| Whiskey | Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (2022 Release) |
| Distillery | Old Forester |
| Region | Lawrenceburg, Indiana |
| Type | Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley |
| Proof / ABV | 96 Proof / 48% ABV |
| Aging | 11 Years |
| Filtration | Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $150 |
| Release Year | 2022 |
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Tasting Notes
Appearance: Red Amber
Nose: Sweet caramel, brown sugar, vanilla wafers, red fruits, raspberry, citrus, cinnamon, chocolate, toasted oak, baking spice, light rye spice and pepper
Palate: Rich caramel and toasted oak, vanilla, red fruits, cherry, raspberry, light rye spice, pepper, tobacco, chocolate
Finish: Smooth easy finish packed with caramel, vanilla, red fruits, and a nice bit of rye spice and pepper on the tail end
Visiting Old Forester Distillery
In 2023, I took my dad on a trip to Kentucky to visit all of our favorite whiskey distilleries and Old Forester was one of them.
In 1870, Old Forester was the first bourbon to be sold exclusively in sealed bottles by the distillery which makes it widely recognized as the first whiskey distillery in America to standardize the process.
In the mid 1800’s, people were practicing plenty of shady practices when selling their full barrels of whiskey.
They would dilute with water, cut the whiskey with cheaper grain alcohol, add caramel or molasses to darken the color and other basic things.
But on the crazier side, people would sometimes put sulfuric acid or cayenne pepper to imitate the “burn” of alcohol.
Adding tea, iodine, turpentine, and kerosene were even attempted to trick people into buying their cheaper whiskey.
So in 1870, George Garvin Brown decided to seal all of the bottles at the Old Forester distillery to regulate quality and reduce adulteration.
The change helped guarantee the purity of his product which had a massive impact for trust, reputation, and branding in the industry.
George Garvin Brown was even a pharmaceutical salesman so he would often prescribe whiskey as medicine and the sealed bottles helped further his reputation.
Other distilleries soon followed suit, but this makes Old Forester one of the first, if not the first, continuous commercially bottled bourbons in America.
So with all of this history behind the Old Forester distillery, I definitely wanted to visit and learn more about their processes.
That and I’ve always loved their whiskey.
Old Forester Distillery was an excellent experience where we learned more about how they product their whiskey and how they have their own cooperage that creates their barrels (most distilleries purchase from outside cooperages).
After the tour, we got to experience a decent tasting of the full lineup of:
- Old Forester 1870 Original Batch
- Old Forester 1897 Bottled-In-Bond
- Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whiskey
- Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
But the highlight of the trip for me was that we stopped down at the bar below the distillery and they had some of the more high-tier whiskeys available to purchase and taste.
My dad and I were on this trip because it was my birthday weekend, so we had to check and see if they had the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon.
Turns out, they did!
So my dad insisted that we spend whatever the cost was and make sure we got to taste the Birthday Bourbon on my birthday.
So we walked up to the bar, saw the Birthday Bourbon on the menu for $50 for a 2oz pour.
Not bad at all and I certainly would have ordered that.
But as I looked over to my right, I saw a group of guys with flights and I asked them what it was.
They told me and the flight included a 1 oz pour of the following:
- 2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
- Old Forester – The 117 Series Warehouse H Barrels
- Old Forester – The President’s Choice
I asked the bartender the cost of the flight…
$50 to sample all three!
My dad and I were delighted and that was the first time I tried the 2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon.
Unfortunately, the bottle only releases once per year at the distillery so I wasn’t able to purchase a bottle, but after quite some time… I have finally tracked down this bottle to review for all of you.
I’m excited to see if it tastes just like I remembered at the Old Forester Distillery.
I remember the Birthday Bourbon being extremely refined and one of the smoothest whiskeys I had ever tasted, so it was my favorite.
My dad loved the President’s Choice because it was a lot bolder and packed quite the punch of flavors.
I also remember that right after this distillery tour, I snapped one of my favorite photos of my dad at the local restaurant Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen.
He was so excited they had some Kentucky Fried Chicken and Waffles.
You can read about our entire Kentucky Bourbon Trail Trip where we visited so many distilleries and even got to taste whiskeys with Fred and Freddie Noe.
But alright, let’s finally get into this and review the 2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon!
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Tasting Notes
Appearance: Red Amber
Nose: Sweet caramel, brown sugar, vanilla wafers, red fruits, raspberry, citrus, cinnamon, chocolate, toasted oak, baking spice, light rye spice and pepper
Palate: Rich caramel and toasted oak, vanilla, red fruits, cherry, raspberry, light rye spice, pepper, tobacco, chocolate
Finish: Smooth easy finish packed with caramel, vanilla, red fruits, and a nice bit of rye spice and pepper on the tail end
Is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon an Approachable Whiskey?
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is one of the most approachable whiskeys you can find in terms of flavors and smoothness.
While it is a rare bottle and hard to find, the flavors are some of the smoothest and most traditional bourbon flavors you can find.
It’s truly a whiskey everyone will love and enjoy.
Is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Complex?
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has quite a few layers of flavor and complexity.
It has all of the traditional caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, and chocolate notes but also has a delicious layer of fruit flavors to it that help it stand out from other whiskeys.
In particular, I always love the red cherry and raspberry fruit flavors I get on each sip of the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon.
In addition to that, it has a subtle earthy layer that isn’t quite a dominant but still offers nice rye spice, pepper, tobacco, and baking spice flavors to the mix.
The finish is one of the smoothest of any bourbon in my collection and offers a lovely flavor profile despite not sticking around for too long.
The low proof on this one is the number one complaint I see from people which I can understand.
But the smoothness and layered refinement are the biggest strength of this bourbon.
It’s easily top 5 smoothest bourbons I have in my collection and is even on par with some of my most refined Scotch whiskeys.
So I’d say it’s a massive plus that it is so easy to drink.
What are Old Forester Birthday Bourbon’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has one of the nicest noses of any whiskey I have reviewed.
It is an absolute delight and reminds me of all the best flavors you can ask for in a bourbon.
If I had to explain bourbon to someone brand new, this is likely the bottle I would choose to introduce them (if it weren’t so rare to find, that is).
It really is just a near-perfect example of what a refined bourbon should taste like.
Is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon a go-to whiskey?
If I could get Old Forester Birthday Bourbon on a regular basis, it would 100% be a go-to whiskey for me.
It is so easy to drink and I love the flavors.
However, this bottle is quite rare and can only really be obtained through a lottery so I reserve this one for special occasions and to share with friends who I know will appreciate it.
Is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon priced accurately to its quality?
This particular bottle is the 2022 Old Forest Birthday Bourbon and cost $150 MSRP.
At that price, I would stock up on as many as I could and not regret it for a moment.
However, they have raised the prices to $200 which is still okay but since they’re so limited you will likely have to find them on the secondary market which can push the prices upwards of $400-500.
Most people should not pay secondary prices for this bottle because it doesn’t offer big, bold flavors that many expect in a pricey bottle of bourbon.
It’s more refined and delicate flavor profile warrants the MSRP price but I just can’t recommend it at a price any higher than $250.
Conclusion for Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is one of the smoothest and most refined bourbons in my collection.
It offers a delicate and balanced flavor profile with complex layers of flavor in each sip.
If you’re a fan of smooth and refined bourbons, this bottle is a must try.
It is the epitome of traditional bourbon with none of the heat.
It comes full circle because Old Forester was the first commercially bottled bourbon back in 1870 to ensure consistent quality in their product and I feel like this is an excellent representation of bourbon overall.
Old Forester has held true to tradition and this bottle is a perfect example of that.
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