The Knife and Fork

One man's opinion on cooking (and drinking)

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Happy Birthday Old Forester

A couple years back I purchased a bottle of bourbon from a large beverage store that I will refer to as RevHo to protect their anonymity. I wanted to try something different so I asked the gaggle of employees at the register if anyone had any knowledge of bourbon and could give me some advice. Not a single employee looked old enough to purchase alcohol legally so I was immediately pessimistic, and with good reason. A peach fuzzed kid accompanied me to the whiskey section and quickly it became clear that I knew more about bourbon when I was 17 than this squirt. I thanked him for his "help" and decided on Old Forester's Signature Bourbon for about $20. Over the course of the next year I would dip into the bottle but never really enjoyed it. Finally I decided that I should let the company know because perhaps I got a flawed bottle.

Old Forester Signature - A screw cap and mediocre flavor pushed me to complain
To make a long story short, I e-mailed Old Forester and they were very courteous and compensated me without me requesting it (btw, RevHo never responded to my e-mail). While researching the company I had noticed their "Birthday Bourbon" on their site and was intrigued. It is a limited annual release bourbon that had some nice reviews from independent websites (for more info see: http://www.oldforester.com/better/birthday.aspx). I put my name in at a good liquor store near my parents' house, realizing my rural community would probably never get an allocation, and was pleased to get a call in January informing me that my bourbon had arrived. On a recent trip my parents brought the bottle with them and we enjoyed a tipple before dinner. Here is my tasting report: A refined, classy bourbon. It's not thick and sweet like some of my favorite bourbons but more restrained, almost like a good rye. Perhaps this is due to its more modest 94 proof than the flamethrowers like Old Grand Dad 114 and Booker's (approx. 126). It actually tasted much better a day after I opened it than the first night. I got distinct toffee notes with secondary notes of apple, spice, vanilla, leather and wood. It's not as syrupy as some other rich bourbons but it's smooth and has complexity, like an old world wine. Overall I'd say it's a very nice bourbon. My parents paid $33 for it and at that price I'd say it's worth it if you want a sophisticated sipper. Of course there are several other attractive offerings in that price range. They presented this bottle to me as a birthday gift so not only is it truly a Birthday Bourbon but it was definitely worth the price. Attractive "I Dream of Jeannie" bottle and a classy bourbon turned me around on Old Forester.

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