Old Forester’s Triple Char hits 115 proof with pecan praline, baked apple, and deep oak char. Full tasting notes and release details below.
Most cask-strength bourbons hit you with heat first and flavor second. Old Forester’s newest 117 Series release, Triple Char, flips that order — and it does it from inside city limits.
Released July 24, 2026, at $64.99 for a 375 mL bottle, Triple Char is the latest experimental drop in Old Forester’s 117 Series, the line the brand built specifically to showcase unusual barrels and production techniques it wouldn’t put into standard release. At 115 proof (57.5% ABV), it’s not a sipping whiskey for the faint of heart — but the char treatment behind it is designed to make that proof work for the drinker, not against them.
A Char Job Three Times Longer Than Standard
The name isn’t a flourish. Triple Char spent its barrel life in staves charred three times longer than Old Forester’s standard specification, driving the char layer deep into the wood rather than leaving it as a surface treatment.
The result on the nose is immediate: pecan praline and honeysuckle up front, crisp apple and stone fruit underneath, with cardamom and sweet leather rounding out the back end — a more layered profile than the brand’s standard barrel program typically produces.
That extended oak contact is also why this bottle can carry 115 proof without tipping into pure heat. The deeper char gives the whiskey more surface area to pull tannin, vanillin, and caramelized sugar compounds from the wood, which is what turns a high-proof pour into something with actual structure instead of just burn.
What’s Actually in the Glass
On the palate, Triple Char opens with buttery baked apple cobbler — the kind of note that reads more dessert than bourbon — before cinnamon and black pepper move in to add grip. The proof shows up here, but as texture rather than assault: it’s what pushes the spice forward and keeps the sweetness from going flat.
It’s rare for a 115-proof whiskey to taste like something you’d want with dessert instead of instead of it, but Triple Char pulls that off without diluting the point of a barrel-proof release.
The finish is where the triple char treatment closes the loop: rich oak char leads, followed by soft leather and a subtle thread of sweet licorice that lingers longer than the proof would suggest.
Small-Batch Roots
Triple Char also marks a first for the brand: it’s the first 117 Series release made entirely from whiskey distilled at Old Forester’s Main Street facility in downtown Louisville, rather than the company’s larger Shively production plant. Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo called it “an exciting new chapter for Old Forester and our 117 Series,” pointing to the extended char as the mechanism that let the team “showcase that spirit in a completely new way.”
It’s a small detail with a bigger implication: a brand old enough to call itself America’s first bottled bourbon is still willing to run its newest experiment through its smallest room.
Where to Find It
Availability is limited to the Old Forester Distillery at 119 W Main St. in Louisville and select Kentucky retailers — there’s no indication yet of a wider rollout, which tracks with how the 117 Series has always operated: small runs, distillery-first access, collector attention.
Mini FAQ
Is Old Forester Triple Char worth the $64.99 price point?
At 115 proof in a 375 mL bottle, you’re paying a premium for barrel-proof intensity and a limited-run 117 Series designation rather than everyday-drinker value — collectors and cask-strength fans are the intended audience.
How does Triple Char compare to standard Old Forester expressions?
The triple-length char treatment pulls significantly more oak character into the whiskey than Old Forester’s standard barrel program, producing a denser, more dessert-leaning flavor profile alongside the higher proof.
Where can I buy Old Forester Triple Char?
It’s available in limited quantities at the Old Forester Distillery on Louisville’s Main Street and at select Kentucky retailers, with no confirmed wider distribution as of release.
