Review #658 - Old Forester 1870

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Old Forester's Whiskey Row series celebrates pivotal moments in the history of bourbon and the Old Forester distillery. This bottling, the 1870 'Original Batch,' refers to the year when George Garvin Brown established the Old Forester distillery on Whiskey Row in Louisville, Kentucky.

This bourbon is not age stated, but considering the distillery's use of heat-cycled warehouses, there could be a decent oak impact on the flavor profile, even at a relatively young age.

Old Forester 1870

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 45 (2025)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 45% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 years; bottles at 50%, 70%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Light and sweet, with caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, and floral notes. Some creamy banana arrives, and we get subtle orange and cinnamon; the oak influence is quite mellow.

Palate: Drying oak is stronger on the palate - quite woody, but we also get sweeter notes from brown sugar, cherries, banana, and vanilla. Orange peel adds a sharpness, and darker fruits like plum and raisin are hidden in the background; cardamom and clove add baking notes, but the flavor density is a bit mild overall. The mouthfeel is medium-thin.

Finish: Cinnamon, clove, vanilla - lots of baking notes now. There's still a subtle fruit like tart cherry, but brown sugar, honey, hay, and oak cover it up for the most part; the aftertaste has a taste of banana Runts candies. It's a medium length finish.

Final Note: A decent bourbon, but not our favorite from the Whiskey Row line from Old Forester. There's some nice fruit flavor development in the palate, and the finish has a lot of baking spice, but the overall density of the flavors is a bit lower with that lower proof point.

Value is still alright due to the fair price point - a little above average. Still, we're likely to take a couple of the other Whiskey Row bottles like 1897 or 1910 over this one, as they pack a bit more flavor.

Our Average Rating: 5.9 / 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: 6.61

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
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