Review: Old Forester The 117 Series – Prohibition Era Still Proof Bourbon

The latest in Old Forester’s 117 Series is a bourbon that honors its legacy as one of the few distilleries legally permitted to produce whiskey for medicinal purposes during Prohibition. Prohibition Era Still Proof is a bourbon bottled at 130 proof, which was the bottling abv during Old Forester‘s 100-day distiller’s holiday a few years prior to the repeal of Prohibition, a period of production granted under license by the U.S. government.

Officially the release dropped on Repeal Day 2025 — December 5 — the date marking the end of Prohibition in 1933. Let’s dig in.

Old Forester The 117 Series – Prohibition Era Still Proof Bourbon Review

On the nose this whiskey is fiery — at 65% abv, it better be — with heavy overtones of coffee beans, chicory, and a slick of petrol. Significant barrel char clings to the nostrils, imbuing it with a peppery, slightly abrasive quality. Notes of peanut shells, a pinch of aniseed, and well-dried grass, almost hay-like, continue the theme.

The palate surprises as it’s not quite as overwhelming as the nose would indicate, with brown sugar and molasses notes offering a juicy, quite fruity character that quickly slides into notes of fig and raisin, followed by chocolate and a hint of coffee bean. At full strength the whiskey is bold but just shy of overwhelming, and a splash of water is hugely helpful to take the spirit’s foot off of your windpipe and open up some secondary notes — black tea, mint, and preserved lemons in syrup. The whiskey finishes sweet with a reprise of peanut and some roasted corn notes, a gentle maple element lingering.

Hazmat nuts will love it, but everyone else needs to give it a whirl — with a Stanley cup filled with H2O at hand.

130 proof.

A- / $65 (375ml)

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