Botm 1/13: Old Forester Signature

[fishnbowljoe]

I'm gonna give Brown Forman a shot this month. Old Forester Signature is this months BOTM.

I've had it before, but it's been a while. I don't have any notes of my own at this time, but maybe I'll post some at a later date. I managed to find a bottle yesterday. :grin:

Let's hear your comments about Old Forester Signature. Comparisons with Old Forester BIB are also welcomed and encouraged. :cool:

Cheers! Joe

[squire]

Good choice, I'll have to dig out my notes.

[Lazer]

I just finished a bottle of this that I bought for $19.99. It was a good everyday pour. If you have some high proof special edition bourbon that you don't want to finish all at once, start with a pour of the OF signature then move on to the bigger stuff, you will appreciate both bourbons more, than if you drank them alone.

[mosugoji64]

I just finished a bottle of this that I bought for $19.99. It was a good everyday pour. If you have some high proof special edition bourbon that you don't want to finish all at once, start with a pour of the OF signature then move on to the bigger stuff, you will appreciate both bourbons more, than if you drank them alone.

Good point about the comparison. For me it's a great training bourbon - something to help identify characteristics of bourbon whiskey. Solid, but not exceptional.

OF BIB, on the other hand, is some good stuff. It's loaded with old-bourbon rummy flavors and well worth grabbing if you happen to find some. While I think BF is producing an acceptable pour with Signature, it's no replacement for the BIB.

[Brisko]

My experience is that it is good bourbon but unremarkable. Looking back on my notes I don't really see anything that stands out. The last bottle I had showed bit of a bitter edge, as I recall. I think that typically it's exactly what an under-$20 bottle ought to be: good enough. My impression of the flavor profile is that it is very middle of the road. If I wanted to introduce a newbie to bourbon I might start with this. It lacks the funkiness of Beam and the grassiness of Heaven Hill. It's just bourbon, as it should be.

I like to vat it with Beam rye at about 3:2... I know, I'm weird that way.

[Josh]

This was a big favorite of mine early on but I don't find myself drinking it much anymore. I think it's a fine bourbon at a good price, but it's not something I find myself yearing for, like VOB or HH white label.

Like Wild Turkey, it's a classic profile that anybody starting out should try and be familiar with. I also think it's a pretty cool thing that it's a pre-prohibition brand and the same company that started started Old Forester still makes it.

[squire]

It is certainly to Brown -Forman's credit they have kept this brand alive when so many others have fallen by the wayside.

[boneuphtoner]

Have not had this in a couple of months and around here it isn't as easy to find as a number of other comparable products (e.g. Wild Turkey 101, Knob Creek). But I preferred the Signature to all of these. I also preferred the OF Signature to VOB BIB, but not by much. After given appropriate air time, it reminded me of Woodford Reserve with a little more attitude and complexity. Two thumbs up from me. Now I gotta find myself another bottle!

[shoshani]

I just picked up a bottle a week ago. Literally, New Year's Eve. Back in the late 1980s, Old Forester BIB was my favorite bourbon for mixing - a splash in root beer was sublime - but at the $25 I paid for Signature I'm not really doing that. It still tastes like Forester, though, even though I think it's a slightly thicker, "chewier" pour than it once was. Which, in my book, is an improvement. I like thick, chewy whisky.

I do wish they'd research their own history a little better, though. The whole concept of "Old Forester Signature" is marketeering eyewash; George Garvin Brown's signature never appeared on the label during his lifetime. (See results number 2 and 5 at http://books.google.com/books?id=KRwxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PT17&dq=brown+forman . This is from 1914, three years before he died. Oddly, Old Forester's being "a blend of old Kentucky whiskies" would have precluded its being bottled in bond at the time. )

[White Dog]

Current Signature is a solid enough Bourbon, IMHO. Nothing more, nothing less. While I didn't feel ripped off, there wasn't enough distinctiveness to make me drop $25 on another bottle.

Dimpled BIB is another story. Both DSP-414 and 354 are outstanding, loaded with that candied "rummy" sweetness already referenced. I never leave any dimpled bottles on a shelf.

