So I mentioned sometime back I wasn't going to talk about independent bottlings, because maybe you can get it, and maybe you can't. And if you can't, what a dick I'd be for writing about something that's gone or unobtainable by the time you got to it.
Let me bend the rules a little bit. While Old Forester had landed on my radar as the standard version that was generally pretty damn good, I ended up going a little upmarket and buying a single bottle version that was picked out by a very knowledgeable liquor merchant here in Hollywood, California. And Oh. My. God.
The takeaway as far as this site goes is that the Old Forester label is more than certainly capable of outdoing itself, and has stores of excellent hooch in its Kentucky warehouses. Thus began my curiosity of seeing what else was on commercial store shelves. I was quickly surprised by how many extensions the brand had, including not only the nigh-unobtainable “Birthday Bourbon,” but also a 100-proof version, a ready-made mint julep, and four different variations named after different years to track how the style changed over the years of production. What wonderful geekery!
“I was pleasantly surprised by the nuance the Old Forester 1920 offered at different ABVs. Add water, and it’s like three different bourbons in one bottle.”
By chance, I picked the 1920 “Prohibition Edition.” The deal here is that in order to be declared as “medicinal use,” the proof had to be in excess of 110. This one clocks in at 115, or 57.5% ABV. That's a lot of ABV. That makes the $55 asking price of the 1920 placed in a little more perspective. You're paying more, yes, but you're also getting about 44% more alcohol than an 80-proof bottle.
So now's as good of a time as any to discuss the strength of nearly 60% alcohol by volume. You can drink it straight. If you take small sips and really, really take your time with it. Otherwise it's going to just obliterate your tastebuds and singe your throat if you throw a shot of it back like a woo-girl downs Patron silver. So maybe don't do that.
What's nuts about the 1920 is that this bottle is a study in how a bourbon can completely morph with water. I mentioned you can have it at max volume. If so, it's an oak show with black pepper. I lose a lot of nuance because it's just a lot for the tastebuds to handle, but I was surprised how much butterscotch came through.
With a little splash of water, it was interesting to taste lemon and mint emerge. Most likely, this was somewhere in the 50% ABV range, and I found it refreshing at this level. However, my preference was to get it somewhere within the 40~45% range (how I prefer summertime bourbon, and pouring it on the rocks is a great way to tame the proof). Here, the sweetness opens up a little more, and I was happy to find that a lot of buttery, nutty goodness emerged, along with some bitter cocoa in the development. That's the ticket!
Although the experience in the middle is highly variable, it’s interesting that it begins and ends with some consistent elements regardless of how much water you choose to add. The aroma is great at any ABV you choose to drink the bourbon, with that telltale Old Forester cherry quality along with corn, campfire, old wood, and some intriguing fennel and bubble gum that reminded me of an Irish whiskey. Odd, but good! Closing out the affair is a dry finish with ample corn, earth, and charcoal.
All in all, I think the 1920 can go toe to toe with some of the better-known stalwarts that roam the $45-$60 price point like Booker's, Blanton's, Michter's, and Russel's Reserve. It might not be the absolute best bourbon for someone to launch into who's looking to cut their teeth on bourbon, people who are primarily “value” drinkers (in which case Old Granddad Bonded remains my pick), and I don't know if it has the chops to impress those who drink only bourbon, of which there are many.
Me? I was pleasantly surprised by the nuance the 1920 offered at different ABV levels. Putting on my “critical drinker” hat revealed some shortcomings, but let me tell you: there was a lot of this poured over ice (with an extra splash of water). It was always good, and the generous proof made it last for quite some time. I'd undoubtedly pick up another.
