Old Forester’s latest in its innovative 117 Series has arrived: Extra Extra Old, a double-barreled whiskey that starts with the 1910 expression and ages it in a second, heavy char barrel for 24 months. If this sounds familiar, you might remember the 1910 Extra Old bottling which arrived in 2022 and which was finished in a second barrel for 18 months. So this expression is the same recipe, just with 6 extra months of age on it. It’s the first new whiskey to arrive from new Master Taster Melissa Rift, who replaced Jackie Zykan late last year.
“This expression was born from a creative and innovative experiment while staying true to the classic taste which sets Old Forester apart,” Rift said. “Although I only joined Old Forester last month, this was one of the first new limited expressions I was honored to taste – and the extra long double barreling leads to an explosion of flavors.”
Update 2025: This bottling has now become an annual release. We revisited it again in 2025 (missing the 2024 edition).
Old Forester The 117 Series – Extra Extra Old 2025
As with the 2023 release, this is a fine rendition of what Old Forester does best, folding a little extra age onto a supple, complex core. The nose is a delight — with more oak and less mint and coffee than is found in a glass of Old Forester 1910, which I tasted side by side. Additional aromatics feature that classic gunpowder punch alongside notes of raisin, dried cherries, and cloves.
Beautifully balanced on the palate, the whiskey features flavors of extra (extra?) dark chocolate, dark brown sugar, and more cloves, eventually finding its way to notes of hazelnuts and cocoa nibs. A deep-seated vanilla character builds from there, ricocheting between sweeter, dessert-like elements and spicier notes of black pepper, black tea, and allspice. Lighter notes of red fruits — dried strawberry alongside a little greenery — perk up on the very lengthy, supple finish.
It’s even better than the 2023 release, I think. And I loved pairing this with Old Forester’s new cocktail cherries.
93 proof. A / $65
Old Forester The 117 Series – Extra Extra Old 2023
This is a solid expression of Old Forester, even if it doesn’t exactly distinguish itself from the earlier 1910 Extra Old bottling. Here, aromas of tar, tree bark, leather, and peppery gunpowder immediately evoke the extra time spent in barrel, all very familiar save for a pinch of dried berries that offer a slight note of fig on the nose.
The palate is instantaneous with its notes of cocoa powder, old wood, and baking spice, notes of vanilla and cola quickly building. It’s never overblown with lumberyard elements, though it does find a peppery, slightly beefy quality that evokes notes of cooked bacon at times. Cloves are more prominent on the finish, along with a strident, lingering cola quality. Hints of rhubarb and brighter strawberry surprise late in this denouement.
All told, my tasting notes aren’t terribly different than the 1910 Extra Old expression, and that makes plenty of sense, though I never found the clear coffee element the prior bottling offered this time around. As with 1910 Extra Old, this is still a top-shelf expression that’s available for a song. If you missed last year’s 117, this is highly worth picking up.
93 proof. A- / $60
The post Review: Old Forester The 117 Series – Extra Extra Old (Updated 2025) appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.
