If you want to get your hands on Old Forester’s coveted birthday bourbon this year, you need to act now.

The annual publication is not will be available at the distillery. Your best chance to purchase a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is through an online sweepstakes that runs August 15-21. Anyone who wins the chance to purchase a bottle through the sweepstakes will then have to purchase and pick it up at the Old Forester Distillery in Louisville between September 5 and December 14 for $199.99. Some bottles will actually be available nationwide, but good luck finding those (and at that price).

As a reminder, Old Forester has been around for over 150 years and is considered the first bourbon to be sealed in a glass bottle – it is also the only bourbon that existed before, during and after Prohibition. And It is the founding brand of the beverage giant Brown-Forman. The Birthday Bourbon is released every year on the occasion of the birthday of the founder George Garvin Brown on September 2nd.

The Birthday Bourbon bottlings all come from one day’s production in a given year; this year’s bottling is 12 years old and has an ABV of 107. The liquid was hand-picked by Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris and Master Taster Melissa Rift with assistance from Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo and comes from a total of 209 barrels.

“Twelve years of aging in the G and L warehouses have produced a rich and unique flavor profile that is perfect for this coveted annual release,” Trigo said in a press release.

During a very During our brief tasting of the liquid at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, we noted the following aromas: “spice cake, buttercream, and especially caramel apple.” We should have a more detailed review of the 2024 Birthday Bourbon release soon.