Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Bourbon Review [In Depth]

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Bourbon

by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Bourbon Details

Distillery: Old Forester

Type & Region: Bourbon, Kentucky, USA

Alcohol: 47.5%

Composition: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley (if it uses the usual Old Forester mash)

Aged: At least 4 years

Color: 1.3/2.0 on the color scale (russet, muscat)

Price: $60 (375ml)

Additional details

Historically, commercial trade on the Ohio River brought a variety of cask-aged spirits to the wharf behind Old Forester Distillery on Whiskey Row. This Rum Finish expression features the finishing of Old Forester in barrels that have matured rum for a minimum of four years, bringing notes of rich tropical fruit, coconut, and custard to the profile.

By finishing our signature bourbon for approximately six months in these rum barrels, we have complimented and accentuated the sweet aromatics of Old Forester with hints of brown sugar and molasses, emboldening its rich character.

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Bourbon overview

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Finish Bourbon is part of an interesting line of limited release Old Forester bourbons that experiment with all sorts of things.

They previously released an 8 year old bottled in bond bourbon (older than the minimum 4 years), double double oak (I think) which is Old Forester 1910 on oak roids, various cask finishes including Scotch and the one for this review, and all sorts of other stuff.

For this 117 release, released July 2024, Old Forester changed it up by finishing their bourbon in rum casks for about 6 months. Based on the press release, it’s hard to say if they’re using the better barrel selection that would go into the whiskey row line of bourbons, or the more “standard” one in Old Forester 86 or 100 proof.

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It’s also hard to say who provided the rum casks, so I won’t even begin to speculate. But, I confidently know that I really enjoy rum of all types…as long as it’s additive free. There’s a world of rum out there, and that’s not an exaggeration. And fun fact, a lot of bourbon, just like rum, is aged in casks that used to age bourbon.

Rum can be produced anywhere on the planet, and it can really vary. There’s more to rum than Captain Morgan. If you’re reading this review, I have a feeling that you’re open to exploring rum.

This sample was provided at no cost to me. All opinions are still my own.

As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Bourbon smell

The scents start with very orangey honey, vanilla, roasted oak, apricot, cinnamon, nutmeg, mango, and pineapple, and black tea. I’ve smelled this type of rum cask finish before with Breckenridge Rum Cask Finish, although this is way better.

This reminds me a bit of a Jamaican rum, with the unique orange-forward and mango / pineapple supporting scents. To possibly state the obvious, this doesn’t smell like any other Old Forester bourbon that I’ve ever had.

I enjoy the bright and tropical vibe with some darker fruity sweetness underneath, but it doesn’t have much richness, depth, or expressiveness.

After swirling and rest, I smell honey, orange, mango, vanilla, roasted oak, cinnamon, clove, and banana. There are nice rum characteristics such as the tropical fruit that surround the darker and more oaky bourbon.

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It just takes a while to open up and reveal more of the tropical fruit that most likely comes from the rum, so I get the sense that this was a longer rum cask finish. I like how this smells, but again it also doesn’t have much oomph or complexity.

As I keep smelling, it becomes more apparent to me that the base bourbon isn’t to the same standard as the 8 year old bourbon in Old Forester 117 Bottled in Bond. That was some amazing bourbon, and this is clearly not that.

Old Forester 117 Rum Finish Bourbon has some nice things going for it, but doesn’t put it all together to be great.

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Bourbon taste and aftertaste

I taste honey, vanilla, orange, roasted oak, cinnamon, mango, clove, pineapple, and a little caraway seed and banana in the back. More tropical fruit comes through the flavors, as does the oak and dryness. The rum finish comes through with more tropical fruit.

That said, in the context of this bourbon and what I would consider good balance, I think that Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Finish is more oaky than it should be and not quite sweet enough, especially with a rum cask finish. So far unfortunately, this smells more rich and interesting than the flavors do.

If anything, the bourbon here feels surprisingly immature. The bourbon doesn’t bring its down dark richness and boldness that would likely complement the brighter rum. This is really different from the other Old Forester 117 releases that I’ve had. This is far less rich, deep, and layered…which is surprising.

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After “chewing” I taste honey, orange, roasted oak, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, mango, banana, and a little dry earthiness and metallicness. The flavors are much spicier and oakier than the scents are, while the scents are more tropical and fruity.

The aftertaste leaves honey, dried orange peel, vanilla, and oak with lingering woodiness, dryness, dried orange peel, and a little bit of floralness and mango. The rum cask finish comes out more in the finish.

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Finish just often feels young, like they used 4 year old bourbon and finished it for a while in rum in hopes that it would make something special. I don’t know if it’s just in my head, but there’s the slight metallic flavor that I also got in the base Old Forester 86 proof. Unfortunately, the rum finish doesn’t add enough to offset the younger bourbon.

While it tastes pretty good, Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Finish is not great or memorable. Honestly, it’s more disappointing than anything else.

I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too. Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.

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Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Bourbon Rating

Old Forester 117 Rum Cask Finish Bourbon is a disappointing miss that doesn’t live up to the standards set by the other 117 releases. The bourbon feels young and the finish isn’t well integrated with the bourbon.

I still enjoy it enough for it to squeak by into “Mid Shelf+”, but barely. There’s just enough fragrance, flavor, and range for that…which would be great if it were under $40 for a 750ml…not $60 for a 375ml.

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I’m surprised that Old Forester decided that this was good enough to release under this name, which already has a number of excellent releases.

This is an easy pass if you see it at the distillery, and even more of a pass on secondary.

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Meet the Author: Alex

I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.

There are no sponsors, no media companies, and no nonsense. Support The Whiskey Shelf by Buying Me A Shot.

Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.

BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)