Old Forester has announced the highly anticipated return of its most sought-after expression, Birthday Bourbon.
This year the bourbon is 12 years old and 107 proof, and consumers can earn the opportunity to purchase this rare bottle via a national sweepstakes.
Selected by master distiller emeritus Chris Morris and master taster Melissa Rift, with aid from assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo, the liquid came from 209 total barrels.
“Twelve years of maturation in Warehouses G and L has produced a rich and unique flavor profile perfect for this sought-after annual release,” Trigo says.
Old Forester releases this limited-edition, vintage-dated bottle each September 2 to celebrate the birthday of the brand’s founder, George Garvin Brown. (Note: Birthday Bourbon will not be sold at the distillery on September 2.)
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon will be available through an online sweepstakes running on OldForester.com, August 15-21. Anyone winning the opportunity to purchase a bottle through this sweepstakes must buy and pick it up at the Old Forester Distillery in Louisville between September 5, 2024 and December 14, 2024 (see official rules for all terms and conditions).
Each bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon will retail for a suggested $199.99 per 750-ml. bottle. Limit one per customer and credit card only.
“There’s no better way to celebrate our founder and longstanding history than by getting our rarest expression in the hands of bourbon lovers across the country,” Rift says.
The annual release of Birthday Bourbon is also sold at retailers nationwide.
On the nose of the 2024 iteration is apricot and apple with spice cake and buttercream icing with undertones of sweet tobacco and warm oak, the distillery reports. The palate brings juicy fruits with toasted oak and warm cinnamon spice, before a finish of caramel apple and a mix of sweet tobacco, ground cinnamon and cacao.
This follows the release of Old Forester 1924 10 year old bourbon whiskey.
