Old Forester 80 Proof Bourbon (700ml)

In the 1800's, American whiskey was sold in bulk to rectifiers, wholesalers, brokers and retailers. Barrels were branded with a distillery or 'brand' name. Package stores and druggists bottled their own labels from bulk supplies. Unscrupulous rectifiers, jobbers and retailers would often tamper with the quality and integrity of the whiskey in a barrel. In 1870, George Garvin Brown, a young pharmaceuticals salesman in Louisville, Kentucky, saw the need for a consistently high-quality whiskey that met medicinal standards. With $5,500 in saved and borrowed money, Brown and his half brother started J.T.S. Brown and Bro. They sold Old Forester Bourbon Whiskey exclusively in sealed glass bottles to assure its quality, making it America's first bottled bourbon.

Whisky writer, Jim Murray considers the Old Forester brand synonymous with "...fabulous quality".

Tasting note: [43% bottling tasted.] Deep brass / copper. Toasted marshmallow is the recurring theme on the nose with intermittent flashes of shellac, vanilla wafer and then drier, minty rye notes entering late. Good balance and weight with semi sweet and slightly oily flavours including liquorice bullets, glace cherry and vanilla wafer biscuit before light, peppery rye and the drying oak kicks in. Solid, youthful Bourbon.

Other reviews... This tawny Bourbon has a rich, spiced scent reminiscent of fruitcake. On the palate, look for caramel studded with dried cherry, orange peel and clove, finishing quite dry. A great profile for classic cocktails, and not too precious to mix. 93 points
- www.wineenthusiast.com