Aged oak | Syrup-soaked raisin | Leather | Baking spices | Vanilla bean | Bing cherry | Inviting

Aged charred oak | Brown sugar | Leather | Rye spice | Faint cherry | Spiced syrup | White peppercorn | Slightly thin mouthfeel

Rye spice | Leather | Aged oak | Barrel char | Light heat | Incredibly dry

The latest release in the Old Forester 117 Series, Extra Extra Old, is the follow-up to the brand’s Old Forester 117 Series Extra Old release. Where the Extra Old release saw the company taking the standard 1910 Old Fine Whiskey and aging it for an extra 18 months in a secondary barrel, Extra Extra Old ups the ante by aging 1910 Old Fine Whiskey for an additional 24 months in a second barrel. Initially released in December 2022, Extra Extra Old was, at the time, the first release from the Old Forester Master Taster Melissa Rift. Fast forward two and a half years, and Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo has joined Rift in helping craft these releases.

A few years may have passed since its last release, but the second batch of Extra Extra Old is remarkably similar to the first. The nose is still fantastic, offering inviting scents of well-aged oak, syrup-soaked raisins, and Bing cherry. This aged profile carries over to the palate, which showcases similar flavors and adds in brown sugar and rye spice. Much like the first go around, the part that holds the bourbon back the most is its incredibly dry finish, which showcases rye spice, leather, and massive hits of aged oak and barrel char.

Extra Extra Old is one of those bourbons that you wish would be made available year-round. While the finish is short and incredibly dry, and it’s lower proof, which slightly thins out its mouthfeel, it's still a solid crowd-pleasing pour. It utilizes its extra aging time nicely, and fans of the brand will be pleased they picked one up.