Whiskey Review: Old Hamer Cask Strength Bourbon

Introduction

For this episode of Film & Whiskey, we’re sticking with West Fork Whiskey, but switching gears to explore one of their other labels: Old Hamer Cask Strength Bourbon. Old Hamer is a resurrected Indiana brand that dates back over a century. West Fork acquired the rights to the name and revived it—though unlike their core West Fork products, Old Hamer uses sourced distillate from MGP.

This particular expression comes in at 118.2 proof (59.1% ABV) and features a 99% corn, 1% malted barley mash bill, which makes it about as corn-heavy as you can get. Interestingly, it’s only aged for three years, and the barrels were previously designated as light whiskey. After aging in new charred oak, though, it meets the requirements to be considered a bourbon.

The bottle we sampled is from Batch #32. Let’s dive in.

Nose

Brad: This is like a just a beautiful classic bourbon experience. There is caramel and vanilla. The vanilla reminds me of like a really rich vanilla frosting. With the amount of corn in this, maybe it’s because I knew the mash bill, but it kind of smells like a cob of buttered corn before you put salt on it. Like it’s really kind of creamy, and there’s a little bit of a marshmallow vibe going on. Really pleasant nose overall. 7.5/10

Bob: I think overall it’s not a very complex nose. It’s pretty one note and it’s like dusty corn. It smells a little bit light and thin, which does not bode well necessarily. But there was one interesting note—it was this kind of sweet powdery smell and I kept bouncing back and forth between toasted marshmallow and pink bubble gum. I think it’s a little bit of both. I’ll say bubble gum just so it’s in our notes. 7/10

Taste

Brad: I’m kind of on a cereal kick with West Fork and Old Hamer. This reminds me of cornflakes with a little bit of sugar added. It got more spicy for me than I expected. There’s some really nice black pepper stuff going on. There’s a little bit of a cherry note that I’m picking up, almost like a maraschino cherry juice. Really sweet. Overall, this is a really pleasant drinking experience. 7.5/10

Bob: Yeah, I like this a lot. Could it have benefited from another year or two in the barrel? I think so. It’s way more syrupy sweet than I thought it would be, and actually much more viscous too. It’s spicy all the way through—right on the tip of the tongue, all the way across the palate. There’s a lot of alcohol burn and prickle, but it opens up into layers of black pepper. For me, it was a ton of vanilla buttercream frosting at the tip of my tongue, and then expanded into some classic bourbon flavors. I got maple, and a little bit of the buttered popcorn Jelly Belly vibe too. I really like this a lot. 8/10

Finish

Brad: The black pepper really sticks around and gets a little bit oaky, but in a way that makes me appreciate the three years. It’s just enough of an oak taste to enhance the experience. The corn definitely sticks around to the end. I wish it had a little more complexity of flavor. I wish it moved on from the nose and the palate, but it is what it is. 7/10

Bob: I think I’m going to give this an 8 out of 10. It’s a very specific finish—pretty short and very sweet—but I love it. It reminds me of that Mexican corn liqueur Nixta. This has that syrupy sweet note at the back. It nails the notes it needs to. 8/10

Balance

Brad: I’ve been at a 7.5 for everything but the finish. I think this is an overall really well-balanced, fun expression of whiskey. 7.5/10

Bob: I’m quite high on this. I think it’s great for what a younger whiskey should taste like—heavy on the sweetness and very focused. 8.5/10

Value

Brad: I think the fact that they are selling it for $50 is a really good value. 8/10

Bob: If you wanted someone to taste a corn-forward bourbon, this is way better than something like Mellow Corn. 100 times out of 100. 8/10

Final Scores

Bob: That takes me to a total of 39.5/50.

Brad: I’m two points below you at 37.5/50.

Our average score comes out to 38.5/50, or 77/100. That puts this squarely in the “try it or buy it” zone. As a rule of thumb, anything above a 35/50 gets a recommendation from us. A 40 is a no-brainer. And this one? It’s pretty darn close.

In today’s whiskey world, $50 doesn’t stretch as far as it used to. But this bottle punches above its price point. If you’re curious about high-corn bourbon, Old Hamer Cask Strength is a solid pick—and a good reason to keep your eye on what West Fork is doing with this revived brand.