Old Forester 1924 10-Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $140

- 100 Proof

- 10 Years

- Kentucky

I was very excited to hear about the new release coming from Old Forester. Not only was this new release going to carry an age statement, and a decent one at that at 10 years, but it was also going to feature a new mashbill from a distillery that I love. Add in that it's 100 proof, and it had pretty much everything I'd look for in a new release . . .

Except for the price.  This bottle carries a fairly steep price tag of $140, which in my mine is significantly more than it should be. I realize that limited releases and age stated bottles are carrying a premium these days, and I can certainly find comps in the same price range. But, at the same time, there are also comps that are significantly less (Weller 12 year and Henry McKenna, for example).  So this price tag was a hard pill to swallow, particularly since it features a new mashbill and carries with it a certain level of the unknown. 

The nose came off immediately as sweet. I got sweet caramel, like caramel apple caramel, along with a red hots type of cinnamon note.  There was an undercurrent of vanilla bean as well as a slight woody note, though not necessarily oak. It was lighter, perhaps more like a cedar, or even just a sawdust note.

The flavor follows the nose, at least in its sweetness.  This is definitely on the sweet side of the sweet vs. spicy spectrum. The caramel came across as less sugary, however, and more like that soft, buttery caramel that I love. 

It also came across at a bit fruiter than expected. There was something bright and berry-like to it, kind of like a raspberry, but yet not quite. Perhaps a mix of raspberry and currant. That was all complemented by a significant brown sugar note that seemed to develop more and more with each pour. There was also that undercurrent of vanilla bean that I got on the nose, which really worked well with the brown sugar and berry notes. 

That brown sugar that seemed to keep developing over time also seemed to dominate the finish. The fruity notes were nowhere to be found, and what little spice was here was gone almost as quickly as it came. I was instead left with a sweet, sugary finish that, quite frankly, needed something more.

Overall, this is a good bourbon, but I don't believe it's worth the price tag. I realize that some of the other options mentioned above are harder to find these days, but this isn't exactly a readily available bottle either. So, it'd probably be worth it just to keep hunting out those other, lower priced "comps."

Grade: B