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Previous Forester is a whiskey producer with an amazing legacy. Founder George Garvin Brown was a pharmaceutical salesman who believed within the medicinal qualities of whiskey, creating the unique Previous Forester Bourbon in 1870. Brown named the corporate after doctor and pal Dr. William Forrester, and he’s recognized for creating the primary bourbon obtainable on the market in sealed glass bottles as an alternative of barrels. This ensured the bourbon’s high quality was constant, and Brown personally signed every bottle to ensure its high quality. Previous Forester was one of many few distilleries allowed to proceed manufacturing throughout Prohibition. Throughout World Warfare II, the corporate modified its complete output to high-grade alcohol to be used in America’s conflict efforts.

In 1964, Previous Forester launched President’s Selection Bourbon. It was the model’s first single barrel bourbon expression, which the distillery crafts utilizing solely the best barrels hand-selected by Previous Forester’s president. The barrels are chosen when they’re deemed to have reached optimum maturity. Because of this, there isn’t any assure of annual availability. 

This 12 months is particular for Previous Forester. In addition to the President’s Selection Bourbon, for the primary time, the corporate is releasing President’s Selection rye whiskey. Previous Forester equipped us with pre-release samples to overview. As a Licensed Sommelier, I utilized my coaching to evaluate the standard and discover out if these uncommon whiskeys are price monitoring down.

The President’s Selection Bourbon and the brand new Rye label solely use the best barrels within the manufacturing. Previous Forester produces and chars each barrel at its on-site cooperage, guaranteeing oversight for each step of manufacturing. President’s Selection barrel choice falls to Previous Forester’s president. The choice is predicated on the whiskey’s distinctive style, maturity, high quality, and character. In 1964, George Garvin Brown II launched the primary batch, whereas Campbell Brown, the fifth-generation member of the Brown household, is at present on the helm as President. The President’s Selection Bourbon is someplace between seven and 9 years outdated, and it is aged in charred American oak barrels. 

Along with President’s Selection Bourbon, in 2025, Previous Forester is releasing the brand new President’s Selection Rye. Although principally centered on bourbon, Previous Forester acquired Normandy Rye in 1940, and in 2019, the corporate added the primary line of rye whiskeys to its portfolio. This 12 months brings the primary President’s Selection to make use of rye as the bottom ingredient. The primary distinction between bourbon and rye is within the mash invoice. Bourbon’s base is made with at the least 51% corn, whereas rye makes use of at the least 51% rye. The mash invoice for Previous Forester’s President’s Selection Rye options 65% rye, 20% malted barley, and 15% corn.
Sometimes, Previous Forester bottles the spirits someplace between 110 proof and 125 proof — by regulation, the utmost when bourbon can go into the barrel is 125 proof. Assistant Grasp Distiller Caleb Trigo and Grasp Taster Melissa Rift oversee and choose the proof factors.

The primary disadvantage Previous Forester followers discovered with the discharge of the President’s Selection Bourbon was the restricted availability. Previously, the earliest releases of this bourbon have been reserved for VIPs and dignitaries. Then, it was solely obtainable for individuals who visited the distillery in Kentucky, and it was ultimately bought on-line and on the secondary marketplace for an inflated worth. The whiskey was not on the market in conventional liquor shops.

With the 2025 launch, the bourbon will probably be allotted to a choose few retailers throughout the nation. Moreover, the product may even be bought at Previous Forester’s on-line retailer, and it’ll stay obtainable in restricted portions on the Previous Forester distillery on June 14, 2025. The date was particularly chosen because it marks the Nationwide Bourbon Day and the eighth anniversary of the distillery’s opening on the present location.

The premium merchandise include a luxurious worth level. Only a few years in the past, the associated fee was below $90. Right now, the urged retail worth for the brand new rye and bourbon releases of the standard-size 750-milliliter bottles is $225.

Previous Forester President’s Selection Bourbon is a textured whiskey with a strong character. This is a superb single-barrel expression the place every barrel is allowed to showcase it distinctive traits. It is one of the crucial coveted Previous Forester labels, and rightfully so.

