Tag: Jackie Zykan

When Old Forester offered to send me an early sample of the 2019 re-release of last year’s wildly popular Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky, I jumped at the opportunity and was excited to ask Jackie Zykan all about it. Luckily, I still had one bottle from the original 2018 release to do a side-by-side comparison myself. You can read my final thoughts following the interview.

Here is the transcript of our exchange.

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BSG: Please introduce yourself in as much or as little detail as you wish for the readers who may not know much about your background and current position with Old Forester.

Jackie: My name is Jackie Zykan, and I am the Master Taster of Old Forester Bourbon. As Master Taster, I act as the face of the brand and travel to share the story of Old Forester’s production and history, and am a part of making the delicious bourbon, overseeing the finishing and running our Single Barrel program. I have a background in Biology and Chemistry, and spent almost a decade prior to this role as a buyer and beverage director, which aids me in my pursuit to keep expanding the Old Forester Bourbon brand and tell our unique story.

BSG: What’s the background story behind the 1910 expression in the Whiskey Row series?

Jackie: Like all of the expressions in the Whiskey Row Series, 1910 Old Fine Whisky tells a piece of Old Forester’s history, representing a time when the Distillery suffered a fire that shut down the bottling line. From the fire, the whisky that was ready to be bottled (100 proof Old Forester) had to instead be stored in a second barrel until the bottling line was repaired. The resulting liquid, what’s today known as double barreled whiskey, did not taste like Old Forester, so it was presented as Very Fine Old Whisky. We have replicated this process, taking a batch of 100 proof Old Forester, and finishing it in a secondary barrel that has been very heavily charred, for 7-9 months.

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BSG: I really enjoy some of the other double-barreled bourbons like the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, also part of the Brown-Forman portfolio. How does 1910 differ from other double-barreled bourbon options on the shelf? Why is it so unique?

Jackie: The 1910 expression is finished in a barrel which has been charred to the point of near disintegration. Old Forester bourbon barrels are typically a 22 second char, whereas the 1910 secondary barrel is charred about 55 seconds. This is wildly different from Woodford Double Oaked, for example, in that the secondary barrel for that particular product is heavily toasted. The flavor profile which is yielded from the heavily charred barrel is expectedly slightly smokey, but also incredibly smooth and creamy, with heavy chocolate tones. 

BSG: This turned out to be a bigger hit than anyone originally anticipated. Tell us a little about what happened last year when 1910 first released.

Jackie: We based our release volumes off of a year’s supply of 1920. As we all know, the 1920 expression has been incredibly successful, and we honestly thought we would be in a safe place to base our numbers from that. We did not anticipate the success of this product, and we had shipped all of our year’s stock to distributors within the first month! Obviously we can’t just pluck more 1910 barrels off a tree; the process from planning the secondary barrel construction plus waiting for the finishing period is a solid 10 months, so we all just had to find some patience this year.

BSG: What is Old Forester doing now to make sure you have enough stocks of 1910 to keep it on the shelves year round? What kind of scaling is this now taking compared to the original plan?

Jackie: When you have a product that undergoes such an intense secondary finishing, you have to be careful not to over-finish, as there is no way to turn back once you do. For business reasons, we also try to avoid over saturating our finished inventory. We have taken note of the success and are now in bi-weekly meetings discussing the status of our inventory to make sure we don’t run out again and are keeping an appropriate cadence of this fantastic product.

BSG: You are now widely known for your exceptional palate in the spirits industry. I’m always curious about the experts’ honest opinions on consistency of batches. How close do you think the re-release of 1910 is to the original profile of the 2018 release? What, if any, notes did you find to be a little different from the original batch to this latest release (however small those differences may be)? I still have a bottle left from the original release and plan on doing the side-by-side as well.

Jackie: Old Forester was founded on two principles: quality and consistency. I have literally had bottles of 86 proof from the 80’s tasted side by side to the 86 proof today and found no significant difference. That being said, the new run of 1910 has been closely analyzed, just like all of our other products, across our sensory panels to match the original release. I have tasted them, and I can assure you this second run is just as delicious as the first.

BSG: Which bottle is your current favorite in the Whiskey Row series?

Jackie: I love all of my children equally of course, but I will admit that the 1910 is my new favorite. Second to that, the 1870 is such a solid, everyday sipper.

BSG: When and where can we expect to see 1910 in stores across the country? Is there a phase-in plan to get this out to the various markets? 

Jackie: The 1910 product will be available in all of our markets across the U.S. We recently shipped to distributors, so look for it on a shelf soon!

BSG: Are there any plans for a price change from the original release price in 2018?

Jackie: No, we aren’t the brand that inflates price based on demand. The re-release of Old Forester 1910 Fine Whisky will have a suggested retail price of $55, just like the original release.

BSG: What should we be looking forward to next from Old Forester? From Jackie? Anything in the works that can be shared?

Jackie:  We have a big anniversary year coming up in 2020 (the 150th anniversary!) so I would be on the look out for some special releases. From me? Best way to be in the know is to follow me on social media. 

BSG: Where can our readers find you online/social media if they want to follow Old Forester and/or yourself?

Jackie: New and old fans of Old Forester Bourbon can always learn more about me, as well as all you need to know about the brand by visiting oldforester.com. I also encourage all who are in the Louisville area to visit and take a tour of the Old Forester Distillery at 119 W Main Street, I can guarantee you’ll love it! You are also more than welcome to follow Old Forester and myself on social at the below accounts:

a.       @oldforester (Instagram)

b.       @oldforester (Twitter)

c.       @oldforester (Facebook)

d.       @jackiezykan (Instagram)

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After receiving the new sample of 1910, I popped the cork on the final bottle in my collection from last year for a side-by-side comparison. It is honestly unchanged to my palate. I couldn’t pick out any notable differences as I switched between the two glasses. A job well done by Jackie and the sensory panel to get this back out on the shelves virtually unchanged for us all to enjoy once again! Go read my full review of 1910 as well as the rest of the Whiskey Row series: 1870, 1897 and 1920, plus the movie tie-in Statesman. I’ve also reviewed the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon that we mentioned in the interview as well. You’ll have a completely different experience between the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked and Old Forester 1910 double-barreled bourbons. If you like the extra smoke/spice notes that seem to be brought out from that extra heavy char, then 1910 will be your bottle. The Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is a much sweeter option resulting from that heavy toast and lighter char on the second barrel. Both are very solid offerings from the Brown-Forman portfolio.

Thanks so much to Old Forester for the early sample and Jackie Zykan for taking the time to answer a few questions. In my opinion, the entire Whiskey Row series has been a home run for Old Fo! I keep them all stocked in my own home bar and now I won’t be so worried about holding back on consuming the rest of my final bottle from last year.

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