But there are exceptions.
This year’s edition was aged for 12 years as usual, but that’s about the only normal thing about it. It was made from 209 barrels from two different warehouses at the Brown-Forman Distillery, Warehouses G and L. Warehouse G is one of two warehouses at the distillery that is not heat-controlled, while Warehouse L is. The blend is intriguing, but what makes this year’s bottle most different from previous years is its strength.
The 2024 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon clocks in at 107 proof, setting a new high for the series. The previous record was 105 proof, set by the 2019 edition, but recent releases have trended back below 100 proof. Last year’s bottle was 96 proof, as was the 2022 edition.
Frankly, it’s not surprising that Old Forester is going for more strength here. ABVs above 100 are all the rage in today’s bourbon industry, as customers associate higher ABV with a purer product. And while Old Forester didn’t go too far with releasing a cask strength Birthday Bourbon, the 107 ABV definitely looks like a sign that the company is paying attention to the type of bourbon enthusiasts it’s currently attracting.
It’s worth noting that Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon has traditionally been praised for having some of the qualities of a high-proof bourbon without going overboard with the spiciness. One notable Reddit reviewer wrote in his review of last year’s 96-proof edition:
