OLD FORESTER Birthday Bourbon

OLD FORESTER Birthday Bourbon was released to commemorate the birthday of company founder, George Garvin Brown, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is made from a batch distilled on one day at the Brown-Forman distillery in Shively, Kentucky. This particular batch comes from 93 barrels distilled on 4th June 2004. Handpicked by Master Distiller, Chris Morris, this birthday bourbon offers a soft butterscotch, oak and hints of citrus on the nose, followed by creamy vanilla on the palette and finishes with the hints most subtle of star anise and moderate spice. Utterly delicious.

This year’s Birthday Bourbon provides the usual minimal about its composition. No mashbill information is offered, but one can deduce from the vintage label that it’s been aged for 12 years. Some have expressed concern that Birthday Bourbon 2014 is coming out a bit later than usual — never a good sign in the whiskey world — but I’m happy to report that any such fears are unfounded.

2014’s Birthday Bourbon starts off fairly typical of this whiskey’s usual profile. Very woody on the nose, it offers an immediate attack of dark chocolate cocoa powder before you take your first sip. The body is racy and spicy with notes of more wood, licorice, and gunpowder. The finish warms up with gingerbread, custard, and vanilla, tamping down some of that early, and close to overwhelming, wood character. The result is a nice balance between sweet and savory with plenty to recommend it, and one of Old Forester’s more elegant special releases.

Tasting Notes