Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2020
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon celebrates the birthday of George Garvin Brown, namesake (though not sole founder) of the company that still bears his name. Born on September 2nd, 1846, Brown was a seminal figure in the bourbon industry for most of his life, and was present for most if not all of the major events in bourbon’s history in his lifetime. Just some highlights include advocacy for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, being the first to bottle bourbon in glass, and keeping Brown-Forman producing during Prohibition.
A lifelong Kentuckian, George Garvin Brown started producing Old Forester in 1870 after a stint as a pharmaceutical salesman (this would help later on when whiskey could only be prescribed during Prohibition).
Starting in 2002, Brown-Forman began special annual releases in his honor on his birthday each year in yet another first for the industry - the first ever vintage-dated bourbons in the industry. These Old Forester Birthday Bourbons - colloquially called OFBBs - are the opening salvo in the fall bourbon hunting season.
This particular year is made of 95 barrels all barreled on June 5, 2010.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2020: Specs
Classification: Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Brown-Forman Distillery
Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Proof: 98 (49% ABV)
Age: 10 Years Old
Location: KY
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2020 Price: $50
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2020 Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Gentle amber.
Nose: Definitely smells like a rye at first - grainy and mentholated, gentle mint. Herbal more than floral, but both are there. Solid proof heat that carries without blowing your face off. Rye sweetness grows but stays within range.
Palate: Good heat - lots of heat, really, right out of the gate. Tastes familiar…fruity, orange zest, that heat keeps going. Mouthfeel is effervescent, gives a hint of peanut or almond on the back palate. Stays hot, though cherries and almonds grow as the whiskey evaporates.
Finish: Pure bourbon with lots of heat. Might be a younger Jim Beam? An older Booker’s? There’s notes of oak, both creamy and woody. Becomes fruitier with air, but that heat is hard to get past. Drinks way above its proof.
Overall: Tasted blind, I fully thought this was a 4-6 YO Bourbon, around 110 proof, and possibly a Beam product. The proof was pretty close, though it drinks closer to 125-130 and stays hot throughout. This was a special release of only 25 barrels so not surprising this is a little off-profile. The flavors are quite nice, but that heat is hard to push through.
Final Rating: 5.5
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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