Old Forester is just the thing for those who want to enjoy a distinctly sweet, full-bodied bourbon after a year that’s been, for most of us, anything but sweet. Its pronounced smoothness makes it very easy to drink, and it’s a stand-out for its creamy, soft mouth feel. It’s a great choice for bourbon lovers who prize richness over complexity, offering a solid character, marked vanilla and caramel notes and an attractive price. After the year we’ve had, sipping a tumbler of Old Forester is as comforting as a cozy blanket in front of the fireplace.
Old Forester 86 proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon is produced by Brown-Forman in Kentucky with a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley (the same as Woodford Reserve) and it is 4 years old. It looks traditional in its time-honored long-necked one-liter bottle and there’s a reason for that: Old Forester claims to be the first bottled bourbon, having been bottled continually for 150 years since it was founded by a former pharmaceutical salesman, George Garvin Brown, (the great-grandfather of the brand’s current president). In order to prevent tampering and to ensure consistency and quality, the original Brown started sealing all his bourbon in glass bottles and in 1920 when Prohibition lowered the boom, Old Forester was able to barrel right through restrictions as one of a select few bourbons permitted to sell in pharmacies. It’s the only one still in business.
That’s some good medicine for times like these.
By Barbara Chapman, La Bourbonessa
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