, but doesn’t seem like a $50 bottle Manhattan.

In Review – Old Forester 1897

Old Forester 1897 is underwhelming for $50. There are better options in the same price point that offer more complexity, more flavor, and more versatility. That might be the worst of it, until you consider that Old Forester already makes a 100 proof offering at less than half the price. In a side by side there’s an increase in heat, especially on the finish, but the flavors are more defined on the palate, and the noses are comparable. This is a problem, because Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon is within easy striking distance of it’s bigger cousin. For the purposes of your bar, this one is a hard pass, and Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon should get the nod instead.

The Classics: The Old Fashioned

Posted on October 22, 2020September 24, 2022 by Nick

There are few cocktails older than the Old Fashioned. In some senses, the Old Fashioned is really more of a formula than an exact drink. Similar to Grog, the Old Fashioned is part strong, part sweet, part water, and part (not quite) sour. The similarities make it easy to make, quick to serve, easy to drink, and yet still complex and refreshing. Unlike Grog, the Old Fashioned appears more refined, and trades away the citrus for garnish – but it’s nonetheless for it.

The Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned

2 oz

Bourbon

¼ oz

Simple Syrup

1-2 Dashes

Bitters

Orange or Lemon Twist

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a orange or lemon twist.

The Old Fashioned is a boozy, balanced drink that shows off the spices of the whiskey and bitters against a background of the sweet simple. The dilution helps make for a very smooth and straightforward drink that shows off the best of the ingredients involved. With a twist of orange, the aromatics of the whiskey open up, adding another dimension.

Drink Notes:

The most basic form of cocktail leaves nowhere to hide. With just spirit, sugar, spice, and ice – we’re off to the races. Use quality ingredients here and you won’t be disappointed.

Bourbon: There’s nowhere to hide here, so use a bourbon you like. For this we used Elijah Craig Small Batch, but you can also look at our recommendations or use your favorite.
Simple: A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is most often used here. You can also use a flavored syrup, like a cinnamon or vanilla simple if you so choose.
Bitters: Think of these as the seasoning. While Angostura is the most common and traditional, you can mix and match bitters to create the flavor profile you like. Mix it up with wilder choices like pimento bitters or black walnut bitters for a fun riff on a classic.
Garnish: Tradition suggests using a lemon twist, but most modern interpretations use orange. Truth is that both work, so pick your preference or both.