Released in September 2020 to mark the 150th anniversary of Old Forester — America's first bottled bourbon, introduced by George Garvin Brown in 1870 — this Birthday Bourbon is a 10-year-old expression drawn from a single day's production on May 13, 2010. Bottled at 98 proof, it captures the brand at a moment of celebration, and the liquid carries that ceremonial weight without ever feeling heavy.
The Birthday Bourbon series began in 2002 as a way to honor Brown's birthday on September 2nd, and each annual release is a single-day, single-batch release. The 2020 expression is one of the older entries in the series, and the extra time in oak shows in the depth of the spice and the integration of the wood.
It pours a deep amber-mahogany. The nose opens with toasted oak and baked apple, layered with vanilla and a brown-sugar sweetness that hints at pastry just out of the oven. On the palate, honeyed grain meets dark cherry and cinnamon, with butterscotch riding underneath. The finish is long and resinous, the kind of slow exhale that makes you reach for the bottle again before the glass is even empty.
This is a thoughtful, ceremonial pour — best with a single rock or neat in a Glencairn, on an evening when you want the bourbon to do the talking.
