Old Forester The 117 Series: Rum Finish Quick Review

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My reviews tend to be long-winded and very in-depth. I know that many readers don’t have the time or patience to read them all. This is why I have decided to create a “Quick Review” format. I’m not going to cover backstories, distilling methods or anything like that if I know I’ve covered it in a previous review of a similar bottle. You’ll find that a lot of these quick reviews will be based on single barrel picks because their backstory is usually the same with the exception of the group that picked them.

Brown-Forman is big on cross-pollinating their brands with each other. What I mean by that is that used bourbon barrels from Old Forester, Woodford Reserve or Jack Daniels were often shipped directly to other spirits companies that they own. This helps cut costs and ensures a steady stream of barrels no matter what. The only downfall of this model is that the transportation assets used to move the barrels in one direction often had nothing to return with. But it seems as if someone within the corporation has begun to insist that some of those spirit barrels return back to the United States for use in experimental projects.

So far we’ve seen Jack Daniel’s using Herradura Tequila barrels to finish their Tennessee Whiskey in and Old Forester using Scotch casks from Benriach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh to finish their bourbon in. Now Old Forester has their sights set on using rum barrels to finish their bourbon in – Diplomatico Rum barrels to be exact. Brown-Forman finished their acquisition of the brand in early 2023 and has probably been looking for a way to integrate it with their portfolio since then.

Rum Finished Old Forester Bourbon

Rum finishes have been popping up more often in the world of American whiskey recently with Wild Turkey showcasing a rum finish in their 2023 Master’s Keep release and other brands like Yellowstone, Chicken Cock, Peerless and Kentucky Owl hopping on the bandwagon as well. Rum’s distinct sweetness and (sometimes) funk means that the final product isn’t for everyone, but when when it’s done right, it makes you wonder why more producers don’t use it.

So how does this newest 117 Series taste? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet scents of brown sugar, honey buns and molasses dominate the nose. I would expect nothing less coming from the naturally sweet rum casks. One of the more powerful notes I find are barrel char that borders on the edge of being smokey. That’s kind of strange. The smoke note transpires over into the fruit scents by adding this effect like the fruits were all cooked on a smoker. I find lemons, cooked bananas, lychee and even some kiwi! Spice notes are somewhat gentle and fragrant and include cinnamon and anise.

Palate: Strong flavors of over-ripe fruit wash over my tongue like cooked pear, banana, coconut shell and lots of lemon.  Spice notes are subdued but there is evidence of cinnamon and nutmeg. The barrel influence once again comes off like either barrel char or campfire smoke. It’s hard to tell which it is because it changes every time I come back to it. I can barely make out the underlying bourbon profile most of the time I’m drinking this – it could almost be any producer’s bourbon that this was made with. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, but if you love Old Forester, this will seem foreign to you.

Finish: The whole ending wraps up with just as much sweetness as it started with. The “smoke” note still remains (or is it barrel char?) and the spice notes ramp up a bit – like anise and cinnamon stick. Over-ripe fruit notes remain as well and fibrous coconut shell also pops up. It’s a fairly entertaining ending to a confusing bourbon.

Score: 6.8/10

There is a lot this release has in common with last year’s 117 Series: Scotch Cask Finish. For starters, the finishing cask contained a spirit that should be lighter in taste and profile than Old Forester bourbon; yet when the finishing treatment was done, the bourbon profile was almost completely hidden. Maybe this appeals to you if you don’t like Old Forester bourbon in general or if you just want something very different in your drink. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that doesn’t apply to what the average buyer of this bottle wants.

I was with a group of friends when this dropped at the downtown distillery in Louisville and we all managed to snag a bottle. As it was passed around, we confirmed with each other what we thought about it. For most, it was either outright panned or declared to be good, but not great. Needless to say, nobody tried to game the system by going back inside and trying to get another one (the mark of a truly special release, haha). Am I glad I purchased one? I guess. It’s a fun conversation piece. But it’s not as appealing as I thought it would be. Lesson learned.