Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2018

Look: Nice amber color, alcohol legs, lacing the whole shabang Nose: bananas, before I even get into the glass, I get bananas. Then a perfumey rye but also slightly rubbing alcohol. At one point it smelled like original old spice. Some more sweetness with swirling. The alcohol smell gives more of a fruit and nut combo. Palate: what a strange initial flavor, I’m not even sure what that is. Like a mix of banana nuts and dark fruits. As the whiskey sits on the tongue I get more if that perfume rye like flavors popping up and some oak. Then some more banana. Finish: Banana flavors with oak, medium bitterness and lingering flavor. Slight heat, nothing crazy. Overall: I can’t say I’m crazy over this whiskey, definitely more unique with the fruity aspects I’m getting and some nuttiness, but it just doesn’t sit right with me. With water: a little more spice on the nose with the bananas and alcohol dissipating, slight maple (maybe the power of suggestion). Palate is similar but less potent, the bitterness and alcohol presence gets sanded down giving that maple flavor. Worth trying, probably not a bottle purchase for the price it commands though.

Tasted this 2 ways: - Full Proof straight out of the bottle - Lower Proof with a few drops of H20 ...Full Proof... On the nose: Sweet Cherry, almond, and vanilla - almost like an alcoholic cherry cordial candy. Alcohol comes through at 110 proof but isn’t overwhelming. First taste: Charred oak, alcohol and deep complexities that hit you VERY fast. Bitter chocolate, deep cherry, thick slice and smoke come along once the alcohol has burned off a bit. Finish: Wow...this just lingers in your mouth and finishes incredibly complex. Like an earl grey tea with honey and smoke...maybe even a little lemon. Cherry and malt round things out. ...A few drops of water... On the nose: More almond, vanilla and sweet oak. Less cherry. Taste: Beautifully opens up at a lower Proof and the flavors unfold slower. Baking spices, cherry, toasted oak, bread, and sweet malt. Finish: Still amazed at how long this lingers. At a lower Proof, it definitely finishes sweeter and more on the toasty malt side with a deep cherry coating of your entire mouth.

Nose-Raspberries, cherry cobbler, blackberries, caramel, charred oak, lemon Palate- Berries, sweet cherries tossed in sugar, salted caramel, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, spice, lemon Finish- long and creamy mouthfeel with notes of spice and mouthwatering cherry cobbler Absolutely lovely. Incredibly complex, delicious flavors and one of the greatest noses on a bourbon i’ve ever had. Every time I drink it I find new flavors and complexity. Cherry cobbler best describes the nose and palate on this one. Absolutely worth it for MSRP. One of the rarer whiskies that may even be worth secondary as well.

Note: apricot, very fruity from far away, vanilla, orange, magic marker(?), almond, cherry and oak Body: thin, light, easy Palate: light on spice and oranges Finish: delayed warmth and interesting but not complex. Note: I really wanted to love this one but in the end it was easy to drink and simple. I do very much like it but perhaps not robust enough or distinctive enough to get into the love it collection. But I would buy this.

The opening nose is the best OF has produced of late with sweet cherries. The mid palate is fantastic with the faintest hint of banana and the mouth feel is where the money is made. A very buttery coating of the mouth. The finish lingers long with tasty stone fruits. Absolute winner with the higher proof this year.!

It’s good. Not great. I tasted in a blind and ranked it 5 out of 6. Get light fruit notes on the nose. It has a light mouth feel. Drinks easy. The finish is where this one shines. Lasts a long time for this proof of bourbon. Initial apricot with back end spice. Not sure this one is worth the price or hype.