Old Forester Birthday Bourbon: This Year’s Release Breaks a Record

Old Forester shared details of this year’s Birthday Bourbon and it is different than every previous bottle.

Published August 18, 2024

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There is a handful of annual bourbon releases that create a frenzy every year.

There is the double whammy out of Buffalo Trace Distillery that is the Van Winkle lineup and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, there’s Michter’s with its coveted 10-year releases, and there’s Old Forester, which for more than two decades has released a special Birthday Bourbon every year on September 2, the birthday of its founder, George Garvin Brown.

The brand has just revealed the details on the 2024 edition, including how to purchase it, and I noticed that there’s one aspect of this year’s bottle that sets it apart from all previous versions.

bottle of old forester bourbon in a gift box

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024

$200 at Old Forester

The Strongest Birthday Bourbon Ever

Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon is a notable release each year, in part, because every release is different. The brand always strives to make something special with each Birthday release, and they have some wiggle room in that every new bottle doesn’t have to play by the same rules as the previous years’.

Still, most Birthday Bourbons do end up being pretty similar. They are usually aged for 12 years. They’re almost always made using barrels from a single warehouse. And they typically have an ABV that falls between 47.5% and 48.5%.

But there are exceptions.

This year’s release, as usual, was aged for 12 years, but that’s about the only normal thing about it. It was made using 209 barrels from two different warehouses at Brown-Forman Distillery, Warehouses G and L. Warehouse G is one of two warehouses at the distillery that isn’t heat cycled, while Warehouse L is. The mix is an intriguing one, but where this year’s bottle differs most from previous years is in its strength.

a bottle of old forester bourbon next to a glass — Last year’s release was a 96-proof 12-year-old bourbon.

The 2024 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon clocks in at 107 proof, setting a new high mark for the series. The previous record was 105 proof, set by the 2019 release, but recent releases have trended back down below 100 proof. Last year’s bottle was 96 proof, as was the 2022 release.

Frankly, it isn’t surprising to see Old Forester go for more strength here. Proofs over 100 are all the rage in the bourbon industry today, as customers tend to associate a higher ABV with a purer product. And while Old Forester didn’t go too crazy by releasing a cask-strength Birthday Bourbon, the proof of 107 definitely looks like a signal that it’s paying attention to the types of bourbon enthusiasts are currently gravitating toward.

It is worth noting that Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon has traditionally gotten some praise for exhibiting some of the qualities of a high-proof bourbon without going overboard on the heat, with one notable Reddit reviewer stating in their review of last year’s 96-proof release:

“It’s more delicate and nuanced and rewards you with layers of complexity if you just take the time to savor and study it. There aren’t many other sub-100 proof bottles out there that can replicate what Old Forester does with their Birthday Bourbon release.”

With this year’s bottle coming in with an ABV rating that’s a full 11 proof higher than last year’s, it will be interesting to see how reviewers respond. Will the whiskey’s delicateness be overpowered, or is this extra-strong Birthday Bourbon exactly what the market is longing for?

How to buy Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

This year’s release has an SRP of $199.99 and will be sold at select retailers nationwide, but as usual, it will be damn near impossible to get a bottle at retail. (Last year’s version is being hawked for $1,000 online.)

To give Regular Joes a chance at picking up a bottle at SRP, Old Forester is holding a national sweepstakes for the third straight year. The sweepstakes is free to enter at Old Forester’s website from now through August 21, and the winners will have the opportunity to purchase a bottle in person at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Louisville between September 5 and December 14, 2024. Do note that if you don’t win, bottles will not be for sale at the distillery to the general public.

You can view all the rules and enter for your chance to win here.