Distillery: Brown-Forman Shively Distillery
Proof: 100
Age: No age statement
Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Price: ~$55
Company
Brown-Forman is the company behind Old Forester, Woodford Reserve, and Jack Daniel’s (quite the portfolio). Old Forester is produced at the Brown-Forman Shively Distillery.
Production
This is the second expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row Series. The bottle states that OF 1897 is a small batch craft expression that’s presented in a lightly filtered old style (reminiscent of 19th century bourbon).
The name (1897) is in honor of the year the Bottled-in-Bond act was passed.
Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond Review: Flavor Profile
Nose
Heavy, rich caramel with light hints of vanilla, oak, rye, toffee, apple, and a touch of ethanol. The nose makes you super curious to see what this pour will taste like. It almost makes you think it’ll be a touch too sweet.
| Inspector’s Score | Insider’s Score | Average Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.75/5 |
Palate
Switches to vanilla dominant (as compared to caramel dominant on the nose) with notes of dark fruit and oak. This sip is lively with a good bit of spice, but it’s not out of control because the sweetness generally balances it.
| Inspector’s Score | Insider’s Score | Average Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
Finish
Long and spicy with oak, leather, and a touch of vanilla. This is a very balanced finish that has just enough sweetness to counter the spice and oakiness.
| Inspector’s Score | Insider’s Score | Average Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3.75/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.625/5 |
Value
At $55, Old Forester 1897 is just an average to slightly below average value.
It’s a unique pour that’s on the sweeter side and has a lot of different flavors from the nose to finish, but it doesn’t particularly stand out as an exceptional bourbon. And $50+ bottles of bourbon need to be really good.
That being said, it’s not worth passing over completely. Grabbing a bottle isn’t a bad decision, but it’s not something that particularly deserves a permanent spot on your shelf.
| Inspector’s Score | Insider’s Score | Average Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 |
Old Forester 1897 Review…The Verdict
Verdict – 3.34/4
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 4.25 – 5
- Gold – 3.25 – 4.24
- Silver – 2.75 – 3.24
- Bronze – <2.75
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.