Oh Taste & See: Old Forester Bourbon

Old Forester is one of the oldest names in the world of bourbon, but until recently it wasn't widely available here in Pennsylvania. Recently though I started seeing it on shelves at the state stores, and at $18.99 it seemed like it might be a good deal so I picked up a bottle. It's a rye-heavy bourbon, probably 4 to 5 years old, and bottled at 86 proof. Unfortunately when I started drinking it I was a bit disappointed. I can certainly recommend bourbons that I like better in the same price range - Four Roses and Buffalo Trace for example.

Old Forester is made in Louisville by Brown Forman, and I have to say I like their other value-price bourbon - Early Times 354 - a lot better, although it still isn't widely available nationwide. I have met people who swear by Old Forester, and it seems to work fine as a mixer, so maybe I'm being too hard on it. I will also say that I tried the latest Old Forester Birthday Bourbon a few weeks ago at Time and it was very nice - rich, fruity, and packing a nice punch without being too boozy, but that's a true premium bourbon at double the price. In any case, my notes on Old Forester are below.

Color: Old Forester is standard young-bourbon color - medium-to-dark golden brown with a light, thin look as you swirl it in the glass.

Nose: The main element on the nose is ethanol - a boozy character that doesn't fade away at all until you add ice or water. It's an overall clean nose with just a hint of grain silo dust and charcoal. Adding ice cools down the ethanol, but also hides the other aromas leaving a flat nose.

Flavor: The main flavor element is heat and spice, both the burn of harsh alcohols and the peppery spice of rye, showing up mainly in the back of the mouth. Up front this bourbon is flat and lacks any distinct flavors. Adding ice brings out a bit of earthy funk that I didn't really like.

Finish: The finish has some hope with a medium-length, spicy fade-out with a just a bit of burn in the throat. While some 100 proof bourbons can be easy sippers, this one manages to be harsh and overly boozy at just 86 proof.

It's Mint Julep Time Again

Tomorrow is Kentucky Derby Day, the one day a year when you just must drink bourbon, most likely in the form of a mint julep. Last year I gave you my go-to mint julep recipe which you can check out here. That recipe makes an awesome drink, but it's also a bit complicated, especially if you're trying to make juleps for a whole party full of people who are all drinking like racehorses.

So this year, I offer a simple, more scalable recipe for a quick, easy, and awesomely refreshing Mint Julep. You can use this same recipe to make one mint julep or fifty, and it should be quick and easy either way so have fun with it.

You'll need:
1. Bourbon. I'm going to use the new Early Times 354 Bourbon this year. Early Times Kentucky Whiskey is what they use at Churchill Downs for their standard mint juleps, but now that ET is selling an honest to goodness bourbon in the U.S. why not use that? It's affordable and pretty tasty to boot!
2. Ice - lots of it.
3. Mint - leaves, fresh, cleaned...picked from your garden if possible.
4. Simple syrup - boil 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water until dissolved, refrigerate until you need it.

Put the mint and the ice in a blender, blend until it has a nice snow-cone consistency. Fill your glasses (6-8 oz. old fashioned glasses are perfect) about 2/3 full with the blended ice/mint mixture. Pour in a couple ounces of bourbon and a dash of simple syrup. If you have a few mint sprigs left over use them for garnish. Enjoy while watching the Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports!

Interesting Developments from the Big Boys of Whiskey

There have been a few interesting announcements from some of the big Kentucky-based distillers over the past few weeks. First came news that the Early Times name would be returning to the American bourbon bottles. For the past 30 years Brown Forman has produced Early Times Bourbon for overseas market, but limited the brand to the "Kentucky Whiskey" label in the U.S., the distinction being that the Kentucky Whiskey product spent some time in previously-used barrels, a no-no for bourbons. The new U.S. market Early Times Bourbon will be called Early Times 354 in reference to the Early Times distillery's original distilling license number. It is being launched first in select markets, and is competing in the $15-$20 price range. I'm not a huge fan of Early Times Kentucky Whiskey, but I'm hopeful that the bourbon will be an improvement and I look forward to sampling it.

The next piece of interesting news also comes from Brown Forman. The company is launching a new Canadian whisky to be called Collingwood. It's coming to market in four states (KY, FL, LA, and TX) in February with a target price of $26.99. After maturing in oak this whisky will be finished in maple wood, and Brown Forman claims it will be the only maple-finished Canadian whisky on the market. I think the increase in more distinctive Canadian whisky bottlings is a great development, and I look forward to comparing Collingwood with Forty Creek and Pendleton, two surprisingly good Canadian products that have come out in the past few years.


Finally, it's not a new product, but Old Pogue Bourbon is looking for a new home. To be more accurate the Pogue family is looking to move production back to its original home in Maysville, KY. Old Pogue, a Heaven Hill brand, is currently distilled in Bardstown, KY, but if everything goes according to plan Old Pogue could be made in Maysville starting in as little as one year. The town in Northeastern Kentucky is where the Pogue family originally began distilling in 1876.