Old Forester is a bourbon distiller, first and foremost. Founded in 1870, it didn’t release its first rye until nearly 150 years later, in 2019, using an old recipe from a now-defunct rye brand called Normandy rye (of 65% rye, 20% malted barley, and 15% corn) that it had acquired in 1940. Over the years, the Old Forester rye portfolio has seen the additions of cask strength and single barrel versions, but the distillery had never tried its hand at a bottled in bond (BIB) version—until now.
The BIB rye is part of Old Forester’s 117 Series, which gets its name from Old Forester’s former address of 117 West Main Street in Louisville, where it did business from 1892 to 1919, right next door to Old Forester’s current Whiskey Row venue, which is at number 119. (The majority of Old Forester’s whiskey today is produced at the much larger distillery on Dixie Highway in Louisville.)
This new bonded rye is in keeping with the original brief of 117 Series, which is to showcase the distillery’s creative and experimental side. The first offering came in 2021 with the 117 Series: High Angel’s Share, which featured barrels with unusually high evaporation rates. The series has since seen expressions mostly focused on maturation, showcasing interesting finishing casks (like scotch, rum, and virgin charred barrels) or specific aging regimens—including a bottled in bond bourbon, and some bourbons that showcase specific rickhouses. The rye represents a new twist.
Ratcheting Up the Rye
The newcomer uses the same Normandy mashbill as Old Forester’s other ryes, and follows the guidelines associated with bottled in bond whiskeys, But it’s notably older than its predecessors—having been distilled during Spring 2015, and bottled at 10 years old. While the age alone makes the Spring 2015 vintage statement decidedly attractive, the story goes a bit deeper than that. This particular vintage was subjected to some interesting weather conditions, which assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo says had a real impact on the final product. We all know that the spring calendar season kicks off toward the end of March—but according to the Bottled in Bond Act, the spring distillation season starts at the beginning of January and runs through June. While it’s true that this rye was technically distilled during the spring season, the barrels themselves were filled in the dead of winter.
“These barrels were entered into our warehouse on February 5th, 2015, which means we were in the middle of heat-cycling,” (a process used to create temperature variation during the colder months) Trigo told Whisky Advocate. “The temperature inside the warehouse would’ve been hot, jumpstarting the maturation of the new distillate. Robust notes derived from the barrel, like charred oak, would immediately impact the aging [rye].” The finished product is said to carry flavors of intense spice, charred oak, cracked pepper, and cooked pear—which sounds like a slight departure from previous Old Forester ryes, which we’ve generally found to have sweet and fruity palates.
The 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye goes for $65 a 375 ml bottle, and is primarily available at the Old Forester retail shop on Whiskey Row. The whiskey can be ordered from the distillery’s website for shipping to D.C., Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and North Dakota. Bottles can also be found at select retailers across Kentucky.
Will Old Forester wade deeper into the rye waters? The exact details are still under wraps, but the distillery confirmed that it’s planning to release more rye expressions in the future, at least some of which will use the trademark Normandy mashbill. While it’s undisclosed what shape those efforts will take—whether we’ll see more bonded expressions from other vintages, or potential new ongoing releases—the distillery team noted that more and more of its rye stocks are starting to come of age each year, so it’s only a matter of time before we see some more of them find their way into bottles.
Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye (Spring 2015 Vintage)
ABV: 50%
SRP: $65/375 ml
Availability: At the distillery, online, and in select Kentucky retailers
