1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review

I found this 1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon on a dusty hunt 5+ years ago. When I got home I checked the bottom for a glass date code and saw an 81. It immediately went to a specific shelf in my whiskey bunker. A shelf with a set expiration date.

On this shelf it sat next to the 1981 Brora and the 1981 North Port I recently reviewed. Over the years it would be joined by a couple of 1981 Armagnacs and eventually they would all get opened in March 2021. Opened to celebrate that I’ve managed to go around the sun 40 times on this hunk of rock hurtling through space. This is another, and the last, birth-year bottle review.

1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Style: Bourbon (Straight)
Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Old Forester
Mash Bill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Cask (x2)
Age: 4 Years
ABV: 43%

Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller

White background tasting shot with the 1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“Created in 1870, Old Forester is the only bourbon continuously distilled and marketed by the founding family before, during and after Prohibition.” – Old Forester

1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Tasting Notes

EYE
Amber

NOSE
OBE, baking spice, rich caramel and vanilla, oak, baked apples, buttery toffee, cereal grain sweetness and a bit of chocolate, copper and leather.

There are current 8+ yo whiskeys bottled at higher proof that don’t smell this good. Damn.

PALATE
OBE, caramel coffee syrup, corn syrup, vanilla frosting, cocoa powder, menthol, oak and a nutty char with a touch of floral notes and copper.

Palate of this bourbon takes a bit of a dive compared to the aroma, but all-in-all, it’s still fun and tasty.

FINISH
Medium -> Warm fade of cocoa, oak and spice.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a soft, easy feel.

1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Overall Thoughts and Score

The aroma of this thing is just fantastic. If the palate kept pace this would have been a dynamite whiskey, a true show stopper. As is, it’s still a nice taste of history and paints a picture of what the past was like. This will be important in the coming days as we take a critical reviewing eye, nose and tongue to the current Old Forest line… that sounds dirtier than I meant it to, but you get the idea.

40 years ago, this is what our parents and grandparents, and even some great-grandparents were drinking. And that right there is why I love sipping on dusty whiskeys like this 1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon. It’s a glimpse into a time I never experienced despite living through it (being the year I was born and all); dusties like these are quite possibly the closest to time travel we’ll ever get to experience.

SCORE: 3/5

1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Label

1981 Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review $NA

Summary

This is a fun and interesting bourbon to try. It’s educational to see the evolution of a brand over the years and know what it was to compare it to what it is now.