Product Description
THE BARTENDER’S BOOK
Old Forester The 117 Series is a limited-edition line of experimental bourbons that showcases the brand’s innovation and craftsmanship. Released in small batches and bottled in 375ml format, each expression in the series explores unique elements such as aging conditions, mash bills, or secondary maturation. Standouts include the High Angels Share, which offers deep, concentrated flavors due to excessive barrel evaporation, and 1910 Extra Old, a richer take on the classic 1910 expression. Available primarily at the Old Forester Distillery, the 117 Series is a must-try for bourbon enthusiasts seeking rare and distinctive profiles.
TASTING NOTES
Taste is more than flavor. It is the full conversation between glass, nose, mouth, and memory. Here, we break each spirit into four parts:
AROMA
Release-dependent; commonly dark fruit, caramelized apricot, dates, brown sugar, vanilla, toasted oak, sweet nuttiness, and warm spice.
PALATE
Rich Old Forester profile with caramelized fruit, vanilla, oak, baking spice, subtle spearmint, dried fruit, and bourbon sweetness.
FINISH
Moderate to long; dried fruit, cream, herbal tea, oak spice, vanilla, and warm bourbon notes linger.
TEXTURE
Medium-to-full body; rounded, concentrated, and polished, with release-specific proof warmth and oak grip.
STRAIGHT TALK
Strengths:
- More creative and distinctive than core Old Forester releases.
- Good collector appeal without being as unreachable as Birthday Bourbon.
- Often shows strong Brown-Forman notes: cherry, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, spice, dark fruit, and toasted character.
- The best batches feel genuinely educational, not just decorative.
Weak Spots:
- Batch quality varies.
- Some releases can feel young, hot, woody, or more concept-driven than fully polished.
- Small 375 ml format and limited availability can make the value feel uneven.
Bottom Line:
A smart experimental series with real appeal for Old Forester fans. Honest read: not every batch is essential, but the line is credible, fun, and often more interesting than the standard bottles because each release has a clear reason to exist.
THE MIX
| Category | Pairing Logic |
|---|---|
| Citrus | Orange peel, blood orange, Meyer lemon, grapefruit, and lemon zest work best. Orange bridges caramel, oak, and dried fruit; grapefruit gives darker releases a drier bitter edge. |
| Fruit | Best with dried cranberry, cherry, baked apple, pear, fig, date, raisin, and spiced fruit. The High Angels’ Share release, for example, emphasizes dark flavor notes and dried fruits, so cooked or dried fruit is safer than bright tropical fruit. |
| Spice / Herbs | Cinnamon, clove, ginger, black pepper, anise, celery seed, tobacco leaf, eucalyptus, and toasted oak spiceall fit. Some 117 releases lean unusually herbal; High Angels’ Share specifically moves from dense dessert notes into anise and celery seed, then finishes with spice, roasted coffee, and black pepper. |
| Sweet / Dessert | Strong with caramel, brown sugar, molasses, maple, vanilla, toasted coconut, pecan pie, chocolate cake, mocha, shortbread, baked apple desserts, and bread pudding. The 1910 Extra Extra Old release shows the darker side of the series, with official notes of roasted coffee, maple syrup, dark chocolate, caramel, toasted coconut, fruit, and smoky char. |
| Savory / Food | Best flavor logic with roast pork, glazed ham, smoked turkey, duck, barbecue chicken, aged cheddar, Gouda, blue cheese, mushrooms, cornbread, sweet potatoes, pecans, walnuts, brown butter, and charred vegetables. The series has enough oak, proof, and spice to handle salt, fat, smoke, and caramelization. |
| Jazz Chef Angle | The logic is Old Forester bourbon DNA plus controlled experimentation: caramel, vanilla, fruit, spice, oak, and char, but pushed in different directions depending on the release. High Angels’ Share is dense and dark; 1910 Extra releases are chocolate, maple, coffee, and char; Whiskey Row Fire is more honey, marzipan, berry, vanilla, and oak. |
A DISTILLER’S TALE
Old Forester The 117 Series is Old Forester letting the lab door swing open and saying, “Please enjoy these controlled whiskey experiments before the collectors trample the carpet.” The line debuted in spring 2021 with High Angels’ Share, directed by then-Master Taster Jackie Zykan, and was created as a limited-expression series to explore Old Forester variables like warehouse selection, barrel manipulation, maturation conditions, and deconstructed blends. The name nods to Old Forester’s Whiskey Row homeplace in Louisville, where the brand had roots from 1882–1919 before returning with a working distillery in 2018. In plain lore terms: The 117 Series is Old Forester in mad-scientist mode — historic bourbon bones, small-batch experiments, limited-release panic, and just enough “what happens if we try this?” energy to make whiskey nerds start refreshing the bottle-shop page like it owes them money.
MY TAKE
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