Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is coming. Details on how you could get a rare bottle.
Old Forester fans, this time of year means one thing: Birthday Bourbon!
And again this year there’s a way for anyone to win a chance to buy a bottle of this coveted annual release, which is almost impossible to find in stores.
But there is a catch: You have to pick it up in Louisville; no delivery options are available.
What is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon?
Brown-Forman’s signature brand releases Old Forester Birthday Bourbon every year on Sept. 2, the birthday of founder George Garvin Brown, who created Old Forester, the first bourbon to be sold only in a sealed glass bottle instead of from barrels.
This year’s Birthday Bourbon is 12 years old and 107 proof. Hand-selected by Brown-Forman master distiller emeritus Chris Morris and Old Forester master taster Melissa Rift, with aid from assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo, the bourbon came from 209 total barrels, according to the distillery.
It was matured in Warehouses G and L, according to Trigo.
“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 in the release.
Tasting notes for 2024 OFBB
According to the tasting notes for OFBB, as fans call it, it has a nose of bright fruit medley with apricot and apple complemented by spice cake and buttercream icing and undertones of sweet tobacco and oak. On the palate, it’s juicy fruit, toasted oak and warm cinnamon spice. The finish has hints of caramel apple, sweet tobacco, ground cinnamon and cacao.
Where to buy Old Forester’s rarest release
A few bottles usually make their way to some retailers in Kentucky and elsewhere, but there definitely will not be any for sale at the Old Forester Distillery in Louisville on Sept. 2, the brand says, so do not line up.
However, anyone (over 21) can enter the online sweepstakes at oldforester.com/birthday-bourbon-sweepstakes/ Aug. 15-21 for a chance to buy a bottle. Suggested retail price is $199.99, limit one per customer, credit card only.
The winners who choose to buy a bottle must pick it up at the Louisville distillery between Sept. 5 and Dec. 14.
