Old Forester Rye Whisky Review

This whiskey has been getting a lot of buzz lately. All over the web folks have been talking about how great it is and some have even sat down with Brown-Forman' master taster Jackie Zykan to gush about it. My curiosuity was digging into me, creating an itch that whiskey could scratch, so I reached out and got a sample of the Old Forester Rye Whisky to review.

This rye whisky is interesting for a few reasons. First off, they didn't wimp out and deliver a barely-legal 51-53% rye, they kicked it up to 65%. Secondly, instead of making corn the second highest grain in the mashbill they made it the malt which is coming in at a whopping 20%, leaving 15% corn.

Which makes sense, when you release your first new mashbill in 150 years you want to swing for the fences. The last point of interest is that it's bottled at 50%. All of these choices sound good on paper, but the real test is in the glass. Let's see how it all pans out in the rye whiskey review below.

Old Forester Rye Whisky Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In 1870, our founder George Garvin Brown revolutionized the industry by sealing Bourbon in a glass bottle for the first time. Five generations and nearly 150 years later, we are proud to introduce the first Kentucky Straight Rye Whisky from The First Bottled Bourbon.

Old Forester Rye Whisky Review: Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Kentucky, USA

Price: $23

Old Forester Rye Whisky Review: Tasting Notes

NOSE
Dried dark fruit, copper, herbal spice, brown sugar, oak, buttery toffee, chocolate Twizzlers and biscuity notes with some light floral soapy notes.

PALATE
Oak, spice, dried dark fruit, herbal, fresh biscuits, copper, char and bits of orange peel, menthol and vanilla.

FINISH
Medium -> Soap, caramel, spice, herbal, dark fruit and citrus.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, med-full body and a warm velvety feel.

Old Forester Rye Whisky Review: Overall and Score

I'm going to agree with the crowd on this one, It's a nice rye for sure. Aroma is bold and spicy with layers of sweet butted up against a big plank of oak. Palate moves the oak slab forward making it the thing that all the sweet and spicy notes balance out. The finish is a middle ground that picks up more of the fruity character.

I love the notes of brown sugar and herbal spice that weave their way through the Old Forester Rye Whisky and seem to draw out some buttery characteristics. The oak grounds this whiskey and serves as the balance point across everything. The one thing I'm not a fan of though is the floral soapy notes that show up. Thankfully they're light enough they don't ruin or dominate and it remains a tasty whiskey.

SCORE: 87/100 (B+)

*Disclosure: This Old Forester Rye Whisky was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.