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Old Forester King Ranch
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Distiller:
Brown-Forman
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Bottler:
Brown-Forman
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ABV:
52.5%%
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Age:
NAS
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Price:
$$$$$
- Raided Score: 76
- Publication: The Whiskey Wash
- Excerpt: This will appeal to folks who prefer their bourbon on the spicier, less viscous side but don’t want to commit fully to rye.
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- Raided Score: 88
- Publication: Whiskey Raiders
- Excerpt: For being so complex on the nose, the palate and finish grow increasingly one-noted.
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Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
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Intro:
This is a Texas-exclusive bourbon collaboration between Old Forester and King Ranch, the largest ranch in the U.S. This is a blend of Old Forester whiskey aged in heavily charred barrels and filtered charcoal created from mesquite trees harvested from King Ranch.
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Nose:
Rally fascinating nose. It reminds me of cotton candy, peach rings, banana bread and a dash of barrel char. Light and fruity but not in a youthful way — there's plenty of oak — but in a genuine fruit-forward bourbon kind of way.
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Taste:
Medium mouthfeel, it's banana bread all day long with a touch of extra char. Interesting vanilla bean and honey note as well. Everywhere you turn, though, it's banana and char, banana and char. There's a nice oakiness that's not overbearing, which is unusual given how much char is coming through with the banana.
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Finish:
Long finish, more char than banana.
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Overall:
For being so complex on the nose, the palate and finish grow increasingly one-noted. This isn't bad by any stretch, but I suspect it will be polarizing save for a narrow band of bourbon drinkers. I am thankful it's similar to Longbranch (from Wild Turkey) but with some real character, depth and flavor for bourbon lovers. That said... if you don't like banana ... steer clear.
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Score:
6
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources