Old Forester 1870 Original Batch

It feels like ages since I last posted a review. Part of that is that after the holidays, I'm cutting back a bit. It's not a New Year's Resolution, just a post-holiday preference. There's a lot of drinking during the holiday season, Thanksgiving, and football season in general. I try to compensate now. Last Friday, I visited the liquor store just to browse, and they had a discount on the Old Forester Whisky Row collection. The only one available was this one, the 1870. I naturally grabbed more than one coupon, thinking I'd keep them handy and look for the other three varieties sold in my area. I've only had the 1870 once before, about five years ago, and I generally enjoy Old Forester's products. Their 100 Proof Rye and Bourbon are both reliable staples, and the 1920 is an excellent high-proof, high-rye bourbon under $60. Old Forester 86 used to be my go-to when I was just starting out with bourbon, and while revisiting it confirmed it's no longer my favorite, trying the 1870 this time proved much more enjoyable. To be fair, the first time I tasted the 1870, my reference point for Old Forester was the 86 proof, so without having tried other higher-quality bourbons, it seemed like the best thing I'd ever tasted. I bought it on sale for around $25, and I liked the bottle's design, with the 1870 printed diagonally on the label. Buying it again now was mostly out of curiosity. Having tried the 1920, I expected not to be as impressed with the 1870 this time, yet sometimes you don't want a 115 proof spirit, and a 90 proof bourbon can be just right. This one fits the bill. It's not exceptionally complex. In fact, I wouldn't call it complex at all. On the nose, you detect vanilla, oak, and cherry. The palate offers, you guessed it, the same. The finish is short and primarily consists of baking spices. But honestly? For $39.99 MSRP (reduced to $34.99 with a $6.00 discount), you could do a lot worse. I'm not sure I'd purchase it again without a coupon, and as I mentioned, I plan to use the other coupons I took for the Whisky Row selections I haven't tried yet (1897, 1910) and perhaps another bottle of 1920. But I certainly don't regret this purchase. It's not a bad choice for a Friday night, relaxing at home after sledding with the kids during a snow day, with my wife cooking paninis in the kitchen and a roaring fire going. Sometimes, context is everything.

Old Forester often gets overlooked within the Brown-Forman selection. I thoroughly enjoyed their rye and am now making it a point to explore their bourbon offerings. First up is this 1870 Original Batch, which, as the name suggests, is their attempt at recreating the distillery's initial recipe. Note: This bottle predates the label change for Old Forester. It's the one with the diagonal print, indicating it was bottled at least a couple of years ago. Nose: Abundant cocoa, black pepper, black tea, and pipe tobacco. Toasted almond, macadamia, and walnut. Apple cider. Cola. Rye spice, cinnamon, white pepper, and oak. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, and gala apple. Brown sugar and toffee. A prominent dried apricot note. Golden raisin. Black cherry. Plain glazed doughnut. Finish: Brown sugar. Apple cider. Toasted almond and macadamia. Black cherry and dried apricot. Black tea and tobacco. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, white pepper, and oak. Moderately long finish, perhaps even a bit longer, which is impressive for 45% ABV. I'm off to a good start with the Old Forester range. To be fair, this isn't the most complex bourbon, but it's certainly not dull. It has some distinctive notes and is a smooth, easy-drinking pour. I believe it's a good entry point into this line. At $48, this was a worthwhile purchase for the value. I'm eager to discover what the rest of the line offers, especially since the intensity gradually increases from here. For this particular one, I rate it 4 out of 5.

I was anticipating trying this, being the final bottle from the whiskey row series. My first impression was underwhelming; it was quite thin with limited flavor. I've had it open for several weeks and decided to try it again. The aroma consists of oak, cinnamon, brown sugar, green apple, and a hint of banana. On the palate, it starts rather flat, with the mid-palate offering spice and oak, but not much else. The finish is reminiscent of a scotch with a touch of ginger and cereal grains. It's just not to my preference; I feel it falls short compared to the other whiskey row releases.

Aroma: Grapes, pear, and other fruits, caramel, some baking spices Palate: Vanilla is the star, accompanied by baking spices Finish: Brief, featuring more baking spices and a touch of mint A fruitier, sweeter rendition of Old Forester. It has the same light body as the 86 and 100 proof versions, but for me, it's a more polished, easy-drinking option and a definite step up from the introductory versions.

Not my preferred drink. I might use it in an old fashioned. The description on this app actually mentioned it was better for mixing. Nose: faint. Hints of fruit. Wood. Palate: thick. Tastes of fruit. I don't detect any oak or heat at all. Finish: absolutely no heat. Water?: no. It makes it even smoother.

Consider giving this a taste, maybe hold off until it's discounted (which is what I did). It's quite good. A selection of Old Forester's top barrels results in a pleasant surprise. Expect notes of brown sugar, vanilla, black cherry, and a pleasant spice from the rye. This was the least expensive of their premium releases. The price shown wasn't the discounted price.