Old Forester 150th Anniversary

Each batch of Old Forester 150th Anniversary was summed up by Zykan in just a few words to set the tone for what drinkers can expect. Batch 1’s description is “fruit bomb,” and it is composed of 46 barrels. In a virtual tasting with media, Zykan described this batch as her personal favorite, citing its huge mouthfeel and depth of richness.

This definitely proves to be the most purely rich of the three batches, which will undoubtedly win it some fans among the whiskey geeks. The nose is very dark in nature, which becomes an operative word in this batch in general—it is all about dark flavors. There’s a lot of chocolate here, and dark fruit like black cherry, along with coffee and significant roastiness.

On the palate, this is deep caramel and very rich and syrupy in texture, segueing into char and smoke. The distillery describes it as the fruitiest of the three expressions, but it’s very dark fruit compote/jam, and reads as perhaps less purely fruity to me than the second batch. There’s slight mint/rye grain impressions on the back end, but this batch very much is a showcase for caramelized sugars, unctuous mouthfeel and dark, roasty flavors.

Find it here!