Old Forester Rye Whiskey 750ml

Old Forester was founded in Louisville in 1870 by George Garvin Brown, credited with introducing the first bourbon ever sold exclusively in sealed glass bottles. The Brown family, now in its fifth generation of ownership, has kept the brand running continuously since its founding, a rare distinction in American whiskey. In 2019, nearly 150 years after that first bottling, Brown-Forman introduced Old Forester Rye, the company's first new mash bill in a century and a half, developed by Master Distiller Chris Morris and Master Taster Jackie Zykan.

The recipe draws on Normandy Rye, a heritage brand Brown-Forman acquired in 1940, and calls for an unusually high proportion of malted barley alongside rye and corn, at roughly 65 percent rye, 20 percent malted barley, and 15 percent corn. That heavy malt content allows for fully natural fermentation using the distillery's proprietary yeast strain, without relying on the added enzymes many high-rye whiskeys require. The whiskey is distilled on the same stills as Old Forester's bourbon, aged a minimum of four years in the company's heat-cycled warehouses, and bottled at 100 proof.

The nose brings brown sugar, floral notes, and citrus zest layered with black pepper and a touch of mint. On the palate, cinnamon and allspice lead into baked bread and banana, with a faint trace of chocolate rounding things out. The finish is medium in length, closing on warm spice and a lingering herbal note.