Brown sugar | Brown butter | Raisin | Banana souffle | Rum-soaked oak | Faint peanut

Brown sugar | Dry tannic oak | Light baking spices | Dry raisin | Dry peanut

Brown butter | Buttery toffee | Brown sugar | Rum-soaked raisin | Dry prominent oak

The Old Forester 117 Series is usually a way for the company to highlight more experimental releases. While the brand occasionally deviates into more traditional releases, such as last year's Old Forester 117 Series Bottled in Bond, more often than not, the 117 Series affords fans of Old Forester a way to taste a one-off whiskey from the brand. To produce Old Forester 117 Series: Rum Finish, the company took empty barrels that had held rum for a minimum of 4 years, and finished the bourbon used in this release for approximately 6 months.

The whiskey starts off with distinct, pleasing notes of brown butter, raisin, banana souffle, and a prominent rum-soaked oak note. The midpoint makes a hard turn however, and hones in on drier notes, specifically tannic oak, peanut, and dry raisin. This dryness carries over into the finish, with a prominent dry oak note taking center stage and lingering. Weaving in and out are buttery toffee, brown sugar, and rum-soaked raisin, however, they’re no match for the dry oak. Rum finished whiskeys have been all the rage over the past few years, with some being more influential than others. When it comes to the latest in the Old Forester 117 series, it’s clear that the sip is influenced by the rum finishing barrels, but the result leaves room for improvement due in part to the persistence of its dryer flavor profile that really takes hold and overshadows other flavors from the midpoint onwards.