Old Forester Continues 117 Series With Bottled In Bond Bourbon
The latest Old Forester 117 Series release is a Bottled in Bond bourbon.
On Monday, Kentucky whiskey producer Old Forester announced the latest release in its 117 series: Bottled in Bond.
This isn’t the first Bottled in Bond whiskey Old Forester has released, but it is the most well-aged. While the brand isn’t labeling the bottle with an exact age statement, it has revealed that the new 117 whiskey is bottled from barrels filled during spring 2014, which gives us an idea of its age: nine years.
Like all Bottled in Bond whiskeys, this release is made at a single distillery, aged at least four years in oak barrels in a federally bonded warehouse and bottled at exactly 100 proof.
Read More: What Does Bottled in Bond Mean?
“Because [a Bottled in Bond whiskey] only has to be a minimum of four years old, I think because of that a lot of people assume bonded products are in that four to six year range,” Old Forester Master Taster Melissa Rift told Whiskey Raiders. “And so this is kind of saying, ‘Hey, a bonded product can meet all those requirements, but it can be a higher age statement.’ It can have really rich and really developed flavors. So that’s kind of what excites me about this one.”
The Bottled in Bond whiskey is distilled from Old Forester’s standard bourbon mashbill: 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley.
Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond will be available starting Tuesday at the retail shop at Old Forester Distilling Co. and in select states for $59.99 in limited quantities – and at select Kentucky stores.
While Old Forester doesn’t disclose how much of its 117 Series whiskeys it produces, Rift told us that the small-batch release is composed of between 20 and 30 barrels.
“I think that everybody’s going to be pretty blown away the flavor it presents,” Rift said.
Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Tasting Notes, Via the Brand
To read our official review and tasting notes, click here. In the meantime, here are Old Forester’s tasting notes:
Nose: Confectionary notes of stewed blackberries, caramelized apricot and sweet dates rounded out by a sweet nuttiness and topped with whipped crea
Taste: Rich medley of caramelized fruits with a subtle hint of spearmint
Finish: Dried fruits give way to heavy cream with an herbal tea finish
About the Old Forester 117 Series
The 117 series debuted in spring 2021. This is the eighth series in the line and the third since Rift joined the company in October, replacing Jackie Zykan.
Rift divides Old Forester’s whiskeys into two categories: core and craft. Consistency is the goal with the core offerings; Old Forester wants to ensure fans of its whiskey all over the world receive a reliable pour every time they purchase a bottle or order a glass at a restaurant or bar.
Old Forester’s craft whiskeys, like those in the 117 series, however, are an opportunity for the distillery to get creative and innovative.
“Where we get to kind of flex that muscle is with the 117 series,” Rift said. “And sometimes it’s completely unique, you know, new experimental iterations. But sometimes it’s … honing in on one specific part of flavor development and really featuring that in a super, super, super small batch or really niche way.”
The series’ name is an ode to 117 Main Street, the address of Old Forester’s home on Whiskey Row in Louisville.
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