Here’s How to Nab a Bottle of Old Forester’s Highly Coveted Birthday Bourbon
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission.
It still feels like we’re in deep summer, but the reality is that there’s only about a month left until fall arrives. While that’s a depressing reality for many, in the whiskey world that means that annual unicorn bottle releases are on the way, and we have the details on one of the most popular: Old Forester’s 2023 Birthday Bourbon.
More from Robb Report
This Year's Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Has the Oldest Bourbon Ever Included in the Blend
How to Make a Bourbon Renewal, the Whiskey Sour With a Tart Elegance
Taste Test: The New Old Fitzgerald Bourbon Is a Collectible Whiskey Worth the Hype
We got a sample of the new Birthday Bourbon to try, and the good news is that this year’s release is a big step up from last year’s decent but slightly underwhelming edition. Birthday Bourbon is the annual whiskey expression from Kentucky’s Old Forester distillery that is meant to commemorate founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday. This year marks the 23rd Birthday Bourbon, and the details are as follows—the bourbon was aged for 12 years and bottled at 96 proof. The latter is the same as last year’s release, but the bourbon is a year older. As usual, the barrels selected for Birthday Bourbon represent a single day’s production at the distillery—and these are actually from the same lot as last year’s release, which is why it’s a year older.
The nose starts off with sweet honey and caramel, with just a hint of spice and heat swirling underneath. The palate opens up with a big hit of fruit and citrus notes, ripe orange and clementine flavors mixing with blackbeerry and cherry pie. There are also notes of toasted pecan, toffee, vanilla, espresso, and a bit of tannic oak that is rich but not drying. The finish sticks with you for a few moments, but fades out leaving a bit of sweetness on your tongue. Overall, this is a solid example of just how good Birthday Bourbon can be.
Last year, Old Forester made a significant change as to how the general public could purchase a bottle of Birthday Bourbon. The whiskey no longer goes on sale at the distillery on September 2, George Garvin Brown’s birthday. Instead, for the second year in a row, there will be a sweepstakes running from August 24 through August 30 that bourbon fans can register for to enter. The good news is that means you don’t have to visit Kentucky to get lucky enough to score a bottle, but the chances of obtaining one for the $150 SRP remain fleetingly slim. You can enter the sweepstakes at the Old Forester website next week, and you can still find previous years’ releases (for very inflated prices) to purchase from online retailers like Drizly.
Best of Robb Report
Why a Heritage Turkey Is the Best Thanksgiving Bird—and How to Get One
The 10 Best Wines to Pair With Steak, From Cabernet to Malbec
Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
