Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Kentucky Bourbon - 750ml

Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style is produced at the Old Forester Distilling Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, and commemorates one of the most unusual chapters in American spirits history. When the Volstead Act took effect in 1920 and initiated Prohibition, the federal government granted medicinal whisky permits to only six Kentucky distilleries — Old Forester among them. Brown-Forman was thereby authorized to continue producing bourbon for sale through pharmacies, making Old Forester the only bourbon brand that has remained in continuous, uninterrupted production before, during, and after Prohibition. The regulations governing medicinal whisky at the time required bottling at 100 proof with a barrel entry proof to match. Over the years in wood, the angel's share — the portion of spirit lost to evaporation — would concentrate the remaining liquid to a proof closer to 115. The 1920 expression replicates this historical outcome by bottling at 115 proof, presenting the richness and intensity that Prohibition-era medicinal bourbon would have carried at time of consumption.

The bourbon is produced using Old Forester's standard mashbill and proprietary yeast strain, distilled entirely in Louisville and aged in the brand's own new charred American white oak barrels — a supply chain Old Forester controls end to end, including its on-site cooperage. The 115 proof bottling is achieved without the addition of caramel coloring or other additives, and the high proof preserves the full intensity of the wood-derived and grain-derived compounds developed during maturation. The result is the most powerful expression in the Whiskey Row series, structured around the same historical recipe as the rest of the line but presented at the full strength that the Prohibition-era production context would have produced.

The nose is an intense medley of cherry preserves, drippy caramel, dark chocolate, thickened maple syrup, and seasoned oak spiciness — everything amplified by the 115 proof concentration. The palate is bold and full-bodied on entry, with chocolate-covered cherry, cinnamon, leather, and a warm, building heat that the proof delivers without becoming harsh. The finish is long and smoky, with toasted marshmallow, graham cracker sweetness, and a dry oak close that lingers with the persistence the high proof makes possible. The most historically grounded and highest-intensity expression in the Whiskey Row lineup.