diff --git a/db/db_basic_test.cc b/db/db_basic_test.cc
index 55258434e14fcb04f255725ebfb69ba9ad8a46d6..55fff5d7b351a6d2f5fd52c28ad28190929c8443 100644
--- a/db/db_basic_test.cc
+++ b/db/db_basic_test.cc
@@ -4143,7 +4143,7 @@ TEST_F(DBBasicTest, FailOpenIfLoggerCreationFail) {
 
   Status s = TryReopen(options);
   ASSERT_EQ(nullptr, options.info_log);
-  ASSERT_TRUE(s.IsAborted());
+  ASSERT_TRUE(s.IsIOError());
 
   SyncPoint::GetInstance()->DisableProcessing();
   SyncPoint::GetInstance()->ClearAllCallBacks();
diff --git a/db/db_impl/db_impl.cc b/db/db_impl/db_impl.cc
index 1aa315efc8b3e15c4737d617c3a48b6a0a7074b3..15be4dcd87d1646308e0e9ae5070806509a86d1d 100644
--- a/db/db_impl/db_impl.cc
+++ b/db/db_impl/db_impl.cc
@@ -156,7 +156,9 @@ DBImpl::DBImpl(const DBOptions& options, const std::string& dbname,
                bool read_only)
     : dbname_(dbname),
       own_info_log_(options.info_log == nullptr),
-      initial_db_options_(SanitizeOptions(dbname, options, read_only)),
+      init_logger_creation_s_(),
+      initial_db_options_(SanitizeOptions(dbname, options, read_only,
+                                          &init_logger_creation_s_)),
       env_(initial_db_options_.env),
       io_tracer_(std::make_shared<IOTracer>()),
       immutable_db_options_(initial_db_options_),
@@ -747,6 +749,9 @@ Status DBImpl::CloseHelper() {
 Status DBImpl::CloseImpl() { return CloseHelper(); }
 
 DBImpl::~DBImpl() {
+  // TODO: remove this.
+  init_logger_creation_s_.PermitUncheckedError();
+
   InstrumentedMutexLock closing_lock_guard(&closing_mutex_);
   if (closed_) {
     return;
diff --git a/db/db_impl/db_impl.h b/db/db_impl/db_impl.h
index 6c0543f0012cf95a8a306254c437d0374a9dd35b..2008085fdaa6ed2601eded994e788949486b8d66 100644
--- a/db/db_impl/db_impl.h
+++ b/db/db_impl/db_impl.h
@@ -1248,6 +1248,7 @@ class DBImpl : public DB {
   std::unique_ptr<VersionSet> versions_;
   // Flag to check whether we allocated and own the info log file
   bool own_info_log_;
+  Status init_logger_creation_s_;
   const DBOptions initial_db_options_;
   Env* const env_;
   std::shared_ptr<IOTracer> io_tracer_;
@@ -2600,10 +2601,12 @@ class GetWithTimestampReadCallback : public ReadCallback {
 };
 
 extern Options SanitizeOptions(const std::string& db, const Options& src,
-                               bool read_only = false);
+                               bool read_only = false,
+                               Status* logger_creation_s = nullptr);
 
 extern DBOptions SanitizeOptions(const std::string& db, const DBOptions& src,
-                                 bool read_only = false);
+                                 bool read_only = false,
+                                 Status* logger_creation_s = nullptr);
 
 extern CompressionType GetCompressionFlush(
     const ImmutableCFOptions& ioptions,
diff --git a/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc b/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc
index c7d67779275124b95f4ad5d8dd5e4e59660bc421..0bd773fbe60eabe275c9871d2539b1b9c2d0bae3 100644
--- a/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc
+++ b/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc
@@ -27,8 +27,9 @@
 
 namespace ROCKSDB_NAMESPACE {
 Options SanitizeOptions(const std::string& dbname, const Options& src,
-                        bool read_only) {
-  auto db_options = SanitizeOptions(dbname, DBOptions(src), read_only);
+                        bool read_only, Status* logger_creation_s) {
+  auto db_options =
+      SanitizeOptions(dbname, DBOptions(src), read_only, logger_creation_s);
   ImmutableDBOptions immutable_db_options(db_options);
   auto cf_options =
       SanitizeOptions(immutable_db_options, ColumnFamilyOptions(src));
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ Options SanitizeOptions(const std::string& dbname, const Options& src,
 }
 
 DBOptions SanitizeOptions(const std::string& dbname, const DBOptions& src,
-                          bool read_only) {
+                          bool read_only, Status* logger_creation_s) {
   DBOptions result(src);
 
   if (result.env == nullptr) {
@@ -59,6 +60,9 @@ DBOptions SanitizeOptions(const std::string& dbname, const DBOptions& src,
     if (!s.ok()) {
       // No place suitable for logging
       result.info_log = nullptr;
+      if (logger_creation_s) {
+        *logger_creation_s = s;
+      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -1790,9 +1794,11 @@ Status DBImpl::Open(const DBOptions& db_options, const std::string& dbname,
 
   DBImpl* impl = new DBImpl(db_options, dbname, seq_per_batch, batch_per_txn);
   if (!impl->immutable_db_options_.info_log) {
-    s = Status::Aborted("Failed to create logger");
+    s = impl->init_logger_creation_s_;
     delete impl;
     return s;
+  } else {
+    assert(impl->init_logger_creation_s_.ok());
   }
   s = impl->env_->CreateDirIfMissing(impl->immutable_db_options_.GetWalDir());
   if (s.ok()) {
diff --git a/utilities/backup/backup_engine_test.cc b/utilities/backup/backup_engine_test.cc
index 6e47af89f4b21188e44217ef5faa3ce9c97aa0d8..3b939c5ec276c8f0c16095040364d37861344518 100644
--- a/utilities/backup/backup_engine_test.cc
+++ b/utilities/backup/backup_engine_test.cc
@@ -3066,7 +3066,7 @@ TEST_F(BackupEngineTest, OpenBackupAsReadOnlyDB) {
   db = nullptr;
 
   // Now try opening read-write and make sure it fails, for safety.
-  ASSERT_TRUE(DB::Open(opts, name, &db).IsAborted());
+  ASSERT_TRUE(DB::Open(opts, name, &db).IsIOError());
 }
 
 TEST_F(BackupEngineTest, ProgressCallbackDuringBackup) {