Old Forester 117 Series, Rum Finish Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Old Forester Distillery
• MASH BILL: 72% Corn | 18% Rye | 10% Malted Barley
• AGE: Not stated, but likely 5 to 7 years
• YEAR: 2024
• PROOF: 95 (42.5% ABV)
• MSRP: $59.99 per 375ml bottle
• BUY ONLINE: This release is already gone from the gift shop and is narrowly available in Washington D.C., Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Dakota.

STEVE’S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Whiskey fans in general, especially Old Forester fans. Why them? To see if they agree with me.

WORTH THE PRICE: Not at all. This $60 half bottle, while pretty tasty, doesn’t distinguish itself as deserving of a high price.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bust. There are too many Old Forester products that are better than this and don’t cost as much.

OVERALL: All reviewers have their baseline favorite spirits, and one of mine is Old Forester Bourbon, particularly the Signature release. It’s a 100-proof bargain that’s hard to beat on cost, taste and versatility.

To my palate, it doesn’t benefit from a rum cask finish, which, I must admit, is puzzling. Usually, a bourbon as sturdy as Old Fo’ can shoulder other flavors, such as cocktail amendments, with admirable aplomb. Despite bitters or amari, you know Old Fo’ is in the drink, holding the drink together like a circus strongman with humans dangling from his neck and arms.

And yet a rum barrel, one of the most floral and light of all the finishing barrels out there, flits into the ring like Gorgeous George the wrestler and bosses this bourbon around before pinning it to the mat.

Outside of a faint tropical fruit note, the nose isn’t recognizable as Old Forester. I’ll be fair: Its aromas are solid: light and floral and slightly candied. Then, it moves to sherried notes like golden raisins, honey and baking spices. It smells more like briefly aged rum or charanda aged in a rum barrel–not bold bourbon aged in a meek rum barrel.

The palate is equally light and intriguing. Lemon meringue pie (with lots of crust) and white port wine elements nearly cast this as a funk-free rum or, at most, a reposado rum finished in a whiskey barrel. It’s like a puzzle that’s ever challenging. Even when you think you’ve finished the border, you keep nosing and tasting and identifying particular elements that make you think, “OK, I’m onto something now, I think I’m going figure out this whiskey.” Then you re-taste and realize that, like mistakenly linked puzzle pieces, those flavors and aromas never belonged together at all.

Credit Old Forester, a 154-year-old brand, for innovating with its one-off distillery-only offerings. But for me, innovation in whiskey fails at the point where the product’s house style is indiscernible. Old Forester hit that point with this rum cask finish. Though I know the Old Forester base whiskey well, I don’t think I could identify this in a blind tasting as that bourbon. 

BRAND NOTES

Old Forester releases its latest expression in the 117 Series: Rum Finish.

Historically, commercial trade on the Ohio River brought a variety of cask-aged spirits to the wharf behind Old Forester Distillery on Whiskey Row. This expression features the finishing of Old Forester in barrels that have matured rum for a minimum of four years, bringing notes of rich tropical fruit, coconut, and custard to the profile

Rum Finish is bottled at 95-proof in a 375 ml bottle. 

“By finishing our signature bourbon for approximately six months in these rum barrels, we have complimented and accentuated the sweet aromatics of Old Forester with hints of brown sugar and molasses, emboldening its rich character,” said Old Forester Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo. “Rum Finish provides a sweet addition to the series that whiskey aficionados–and rum drinkers–will love.”

TASTING NOTES:

• Nose:  Buttery toffee mingles with banana custard, coconut and fresh apple.
• Palate: Enters light and quickly expands with rich tropical fruit led by more banana, coconut & toffee supported by dry barrel spice and tannins.
• Finish:  Long, lazy and dry with a compelling dynamic of creaminess and spice surrounded by plenty of sweet fruit and red licorice.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.