The pattern I obtained was 120.5 proof, resulting in an preliminary hit of high-proof alcohol within the nostril and on the palate throughout my tasting. Nonetheless, with time, the alcoholic chunk evaporated, abandoning layers of roasted nuts, candy caramel, nutmeg, and oak aromas. These aromas comply with by way of to create comparable flavors on the palate, melding with maple, dried berries, and orchard fruit. The oak traits are dominant from the entrance to again palate, giving the spirit toasted spiciness. The preliminary tasting revealed a medicinal notice on the end that was not fully nice. Fortunately, this style softened after permitting the spirit to open for an hour, bringing ahead a honeyed notice on the end.

With at the least 51% rye within the mash invoice, Previous Forester President’s Selection Rye delivers an earthy and dry spirit with a creamy texture that coats the palate. All Previous Forester whiskeys use a proprietary yeast pressure, are distilled in-house, and are aged in casks made on the distillery, guaranteeing the corporate has full management over each side of manufacturing. 

The pattern I obtained has a proof of 117.1, giving it a scorching alcoholic chunk initially. After permitting the spirit to breathe, the alcohol softened, revealing toasty nutmeg, darkish brown sugar, and creamy vanilla with gentle natural and floral notes. The oak on this expression was dominant as nicely. Nonetheless, the oak traits, lending toasty spiciness and toffee flavors, have been properly built-in with the earthy pepperiness of the rye grain. The wedding of those flavors creates stability within the whiskey. The end was easy and lengthy, making a palate-coating, well-balanced character.

Typically, there are a number of helpful recommendations on find out how to drink bourbon. This consists of the collection of one of the best glasses for ingesting bourbon and the choice of whether or not so as to add water or not. Many would favor the traditional Glencairn glass for Previous Forester President’s Selection Bourbon and Rye. This tulip-shaped glass, with a large bowl, curved sides, and slim prime, concentrates the aromas and ensures full appreciation of the spirit’s delicate subtleties. Nonetheless, I want a traditional low-ball, rocks-style glass for these potent spirits. Although the aromas will not be as concentrated, the fashion permits the whiskey to breathe, burning off a few of the alcohol. Giving the whiskey a number of minutes within the glass earlier than tasting may even enable the alcohol to dissipate.

In the event you want to sip whiskey on the rocks, do not forget that the kind of ice you add to bourbon issues. For spirits of this caliber, a big ice sphere is greatest. The bigger the ice dice, the slower it should soften, permitting the liquor to open slowly. The ice will assist launch a few of the whiskey’s nuanced traits with out over-diluting it. Smaller cubes will soften shortly, watering down the aromas and flavors of the liquors. Ice may even drop the whiskey’s temperature, which might masks a few of the subtleties within the spirits. A splash of room-temperature water can ship the identical results with out cooling the whiskey.

You should use President’s Selection for cooking — for instance, add a splash to your pot of baked beans. Nonetheless, I like to recommend ingesting this premium liquor as an alternative of cooking with it.

For connoisseurs of tremendous whiskey, Previous Forester President’s Selection Bourbon and Rye are the luxurious liquors it would be best to purchase if you may get your fingers on them. The model’s historical past and provenance make the merchandise particularly interesting, whereas the rarity of the merchandise and restricted availability contribute to the general attract. Most of all, the style of every expression makes Previous Forester President’s Selection definitely worth the cash. 

The bourbon is well-rounded, with a maple-coated, nutty taste and wealthy texture. Equally, the earthy, peppery qualities of the rye are intriguing, and its well-balanced taste with peppery, toasty grain and gentle herbs is fascinating. Although I most well-liked the rye to the bourbon, because the earthiness was extra interesting to me than the bourbon’s sweeter flavors, each merchandise are price including to your private home bar, presumably changing into a spotlight in your lineup. 

In the event you plan on buying a bottle to carry with hopes of reselling it sooner or later, that, too, is definitely worth the funding. Although the merchandise are costly, the whiskey retains its worth. Bottles of former bourbon expressions can be found for round $1,000 in the present day on the secondary market. It is also price noting that you would be able to snatch a particularly uncommon bottle from batch primary for $11,293.99.