Old Forester marks a new birthday with one of bourbon’s rarest rituals

Each September, Old Forester turns founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday into an annual expression of patience and craft. The 2026 Birthday Bourbon draws from 212 barrels distilled in 2015, aged for 11 years in Warehouse B and bottled at 97 proof. More than a limited release, it shows how heritage can remain desirable when every edition carries its own character. A familiar tradition, subtly reinterpreted each year and made compelling by the simple fact that it cannot be repeated.