The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
Old Forester has announced the newest release in its 117 series – Bottled in Bond. In accordance with the 1897 Bottled in Bond Act, this product is bottled from barrels filled during a single distillation season – the wet and warm late Spring of 2014. The 117 series has heretofore been rooted in innovative expressions.
Bottled-in-bond is a designation that protects the integrity of aged spirits by ensuring each barrel is produced in a single distillation season by a single distillery. To meet the criteria, the spirit must also be matured in a U.S. bonded warehouse for at least four years and bottled at 50% ABV. (100 proof).
“The heritage of Old Forester is uniquely tied to the Bottled in Bond movement as George Garvin Brown’s first bottled bourbon really set the stage for quality guarantee decades before the historic law went into effect,” said Old Forester Master Taster Melissa Rift. “This bonded expression as part of the 117 Series is a fantastic opportunity to look at a very small batch of bonded liquid and how it has developed from that single season to the offering we are launching today.”
The irony is that George Garvin Brown opposed the Bottled and Bond Act, which was sponsored by rivals in the bourbon industry who operated on a different business model. That said, bonded whiskeys are a major facet of the Old Forester portfolio, so a Series 117 bonded fits right in.
Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond is bottled at 100-proof and is available starting today at the retail shop at Old Forester Distilling Co. and in select states for direct-to-consumer sales for $59.99 in limited quantities – and at select Kentucky stores.
