Old Forester, the nation’s oldest continuously-operating whiskey distillery, produces a range of bourbons, from the high-end to the everyday. We recently reviewed their Birthday Bourbon and bottled-in-bond bourbon, both higher-priced expressions; this one, Old Forester 86 Proof Bourbon, is their middle-shelf release, priced at around $20.

Like all Old Forester bourbons, as well as Woodford Reserve, parent company Brown-Forman’s other bourbon brand, the mash…