Old Forester is releasing its rarest Kentucky bourbon yet. Here’s how to buy it.

Looking for a once-in-a-lifetime version of one of bourbon’s most storied brands?

Brown-Forman is releasing a 12 1/2-year-old Old Forester that was meant to be used for celebrating the brand’s 150th anniversary in 2020.

Only 500 bottles were ever made, crafted for members of the Brown family and key partners of the company.

Now, 150 bottles will be offered for sale, making it the rarest Old Forester ever released, according to the company.

How to order rare Old Forester bourbon

The bottles are for sale online only at oldforester.com for $2,500 a piece. The bourbon, which the press release says is “extraordinarily exquisite,” was hand-selected by master distiller Chris Morris on April 18, 2008. The whiskey matured in six barrels Warehouse J, top floor 8, Rick 44, tier 1.

It was bottled in special decanters and were meant to be used for special tastings and events at the company in 2020.

When the pandemic hit, they went into storage. Now, you can buy one and pick it up at the distillery on Dec. 5, the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, as part of a special after-hours event.

What is special about this 12 1/2-year-old Old Forester release?

Each bottle comes with a private VIP tour of the Old Forester distillery in Louisville, along with cocktails and appetizers with members of the Brown family.

The decanter is a nod to Old Forester’s holiday decanters of the 1950s and 1960s designed by Raymond Loewy. A special year-long exhibit, which opens this month at the Frazier Museum, tells the story of those mid-century decanters.

The decanter also comes in a custom wooden box made from wood recovered from the fire at Old Forester on Whiskey Row in 2015, according to the announcement.

“Old Forester is the only bourbon to exist before, during, and after Prohibition – and what better way to celebrate that legacy than offering to the public this rare decanter,” said Old Forester master taster Melissa Rift.

This story was originally published November 16, 2023 at 10:17 AM.

Janet Patton

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-5233

Janet Patton covers restaurants, bars, food and bourbon for the Herald-Leader. She is an award-winning business reporter who also has covered agriculture, gambling, horses and hemp. Support my work with a digital subscription