Old Forester

Old Forester Releases Its Latest Birthday Bourbon

Filed under: Spirits

There may be many bourbons on the market, but only one can claim to have to have been produced continuously before, during and after Prohibition by the same distiller. That whisky is called Old Forester, and in addition to the standard version, the distillery releases a new Birthday Bourbon every year.

It's an event eagerly anticipated by bourbon enthusiasts. We've reported on these unique small-batch vintages twice before, and now the 2010 version is ready to hit shelves with a $49.99 MSRP.

Because the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is hand-selected by Brown-Forman's master distiller from specifically dated barrels, no two years' editions are exactly alike, although the accolades won by previous bottlings bode well for the latest.

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Tags: birthday bourbon, bourbon, brown-forman, Old Forester, old forester birthday bourbon, whiskey

Angel's Envy Bourbon Coming Soon

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Lincoln Henderson, the former distillery manager of Woodford Reserve and Old Forester, is back on the Bourbon scene having started up his own outfit--the Louisville Distilling Company. LDC will release its first expression this Fall, called "Angel's Envy."

For those not in the know, distillers refer to the whiskey that escapes the barrels during the aging process through evaporation as "The Angel's share."

Lincoln isn't saying much. But his son Wes posted the following on www.straightbourbon.com:
"I am pleased to confirm the rumors about Angel's Envy Bourbon, and before taking any additional detailed information to the public, it is important for me to come before this group and provide some details, as we are prepared to release them...

These are exciting times as Lincoln returns to his Kentucky Bourbon roots. The first expression, produced on our behalf, will be available in September for national distribution, but our approach is to take it slow, and let the bourbon speak for itself. And we think it will. We have narrowed our location to 2 potential sites, and are making final decisions on our distillation equipment. The current plan is to incorporate pot stills and continuous distillation into our process, allowing us to maintain an artisanal capability (Dad wants to try a whole bunch of things) and still have the ability to maintain production demands. Production at our facility is expected to begin in September of 2010."

Henderson was instrumental in the rise of Woodford Reserve as one of the leading small-batch Bourbons. And he pumped new life into Old Forester, as well. Angel's Envy will be a highly anticipated release in Bourbon country.

Tags: Angels Envy, Bourbon, Lincoln Henderson, Old Forester, Woodford Reserve

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Old Forester, the only bourbon produced before, during and after Prohibition, has just issued its annual Birthday Bourbon (above) in honor of founder George Garvin Brown. This year's edition is crafted from a 62 barrel batch that was distilled and barreled in the late summer of 1995. Chris Morris, master distiller of Old Forester, notes that the barrels were then stored on an upper floor of the warehouse in Kentucky, which builds heat in the summer months "ensuring a robust, complex barrel character will develop."

The result, Morris says, is a taste profile that is "much more chewy in terms of rich fruit and caramel character than the 2007 and 2006 releases." Unlike the standard Old Forester, which is a blend of whisky from several different years, Birthday Bourbon is a vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected by Morris from one specific day. The result is a "one-of-a-kind character and flavor that will never be replicated again," the distillery declares. Its unique decanter style glass bottle is a throwback to the late 1800's.

Tags: Bourbon, George Garvin Brown, GeorgeGarvinBrown, Kentucky, Old Forester, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, OldForester, OldForesterBirthdayBourbon, whisky