Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Review (2018)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon occupies the second tier bourbon’s hot autumn release season. The series certainly has its fans and delivers good, reliable quality, but it’s not quite as esteemed as the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, let alone the Van Winkle line.

That said, this year’s installment has two points that make it extra special. First, this is the highest proof for a Birthday Bourbon yet: 101 proof (50.5% ABV); it is also the inaugural bottling at Old Forester’s new home in its urban distillery on Louisville’s Whiskey Row. In keeping with Old Forester, it’s made from a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley.

Beyond that, the whiskey was drawn from stock that was entered into barrels on June 9, 2006, so it’s a 12 year old. The barrels in question experienced an unusually high level of evaporation. Of the consignment of 120 barrels in that group, five were empty and overall yield was just 39%. It’s an object lesson in the adage “nobody sets out to make ultra aged bourbon,” because this stuff is merely straddling the line between mature and old.

The Bourbon
The look of this bourbon is a dusty auburn, and a swish yields a curtain of skinny legs. The nose had a surprisingly tropical aspect to it, with nuts sharing center stage with vanilla and brown sugar, and bananas joining cake spice and wood among the more modest notes.

Once this whiskey goes from nose to tongue, the oak moves from a quite modest background note to occupying center stage. It’s not actually oaky, though, but more of a pleasant mix of vanilla, wood spice and oak. The spiciness develops in a modest kind of way, transitioning into the finish.

While this is a nice, very pleasant sipper, I found the most interesting part was the nose. From that balanced, promising opening, the whiskey takes first one step and then another towards being ordinary. Nice, but not great.

The Price
A bottle of this should set you back $99.99, assuming you can find it at regular retail price and not at a mark-up.