[smokinjoe]

One of my favorite budget bourbons. Just, bourbon. Plain and simple. Solid. Totally agree with Josh's and Squire's observations on the nice job B-F has taken in keeping this brand with us. And, at a high quality to boot! For me, this is one of those whiskies that takes well to a little coolin', too. If I don't have HH 6yr BIB in the fridge, I have Signature in there. Better yet, I'll take the bottle outside with me on a cold night and let nature do it's magic.

[Lazer]

I just finished a bottle of this that I bought for $19.99. It was a good everyday pour. If you have some high proof special edition bourbon that you don't want to finish all at once, start with a pour of the OF signature then move on to the bigger stuff, you will appreciate both bourbons more, than if you drank them alone.

I'm going to add though that at $19.99 I'd rather buy the current WT101 or OGDBIB, both the same price here. When I bought the signature I also bought the OF86 for the same price. I gave the 86 to my dad and kept the signature. I think I liked the 86 a little better. I haven't seen HH label bottles or VOB here in NY, however, I buy EWB sometimes. I think I would buy the OF86 for a few extra dollars next time instead of the EW.

[Clavius]

OF Signature is probably the only BF bourbon that I honestly enjoy. I don't buy it often but I do think that it's a quality product reasonably priced (unlike Woodford).

[Brisko]

$25 seems pretty high. I can ususally find it for about $17. I think that's a fair price although sometimes I choose Fighting Cock instead at the same price point. If it was over $20 I would just buy OGD114 instead. But at $17 I like it as an entry level 100 proofet.

[JPBoston]

Yet another bourbon I've been meaning to try... but never get around to. The local stores only have the 1.75L size for some reason, which makes it a little more of a gamble for a 'first try'.

[oke&coke]

First time I had a bottle when it was named BOTM so I cracked it open tonight. My first impression was that it had the chewiness of my bottle of V17 without the complex flavors. I did find it fairly big and bold. I will definitely revisit the bottle in a few days. Not a bad pour in my opinion.

[Curtisc84]

Good buy for my flask while skiing.

[WAINWRIGHT]

OFS is a pretty solid value pour for under $20 and one I should visit a little more frequently it's just to easy for me to spend a few bucks more for OGD114.I would have to agree with Matt that of the BF products this would be my pick of the bunch based on dollar/quality scale.

[Young Blacksmith]

When I started dusty hunting I picked up several old label OF 100 proofs. It's a constant open bottle in my cabinet now. The OFBB '11 I found to be very similar tasting, which was nice!

I'll have to post some notes about it the next time I pour some, but I usually get a grape fruit stripe gum taste amongst the other really solid bourbon flavors.

[stevegoz]

I finally cracked my bottle open last night with this thread in mind. Is it wrong to suggest that the nose on this stuff is about as "bourbony" as bourbon gets? Just incredibly straightforward and nice. I think I spent more time smelling my half-Glencairn of it than I actually did sipping it.

[squire]

Not wrong at all, quite accurate actually. Forester is about as old fashioned as it gets in nose and character. It is to the Brown family's credit they have kept this old brand going.

[SFS]

I had my first taste Woodford Reserve last night (in a bar), and wouldn't go out and buy it. How similar is the OF Signature going to be? This may be another example of this site saving me money.

[squire]

They are going to be similar, same mashbill, and Woodford contains a portion of Forester in it's mix. Forester is close to $22 around here and at that price I recommend you pick up a bottle. If the taste doesn't suit you it makes a dandy Manhattan.

[jeffrey r]

Squire's point about the price is important to note, as I view a $20 bourbon differently than a $30 bourbon. Anecdotally, Woodford is very popular in different circles I see, whether friends, business associates, etc. But for the price, I have generally been unimpressed with Woodord at around $30. My bottle of OF Signature was $20, and compares favorably with bourbons around that price range. It is not widely available around me, and I should have picked up more than 1 bottle when I had the chance.

If you stumble upon it, the OF Repeal bottling is very interesting, with the "signature" rich flavor of OF. I have one 375ml bottle left, and enjoy it as an "on occasion" bourbon. It could never be a regular for me though with its pretty intense flavor profile.

[PaulO]

It may be interesting to note, they changed the label recently. I can see both the old, and new labels on shelves at the same time. I don't believe the whiskey has changed. OF Signature is one of my favorites. I have also noticed a big variability in prices between different stores.