As I write this, it's Groundhog Day. And whether you are sick of what the government is doing or just sick of everyone complaining about it, I think it is safe to say that we are all starting to feel a little like Bill Murry in the film of the same name. Every day it's the same damn stuff.
That's about as political as I will get right now, but I think it's safe to say that we could all use a drink and that turning our gaze back in time wouldn't be out of the question either.
Enter Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Bourbon. 1920 is the latest expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row series. As with the previous releases, it is formulated to be, at least a bit, like the bourbons that would have been available in the year it's named after.
In this case, it is proofed to 115 proof, a typical Old Forester barrel strength of the time. Now, you wouldn't have been able to get bourbon at that proof if you were just Joe Nobody on the street, but if you knew someone who knew someone, you might be able to get your hands on a little straight-from-the-barrel bourbon. And if that somebody knew somebody at Old Forester, it might have been just about this proof.
So as we turn our gaze back to what is in our glass today, how is it?
Old Forester 1920 - Prohibition Style
Purchase info: $53.99 for a 750 mL at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Details: 57.5% ABV
Nose: Fruit, leather, brown sugar oak and a light mintiness.
Mouth: Sweet honey, mint, oak, black pepper, baking spices, bubblegum, and leather.
Finish: Spicy, long and warm with lingering bubblegum, fruit, and baking spices.
Thoughts: I think that this is probably the best bourbon Brown-Forman produces. And easily was one of my favorite releases of 2016. It is an amazingly well-balanced bourbon, and I can find no faults with it. I love this. I think it is nearly perfect. It has everything I want in a bourbon: sweetness, richness, and spiciness. Plus it is very drinkable neat even at 115 proof...well maybe that is a fault. I'm kidding, but only a little.
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