Old Forester 1924 Bourbon Review
Old Forester’s longstanding mashbill is 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. But the mashbill chosen for 1924 is 79% corn, 11% rye and 10% malted barley. It also was fermented with a unique yeast strain.
Old Forester’s longstanding mashbill is 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. But the mashbill chosen for 1924 is 79% corn, 11% rye and 10% malted barley. It also was fermented with a unique yeast strain.
What’s most intriguing about this bourbon is its lack of sweetness. A glance at the mash bill shows it’s limited to 51% corn, which explains a lot of it since it’s roughly 25% lower than most bourbons on the market. I can’t decide whether I like that reduced sweetness, but it’s got my attention.
This is a nice tequila for the price and arguably the best liquid from Impulsora Rombo.
I’ve never been a fan of the children’s vitamin note common to whiskeys made there, and I assumed this would bring more of the same. It didn’t. This is a delicious whiskey with unique virtues appreciated in its aromas and flavors.
Perhaps the big question for most is whether the whiskey is noticeably influenced by its journey to and rest in England. For me, at least, the answer is no. It tastes like a 6-year-old bourbon should–like any bourbon aged here for six years would taste.
The nose leads with sorghum molasses, raspberry tart, dark fired tobacco, glove leather, creamed corn, soda bread, macadamia nuts, chocolate graham cracker. Yeah, all that and more.
A single sip shows off its super-soft mouthfeel, and as always, this whiskey is precision balanced with no single flavor rushing to the fore. Soon enough, though, toasted oak emerges arm and arm with candied cherry, sugar maple candy and graham cracker.
The nose is huge, leading with that unmistakable Brown-Forman yeast note that’s fruity, candied, floral and tropical. Browned biscuits, cinnamon, dark chocolate (yeah, it flirts with Mexican hot chocolate), confectioner’s sugar, old oak and licorice.
The result in Winter Blend 2023 is the still-strength blanco is nearly outgunned by all the varied wood influences. Francavilla has made a blend that’s undeniably Fortaleza, but in the glass, there’s a lot going on that keeps it from becoming a unified whole.
Loads of tropical fruit and lilac lead on the nose followed by orange lemon zests and a hint of dried grain. The deeply toasted oak reminds you that a 13-year-old bourbon makes up the bulk of this blend.