Classification: Straight Bourbon
Company: Brown-Forman
Distillery: Brown-Forman Shively Distillery
Released: September 2015
Proof: 100
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Color:  Medium-dark Amber

Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond is the second expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row Series. According to the neck tag on the bottle, “This small batch craft expression will be presented in a lightly filtered old style, reminiscent of a 19th century bourbon, rich and bold in barrel character.” The “1897” in the name pays homage to the year the Bottled-in-Bond Act was passed, while the bourbon itself pays tribute to the historical Bottled-in-Bond bourbon Old Forester actually produced at the time of the Act. Brown-Forman intends for this to be a permanent brand.

NOSE

A bright and lively blast of fruit with complementing floral and oak elements. The light sting from the alcohol is warming with a slight burn. Really nice and inviting overall.

PALATE

A great mix of sweet and spicy. Dark fruit is most prominent, with hints of caramel, vanilla, and just the right amount of oak rounding it out. The sweetness here is balanced by a nearly perfect spice note. It coats the mouth nicely making for a great mouthfeel. Overall well-rounded and quite balanced.

FINISH

Long, sweet, and almost perfectly balanced. The flavors in the palate linger for minutes after the sip with a tapering sweetness and light spiciness leaving a great aftertaste. One of the better finishes I’ve experienced in a while.

UNIQUENESS

The Bottled-in-Bond designation doesn’t seem to have the significance today that it once did. The historical references make it pretty clear the Act was necessary to help consumers avoid adulterated whiskey, which could have conceivably had just about anything added to it for flavoring or coloring purposes. Today, I associate Bottled-in-Bond with low cost, surprisingly good whiskeys such as Old Grand Dad Bourbon and Rittenhouse Rye – of which are probably overlooked too often in favor of more popular labels and better bottle designs. The exception to this is E.H. Taylor, which is marketed as a premium line of Bottled-in-Bond whiskeys with additional distinguishing characteristics – small batch, single barrel, barrel proof, rye, etc. I’d argue those additional characteristics seem to take the spotlight, often making us forget that the Taylor line is, in fact, Bottled-in-Bond. The point is, the concept of introducing a premium Bottled-in-Bond whiskey is not new, but it’s also not popular and not well associated with premium brands. Brown-Forman appears to be employing a marketing strategy here, playing into both the year of the Act with its name as well as tribute to their own historical Bottled-in-Bond offering when the act was passed. I’m cool with that. Where whiskey marketing with historical reference is often a reach at best, this actually has some real meaning and a seal of quality to go with it.

As for taste, the most prominent characteristic for me is the fruit-forward character which is somewhat similar to Old Forester’s first Whiskey Row release, 1870 Original Batch. The 1897 Bottled In Bond certainly provides deeper flavor intensity due to the higher proof and richer mouthfeel, and although not exactly the same, the underlying characteristics are similar. Regardless, none of this makes for a knock-your-socks-off unique flavor profile, but it does offer enough to set the taste slightly apart from anything else I can think of.