old forester 1910

Nose Brown sugar and vanilla lead into a layer of creamy caramel. Freshly cut oak surrounds the aroma and intensifies as it rests and develops. Dessert scents dominate the nose, but very subtle cherries and raspberries come creeping through.

Palate Oaky charred caramel and molasses, possibly influenced by the syrupy viscosity. A bizarre rye flavor makes its way through, but it’s fleeting. As the char fades, blackberries and cake develop slightly.

Finish Explosion of oak that lingers throughout the entire finish. The char fades first even as the quintessential oak flavor remains, replaced by latent caramel and vanilla. The aftertaste ends with a whispery tobacco note.

Story The oven’s warmth cuts through the bitter cold, emitting the aromas of holidays, on a morning that threatened to be dreary. Sunlight breaches through gray in spears. You nestle into a jacket and pace the yard looking for spotlights. The tender comfort of the mundane, an unspecified gladness in simplicity.

music pairing jacksonville by sufjan stevens