This September, Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky will introduce its 15th Anniversary release of Birthday Bourbon, the annual limited-edition expression was created to pay homage to founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday on September 2nd.
The 2016 Birthday Bourbon expression is offered at 97 Proof, jointly determined by Brown-Forman Master Distiller Chris Morris and Old Forester Master Bourbon Specialist Jackie Zykan. This year marks Zykan’s first involvement with the Birthday Bourbon release since joining the brand in 2015.
“In 2002, when we first introduced Birthday Bourbon, the market for premium Bourbons was almost nonexistent; Birthday Bourbon represented a ‘first’ in this category,” said Morris in a press release. “But 15 years later, global interest for premium Bourbons and well-crafted whiskeys is at a record high.”
Each barrel in the Birthday Bourbon selections annually are drawn from the same day of production, this year’s on June 4, 2004, leading to the ‘vintage-dated’ reference.
The 2016 release of 93 barrels matured together on the 5th floor of Warehouse K at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Louisville, KY. The lot was positioned near a window facing west allowing them to be sun-kissed, yielding a deeper oak mouthfeel, the company says. This warm location provides this year’s release with a deep, rich, oak forward personality.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is bottled in a decanter style glass as tribute to the late 1800’s when Old Forester was first produced.
Beginning in September, the 2016 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon will be on shelves with a suggested retail price of $79.99 per 750-ml. bottle. A total of 2,400 six-bottle cases will be available for purchase nationwide. This is a largest quantity of Birthday Bourbon ever bottled.
