Review #642 - Old Forester 1897

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Old Forester's 1897 bourbon is a part of the distillery's Whiskey Row series, which celebrates pivotal moments in the history of bourbon and Old Forester. The year 1897 is when the Bottled-in-Bond Act was passed, and this bourbon adheres to those rules set in place more than 125 years ago.

The Bottled-in-Bond Act has several requirements:

  • The spirit must all be distilled at a single distillery

  • All of the spirit in a batch must come from one distilling season

  • The spirit must be aged for a minimum of four years

  • The spirit must be aged in a federally bonded warehouse

  • No additives (flavoring, coloring, etc.) can be added to the product

  • The spirit must be bottled at a strength of 50% ABV (100 proof)

For bottled-in-bond bourbon, these requirements are on top of the regular bourbon requirements: it must be made in the US, the mashbill must be at least 51% corn (and all grain), it can't be distilled above 80% ABV (160 proof), and must enter a new charred oak barrel ("container", actually) at a maximum of 62.5% ABV (125 proof).

Old Forester's 1897 bourbon follows all of those rules; they don't give us any age statement, but considering the bottled-in-bond requirements, we know that it's at least 4 year old bourbon. Because the distillery uses heat-cycled warehouses, we doubt it's much older than 4 years, though.

Old Forester 1897

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 48 (2025)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 50% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 11 months; bottles at 50%, 100%, and 90% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Maple brown sugar, decent sweetness, and a dark complexion - some tannic oak, sweet dark cherries. There are hints of banana and cream as top notes, as well as a deeper chocolate and caramel backbone; vanilla builds with time.

Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness. Tons of brown sugar and caramel up front, followed by more baking notes: cinnamon, molasses, then some banana bread. Cheap cocktail cherries add more fruit, and we get pancake batter and oversweet banana; hints of dark fruit like raisin can be found at times. Wood spice builds over time.

Finish: Lots of cherry, a bit of strawberry and banana - a fruit bouquet. Cardamom and vanilla bring back the baking side, and oak is growing stronger; overall, it leans a bit sweet. It's a medium length finish.

Final Note: We think this is a really solid bottle - good bourbon, a big step up from the 1870 Original Batch bourbon, another member of this Whiskey Row series. The strength of 100 proof means that this bourbon has a decent mouthfeel and decent depth of flavor; because of Old Forester's heat cycling processes, we often see heavier oak influence than we might expect from other brands at the same age, and that's the case here, too.

For us, the star of the show here is really the fruit - a great combination of cherry and those classic Old Forester banana notes. Baking spices backed that up with lots of sweetness - just a very well rounded, tasty bourbon.

Value here is very good - we think the flavor here is better than most other bourbons in the $40 to $50 price range. If you're looking for a classic Old Forester but don't necessarily want the syrupy sweet dessert notes of the 1910 Old Fine Whisky, this 1897 bottle would be our suggestion.

Our Average Rating: 7.1 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 7.76

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
Previous

Review #643 - Found North Hover Hawk First Flight
Next

Review #641 - SMWS 70.21 'Rosehip & Hibiscus Infusion' - Balblair 9 Year