Old Forester Just Dropped a New Bourbon Finished in Scotch Casks
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Old Forester might be a Kentucky bourbon institution, but its roots can be traced back to Scotland via its founder George Garvin Brown. To celebrate that Gaelic heritage, the distillery has released a new bourbon finished in scotch casks as part of its limited-edition 117 Series.
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Old Forester, which is owned by Jack Daniel’s parent company Brown-Forman, is known for its high-quality yet affordable core lineup of bourbon and rye whiskey. But the Kentucky distillery also has some higher-end expressions available, of which the best known is the annual whiskey collector’s favorite, Birthday Bourbon. The 117 Series has been around since 2021, and previous expressions have included new iterations of the distillery’s bourbon like High Angels’ Share, Whiskey Row Fire, and Extra Extra Old. Scotch Cask Finish takes things in a new direction by giving the bourbon a secondary maturation in sherry and wine barrels sourced from the Speyside region of Scotland. The exact distillery is not revealed, but given that Brown-Forman also owns Benriach, a Speyside single malt distillery that ages its whisky in many different cask types, that’s a possible source.
“This release is special to the family history our brand was built on,” said Old Forester master taster Melissa Rift in a statement. “We‘ve been creating top-quality, rare and innovative expressions for 150 years, and this scotch whiskey captures our founder’s spirit in another rich and smooth liquid, which I recommend serving neat.” According to the brand, this particular cask finish highlights Old Forester’s fruity character from the proprietary yeast used during fermentation. Official tasting notes for this 93 proof bourbon include baked apples, dried fruits, and notes of toffee, cinnamon, and chocolate on the palate, along with some toasted almond and smoky char.
Old Forester 117 Series: Scotch Cask Finish (SRP $60) is available now at the distillery’s retail shop and locations around Kentucky. Keep an eye on secondary retailers if you’re not planning on visiting the Bluegrass State anytime soon, but based on past releases the price will likely have gone way up. You can also find the rest of the Old Forester lineup at ReserveBar.
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