Old Forester 86 Proof Kentucky Bourbon Whisky - 750ml

Old Forester 86 Proof is produced at the Old Forester Distilling Co. on Whiskey Row in Louisville, Kentucky — the brand's flagship expression and the foundation upon which Brown-Forman Corporation was built in 1870. Founded by George Garvin Brown, a former pharmaceutical salesman who moved to Louisville in 1863, Old Forester holds the distinction of being the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed glass bottles — a practice Brown adopted to guarantee quality and authenticity at a time when adulteration in the whiskey trade was commonplace. The brand's name honors Dr. William Forrester, a prominent Louisville physician who endorsed the whiskey; the second "r" in Forrester was eventually dropped from the label, reportedly to avoid the appearance of a commercial conflict with the doctor. Old Forester is the only bourbon continuously distilled and marketed by the founding family before, during, and after Prohibition, a lineage that George Brown's handwritten statement and signature — still present on each bottle — directly acknowledges. The 86 proof expression has been the brand's entry point since 1959, when the lower proof was introduced in response to the growing popularity of cocktail culture.

The mashbill is a rye-forward blend of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley — the same grain composition used across the entire Old Forester range, from the flagship through the Whiskey Row series. Brown-Forman controls the full supply chain, including its own cooperage, ensuring that every barrel used for aging meets the distillery's specifications from stave selection through char level. The sour mash fermentation, which incorporates a minimum of 20% backset from the previous distillation, runs for three to five days before the wash is distilled in copper pot stills and filled into new charred American white oak barrels for approximately four years of maturation. The spirit is bottled at 43% ABV / 86 proof without an age statement, consistent with the Kentucky Straight Bourbon designation.

The nose is bright and moderately complex — citrus zest, tropical fruit, and delicate floral notes open alongside pound cake sweetness, subtle clove spice, and a thread of lightly toasted oak. The palate leads with citrus and ripe pear, moving through fresh mint and clove spice that build gently through the mid-palate without sharpening. The finish is long, warm, and slightly drying, closing on spearmint, clove, and warm toasted oak that fade with characteristic Old Forester smoothness. At 86 proof the spirit is accessible across every format — neat, on the rocks, or as the bourbon backbone of a classic cocktail.