The 2017 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon was drawn from 12 year old barrels from different warehouses and floors. A total of 120 barrels; 93 barrels matured together on the 4th floor of G warehouse, yielding an extremely spice forward expression. The remaining 27 barrels matured together on the 5th floor of K warehouse contributing a rounding sweetness to the blend. Several barrels from both lots basked in the sun, highlighting the effects of maturation along an external wall.
Barreled on May 27, 2005 – Old Forester 2017 Birthday Bourbon is offered at 96 and 95.4 Proof.
The Birthday Bourbon is released yearly by Brown-Forman to commemorate the birthday of the founder George Garvin Brown on September 2nd.
I remember when the birthday bourbon was a hidden secret of the Kentucky bourbon lovers community. Originally it was priced around $80, it has become one of the coveted bourbons today. With the allocation being stringent and based on the relationships with the distributors, as well as the limited release, the secondary market on these expressions has skyrocketed.
Whether you believe its worth the money or not, there is no denying that the yearly release will always have the pulse of the bourbon market heightened. Speaking to bourbon lovers on Instagram, some have pointed out that the earlier releases are the more coveted ones, and frankly have more to offer in terms of palate. But as someone who does not believe in hype, and understands that whiskey is all about personal preferences, I’ve had numerous tastings of this bottle on different occasions.
Appearance: Nice golden dark caramel with a hint of oak brown.
Aroma: Chocolate, sweet cocoa and hints of vanilla bean. If you keep nosing the glass you eventually pick up on notes of caramel mixed with burnt sugar and bananas.
Palate: Figs and dark chocolate. Almost instantly mixes with the burnt brown sugar and hazelnuts. At 48% abv subtle hints of spices and nuttiness. Swirling around the brown liquid on your tongue for 10 seconds or longer opens up the almonds and syrupy mouth feel. The liquid coats the tongue in a nice velvety flavor.
Finish: Long and Spicy with notes of caramel, pepper and banana pudding.
