Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024
Updated: Aug 26
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
About This Spirit from the Maker
Source: Bottle and Bottle Tag
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024
Birthday Bourbon
AGED FOR OVER 12 YEARS IN NEW CHARRED OAK BARRELS
This whiskey is distilled by us only, and we are responsible for its richness and fine quality. Its elegant flavor is solely due to Original fineness developed with care. There is nothing better in the market.
- George Garvin Brown, Founder
Barrelled 2012
Ltd bottling 2024
53.5% ABV (107 proof)
Old Forester annually releases an expression of its highly acclaimed bourbon to celebrate the September 2nd birthday of its creator, George Garvin Brown.
Carefully chosen by Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris and Master Taster Melissa Rift, this 24th annual release of Birthday Bourbon stems from a production featuring an unusually brief fermentation period of less than 3 days. This unique approach results in fewer fruity esters within the distillate. Following a 12-year maturation process on the first floors of Warehouse G and L, the barrel character and sweet aromatics take center stage, contributing to the exceptionally rich and robust flavor presented at 107 Proof.
PROOF: 107
COLOR: Dark pecan.
AROMA: Waxy honey comb, soft caramel and subtle brown sugar sweetness balanced by toasted nuts, graham cracker crumbles and apple peel tannins.
FLAVOR: Honeycomb dipped in tea and nut covered caramel apple.
FINISH: Drying with lingering apple peel.
Source (PRESS RELEASE): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/old-forester-announces-birthday-bourbon-2024-12-years-old-and-107-proof-302222733.html
Bourbon 2024: 12 years old, and 107 proof
Courtesy of Old Forester (PRNewsfoto/Old Forester)
News provided by Old Forester
Aug 15, 2024, 09:00 ET
National sweeps allows consumers opportunity to purchase a rare bottle.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Old Forester announces the highly-anticipated return of its most coveted 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.
Hand-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 said.
Old Forester releases the limited-edition, vintage-dated bottle each September 2 to celebrate the birthday of the brand's founder, George Garvin Brown. (Please note: Birthday Bourbon will NOT be sold at the distillery on September 2.)
Fans nationwide have the chance to join this year's birthday festivities.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon will be available through an online sweepstakes running on OldForester.com August 15 through August 21, 2024. Anyone winning the opportunity to purchase a bottle through the sweepstakes must purchase 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. 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 said.
The annual release of Birthday Bourbon is sold at retailers nationwide.
Taste notes:
Nose - A bright fruit medley with accents of apricot and apple are complemented by rich spice cake and buttercream icing with undertones of sweet tobacco and warm oak
Taste - Juicy fruits jump out on the front of the palate with toasted oak and warm cinnamon spice rounding out the flavor to follow
Finish - hints of caramel apple lead the finish with a long and flavorful mix of sweet tobacco, ground cinnamon and cacao
For more information on how to enter the sweepstakes and official rules and regulations, please visit the website.
About Old Forester Bourbon:
Old Forester is Brown-Forman's founding brand, founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown. Brown believed Old Forester was so pure and consistent that he sealed it, signed it, and pledged, "There is nothing better in the market."
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
How We Feel About the Spirit
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024: A Collector’s Treasure for the Sipping Room
Written by Nancy Fae for His, Hers & the Good Life
Introduction
Some bottles arrive in your life like a wink from the universe — unexpected, rare, and carrying a little celebratory magic. For us, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024 is exactly that bottle. We didn’t win a lottery, we didn’t stalk a sweepstakes, and we didn’t camp outside a distillery. Instead, Jeff received a special birthday benefit invitation from Total Wine in Nashville, granting him the chance to purchase one of the most coveted annual releases in bourbon culture.
If you know the chase, you know how extraordinary that is.
This bottle — 12 years old, 107 proof, and dressed in its iconic rounded glass — isn’t meant for opening. It’s meant for admiring. For honoring. For letting it stand proudly in the Sipping Room as a symbol of the hunt, the luck, and the joy of collecting.
And yes… it’s staying sealed.
His Take (Jeff)
There’s something about Birthday Bourbon that feels like a handshake from history. Old Forester only releases it once a year, and the fact that I got the chance to buy one without entering a sweepstakes or crossing my fingers in a lottery? That’s a birthday gift I’ll remember. The bottle itself is gorgeous — heavy, elegant, and unmistakably Old Forester. I’m not opening it. Some bottles are meant to be tasted. This one is meant to be kept.
Her Take (Nancy Fae)
I’m still learning how to identify flavor notes, but even I know this bottle is special. The deep pecan color alone looks like it’s holding secrets. I love that it’s part of the annual celebration of George Garvin Brown’s birthday — it feels like we’re participating in a little bourbon tradition. And honestly, I’m relieved we’re not opening it. I’d be nervous trying to describe something this rare. Instead, I get to admire it, photograph it, and let it shine in our Sipping Room collection.
Closing in the His, Hers & the Good Life Style
His (Jeff)
Birthday Bourbon is one of those bottles that reminds you why collecting is fun. It’s not about the chase this time — it’s about the surprise. And it’s going to look fantastic on the shelf.
Her (Nancy Fae)
This bottle feels like a milestone in our Sipping Room story. A little serendipity, a little celebration, and a lot of beauty. I love that it came into our lives so effortlessly.
The Good Life
The Good Life is built on moments like this — the unexpected wins, the shared excitement, and the bottles that become part of your story. Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024 isn’t just a collector’s piece; it’s a reminder that sometimes the best things arrive exactly when they’re meant to.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
How to Enjoy
Even though our bottle is staying sealed, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024 deserves a moment of imagination — because if someone did open it, here’s exactly how it should be enjoyed:
Neat in a proper Glencairn This bourbon is all about its 12‑year barrel character and sweet aromatics. Neat allows the honeycomb, caramel apple, toasted nuts, and warm spice notes to unfold slowly and intentionally.
Let it rest in the glass Give it a few minutes. The 107‑proof structure opens beautifully with air, revealing deeper layers of apple peel, graham cracker, and warm oak.
Sip slowly, savor deliberately This isn’t a casual pour. It’s a birthday celebration in a glass — meant for quiet appreciation, thoughtful tasting, and maybe a little awe.
Pair with a moment, not a meal Enjoy it during a milestone, a toast, or a reflective evening. This bourbon shines best when it’s the star of the moment.
Share only with someone who understands the significance If you’re opening a Birthday Bourbon, it should be with someone who knows what it means to hold a glass of something this rare.
And if you’re like us and keeping it sealed? Display it proudly, tell its story often, and let it anchor your collection with grace.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
Disclaimer: Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age. Life’s Rants promotes the responsible and legal enjoyment of premium cigars and alcohol by individuals of legal age. We do not endorse or encourage smoking or drinking among minors.
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