Produced as a shelf stable release from Heaven Hill’s Old Forester line, whose decanter series is one of the foremost “FOMO” releases, the Old Forester 7 Year Bottled in Bond is released in two batches per year beginning in Spring 2025 – Spring (January-June) and Fall (July-December). It is made from a mash bill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley and is bottled at 100 proof in a smaller 700 ml bottle with a striking wood-topped natural cork. This batch was barreled in 2018 and aged in level three charred new American White Oak barrels.
This review is based on 11 months of separate notes-taking sessions all using Denver & Liely Bourbon glasses with varying aeration times.
COLOR: Dark amber; dark copper
AROMA PROFILE: Roasted sweet corn, honey, brown sugar, toffee, graham crackers, vanilla, baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), dried orange peel, cherries, and toasted oak.
PALATE: The flavor profile is quite sweet but is also balanced by oak tannins and barrel char that tempers it, though it remains sweet throughout the sip with more oak-forward notes closing it out – Honey and brown sugar-drizzled pie crust, rich baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom), black pepper, roasted sweet corn, black cherries and cherry skins, dried orange peel, dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and some tobacco leaf.
FINISH: 8-10 seconds; The flavors hang out for a good amount of time after swallowing a sip & make me want to take another sip.
MOUTHFEEL/VISCOSITY: Medium-long viscosity in the glass & coats the palate with a buttery/oily/creamy mouthfeel
VALUE: Well-priced and increasingly shelf stable wheated bourbon in one of the most unique bottle and cork designs out there, this is a very nice sipper and has proven very popular at multiple bottle shares.
ALWAYS ON SHELF/BUY AGAIN? Yes – I have several reserve bottles at the ready.
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