If nothing else, this month is teaching me that the bourbon industry loves a good dose of history. Old Forester goes for the big score, as it turns out to be “America’s First Bottled Bourbon ®” – although that dates from 1870, so that doesn’t really beat other brands by a huge margin.

They also apparently kept distilling right through Prohibition, having obtained a federal license to produce alcohol for “medicinal purposes” – which my cynical nature reads as “for consumption by politicians”.

Old Forester Bourbon – known on their website as ‘Classic 86 Proof‘ – is, as the official name suggests, a 43% ABV bourbon.

The aroma is dominated by sweet tree blossom, with touches of wood and a background of buttery shortbread biscuit. Water brings out some vanilla notes, along with just a suggestion of tobacco.

In the mouth it’s caramel syrup sweet, quickly joined by quite a spicy, almost chilli-like bite. The finish softens that spice edge, with a building orange juice fruitiness and just a whiff of old wood. Watered, the sweetness is dulled, and the spice flattened out – less aggressive at the start, and stretching out more in the finish.

I think a splash of water brings this bourbon up to another level; 3 stars.

Many thanks to Master of Malt for providing their excellent Bourbon Advent Calendar this year.