Brown sugar | Ripe honeydew melon | Aged oak | Light lemon zest | Syrup-soaked banana

Rye spice | Leather | Oak | Green peppercorn spice | Touch of lemon cake | Spiced molasses

Rye spice | Brown sugar | Aged oak | Short

Launched in 2021, the Old Forester The 117 Series has been used as a way to showcase experimental whiskeys by the company, and their latest release is no exception. Old Forester The 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye marks the first time that Old Forester has released a bottled in bond rye. While the bottle displays no age statement, the company states that it was distilled to reflect “the unique flavor of the unusually cool and wet Spring of 2015.” Assuming that the whiskey was aging the entire time right before being bottled, this would place its age around the 9-10 year mark.

Old Forester launched its rye in January 2019. In our review, we found it to be a casual drinking rye that was non-offensive but also didn’t stand out from the rest of the market. Seeing as The 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye was barreled almost 4 years before the initial launch of Old Forester Rye, the assumed extra time in the barrel for this bottled in bond product makes for an easy comparison between the two.

Old Forester The 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye Batch No. 001 lacks in some areas, but it is a step ahead of the standard rye. The whiskey opens with a sweet and pleasing aroma that is the star of the show, and highlights sweeter notes for a rye. The palate turns more traditional, featuring various spices along with a touch of lemon cake to add variety. The finish is on the shorter side, ending on more straightforward notes that focus on rye spice and aged oak. Overall, this is what I wish the standard Old Forester Rye tasted like. It’s still distinctly their rye, highlighting more sweet notes than expected, but the spice and aged oak help it pop a little more comparatively. The price is high for what is a no age statement bottle, and while it’s a better pour, it doesn’t totally justify its price point.