Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024: A Birthday Tradition Since 2002
Every September, Old Forester releases a single vintage-dated bourbon to mark founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday — a tradition running since 2002 that makes Birthday Bourbon one of the longest-running annual releases in American whiskey.
A Release Built Around One Man’s Birthday
George Garvin Brown founded what became Old Forester in 1870, and is credited as the first person to sell bourbon exclusively in sealed glass bottles rather than by the barrel — a move meant to guarantee customers got exactly what the distillery promised, unadulterated. Since 2002, Old Forester has honored his September 2nd birthday with a single annual release drawn from barrels laid down on a specific production date each year.
Vintage-Dated, Not Batch-Blended
Unlike most annual bourbon releases that blend across multiple production dates, Birthday Bourbon is selected from barrels filled on one specific day, chosen by the distillery's tasting panel for how that particular production run matured. That vintage-dating is part of why the release has built such a dedicated following — no two years taste quite the same.
Tasting Notes
The 2024 release comes in at 49% ABV, showing vanilla, dark caramel and toasted oak in a profile built for balance rather than raw power — approachable enough for a first pour, complex enough to reward a second.
Buying It at Caskworth
Caskworth carries Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024 at $249.99, with same-day delivery to 33 U.S. states and 7 Canadian provinces.
Old Forester's Broader Lineup
Birthday Bourbon sits at the top of a distillery that also produces more accessible everyday bourbon — a useful reminder that Old Forester's quality standard runs through its entire range, not just its single annual vintage-dated release.
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