For old Forester fans, this time of year means one thing above all: birthday bourbon!
This year, too, anyone can win a bottle of this coveted annual edition, which is hard to get in stores.
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There’s a catch, though: you have to pick it up in Louisville. There’s no delivery option.
What is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon?
Brown-Forman’s signature brand releases Old Forester Birthday Bourbon every year on September 2, the birthday of founder George Garvin Brown, who created Old Forester, the first bourbon sold only in sealed glass bottles rather than from barrels.
This year’s Birthday Bourbon is 12 years old and has an alcohol content of 107 proof. The bourbon was hand-picked by Chris Morris, master distiller emeritus at Brown-Forman, and Melissa Rift, master taster at Old Forester, with the assistance of assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo, and comes from a total of 209 barrels, according to the distillery.
According to Trigo, it was aged in warehouses G and L.
“There is no better way to celebrate our founder and our long history than by bringing our rarest bottling into the hands of bourbon lovers across the country,” Rift said in the press release.
Tasting notes for 2024 OFBB
According to the tasting notes on OFBB, as it’s known by fans, it has a bright medley of fruit on the nose with apricot and apple, complemented by spice cake and buttercream frosting and undertones of sweet tobacco and oak. On the palate, it’s juicy fruit, toasted oak and warm cinnamon spices. The finish has hints of caramel apple, sweet tobacco, ground cinnamon and cocoa.
Where to buy the rarest edition of Old Forester
Usually, some bottles make their way to some retailers in Kentucky and elsewhere, but there definitely won’t be any for sale at the Old Forester Distillery in Louisville on Sept. 2, the brand says, so don’t wait in line.
However, anyone (over 21) can enter the online sweepstakes at oldforester.com/birthday-bourbon-sweepstakes/ from August 15-21 for a chance to purchase a bottle. Suggested retail price is $199.99, limit of one per customer, by credit card only.
Winners who choose to purchase a bottle must pick it up at the distillery in Louisville between September 5th and December 14th.
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