I think I’ll be changing my tune on Old Forester sooner than I thought. Overall, Brown-Forman is starting to take up more space on my shelf, with a few more Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof selections and…well, ok, it’s still mostly Jack Daniel’s special releases, but between this and the 117 Series High Angel’s Share release, the grand Old Forester is turning me into a believer.

The 150th Anniversary is three separate batches, all drawn from a curated selection of 150 casks (sense an easy marketing theme?). I haven’t had the chance to try batches 2 or 3, so I’ll have to go on Batch 1.

This thing is bananas. Banana nut muffins, to be exact. Spicy, alcoholic banana nut muffins with a chewy texture and a lovely maple note. It has that bitterness I often get from Old Forester products, but here it’s slight and helps to cut the sweetness of the vanillins and isoamyl acetate that, with the right maple backbone, could be too sweet. In other words, balanced.

Pulling back to the 30,000-foot view, with special releases like this I like to ask whether it’s “worthy” of its anniversary. After all, we’re talking about George Garvin Brown, one of the modern bourbon world’s godfathers, the first to put their whiskey in glass bottles (to signify quality) and founder of what would become Brown-Forman. Old Forester is also the longest continually-produced bourbon on the market, so there’s a lot of history live up to.

For me, the answer is yes. Flavor-wise, this is a great product that highlights the Brown-Forman profile (maybe even more than the Old Forester profile, if we’re being honest). It’s at an impressive proof point without being unbalanced.

On the specs, I do find it difficult to say it’s a $150 bottle, but in today’s world of scarcity - real or manufactured - maybe that number is more right than I’d like to admit. If the regular Old Forester is going for the $50-$60 range and the 117 Series can be a 350ml at $50 (so a $100 bottle at full-size), a one-time release of only 150 barrels at $150 isn’t bad.

Good luck to you if you can find all three batches - and let me know if you’re willing to part with an oz or two of Batches 2 and 3.

Old Forester 150th Anniversary Bourbon Batch 1 Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Origin: Old Forester Distilling Co.

Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

Proof: 125.6 (62.8% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: Kentucky

Old Forester 150th Anniversary Bourbon Batch 1 Whiskey Price: $150

Official Website

Old Forester 150th Anniversary Bourbon Batch 1 Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Russet-dark maple syrup. Thin rims and beady droplets.

Nose: Banana nut muffins. Light vanilla. No proof heat or oak. Some syrupy notes, definitely leaning to the sweeter side. Maple butter. Nose is quite good, like a JDBP plus some sweet oak.

Palate: Banana nut muffins again lead the way, then the proof explodes over the tongue. A touch of bitterness, perhaps from oak. Heat stays around as a tingle on the tongue and in the corners of my mouth. Starts sweeter then dries out. Mouthfeel is medium-to-light bodied, keeps the burn going. Velvety and textured.

Finish: Maple-y and returns banana nut muffins to the fore.

Overall: Very good to great - there’s an odd bitterness in the background, but still overall a great Old Forester product to me.

Final Rating: 7.2

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)