Old Forester

Old Forester was created in Louisville, Kentucky, by George Garvin Brown in 1870. It was one of the first bourbons sold only in sealed glass bottles, a way of promising buyers that the whiskey had not been watered down or tampered with. The brand stayed with Brown's company, Brown-Forman, and kept selling during Prohibition under a licence for medicinal whiskey.

The bourbon is distilled by Brown-Forman, which also makes Woodford Reserve. Since 2018 part of the production has taken place at the Old Forester Distilling Co. on Whiskey Row in downtown Louisville, close to where the brand began. The house style is rich and spicy, with plenty of oak.

The core bottlings include the standard bourbon and the stronger Old Forester 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The Whiskey Row series tells the brand's history in bottles such as Old Forester 1870 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and 1920 - Prohibition Style, a strong bourbon at 115 proof. Statesman and Single Barrel - Barrel Strength sit above these, and bartender or retailer picks such as UK Bartender Barrel 001 are single barrels chosen by outside buyers.

Collectors follow Birthday Bourbon, a yearly limited release named for George Garvin Brown's birthday in September; our catalogue lists the 12 Year Old - Birthday Bourbon 2013. Some entries grouped here, such as the Forest Whisky bottlings and a Single Malt Whisky, appear to come from a different producer and are not Old Forester bourbon.