This is a bottled in bond release from Brown Forman in their vintage dated line of expressions. They dont say a lot about it, so I am curious if this differes significantly from Old Forester Signature.
Overall, this is a well-balanced bourbon with some complexity and an overall approachable character. There’s nothing unexpected here, which, it could be argued, is the whole point of the bonded label.
While the 1897 bottling may live in the shadow of some of the other Whiskey Row labels, it is a good whiskey in its own right. This pour is a downright classic bourbon profile plus some classic Brown-Forman banana, which is a good thing for me, but maybe a deal-breaker for others.
Again, not bad, but definitely not remarkable. I prefer Old Forester Signature over this, as I think it has a bit more age despite all of the marketing going on here. This was rough and young tasting, for sure.
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House Review
Nose:
Honey, caramel, bananas, faint oak. Not super rich, but not flat, either. This also smells young and fruity - musty and really loaded with banana bread notes.
Taste:
Young and musty. Wet cardboard. Honey, brown sugar. Some pepper and tobacco. Lots of signature Old Forester banana. Good mouth feel, but a good bit of heat is the cost.
Finish:
Short, no real heat. Brown sugar, faint oak, some pepper and then its gone.
Overall:
Again, not bad, but definitely not remarkable. I prefer Old Forester Signature over this, as I think it has a bit more age despite all of the marketing going on here. This was rough and young tasting, for sure.
Score:
75
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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