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Fellow Drammers!
When we first dropped the hint that we had an epic Old Forester event coming up (Wednesday, August 5th from 6 to 8pm), one member immediately responded they hoped we might include on of their famous “birthday bourbon” releases, and we had to laugh a little. I mean, yes, of course, we secured 2 bottles of the 2015 release, a particularly strong entry in the birthday bourbon line, but that was not going to be anywhere near our headliner. I mean, this was a chance to impress not only the Old Forester team, but their Master Taster Jackie Zykan, who will be our guest speaker. Oh no, birthday bourbon alone was not going to cut it. So we reached deep, sent out word to all of our contacts, scoured the auction and collector markets, and — not gonna lie — we may have actually outdone ourselves. In fact, we’ve secured so many unimaginably rare bottles that we’re actually trying to figure out how many we can include. More on that in minute, first this brand’s incredibly history deserves some reflection.
Old Forester is officially the longest-running bourbon on the market today, having first been launched in 1870. It was also the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed bottles. The founder was George Garvin Brown (their famous “birthday bourbon” release is in honor of his birthday), and it was one of the 10 distilleries that was permitted to continue making bourbon “for medicinal purposes” during prohibition. Brown was of course the founder of the Brown-Forman corporation that still owns the brand today, and it is produced under the supervision of their Master Distiller Chris Morris, who of course we had the honor of hosting a couple months ago in our tribute to one of their other brands, Woodford Reserve. And now we have the incredible honor of welcoming their Master Taster, Jackie Zykan!
So, as mentioned above, all this demanded a killer lineup, which may ultimately be too many bottles, ha. So this is subject to minor pairing down, and the final lineup may change slightly, but most or all of the following will be included (recommended you read this sitting down…):
1960s Old Forester (1/5 Gallon). These bottles are so old, they have Wisconsin tax stamps on them, and it’s a small miracle that we were able to secure 2 bottles from different sources (amusingly, both have Wisconsin tax stamps, from back when each state had tax stamps on bottles…). One has a stamp that it was distilled 1964, bottled 1969, the other doesn’t have a date, but is clearly from the same release (same exact shape, same box, etc.). To say that this will almost certainly be the only chance any of us have to try this is a laughable understatement. And please note — this is the only expression in our lineup where the bottles vary slightly. One is bottled at 100 proof, the other at 86 proof. No point in doing a SET A vs. SET B, since presumably everyone would prefer the slightly higher proof, so we’ll simply allocate the higher proof release first-come, first-served, with priority given to Drammers Members. But both bottles are an unimaginably rare snapshot of Old Forester from over half-a-century ago.
1970s Old Forester. We also secured 2 bottles of this gem, one for the Italian market, the other again for Wisconsin oddly enough. Both at 86 proof, both with tax stamps. Their slogan back then was “America’s Guest Whisky Since 1870”. Love it.
1990s Rare Japanese Market Release. We found 2 of these on the secondary market in Europe, and these bottles are in such pristine condition, it’s almost a shame to open them (almost, not quite, ha). 43% abv.
Forester Barrel Reserve ‘96. These bottles were made for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and we’ve read that they were the precursor that led to the launch of the famous Birthday Bourbon, though we haven’t been able to confirm that (maybe Jackie will know more). They were distilled in ‘84, so conspicuously 12 years old. The first birthday bourbon would come out in 2002… 48% abv.
2015 Birthday Bourbon. I imagine just about all of our members know and treasure these releases, widely (and correctly) seen as one of the most important premium annual releases to be had in all of the bourbon land. This edition is the usual 12 years old, 50% abv. Wouldn’t have felt right celebrating Old Forester without it…
Core Range. One of the great things about Old Forester is they celebrate their history in style, with a range of releases that pay tribute to the different bourbon recipes and traditions over the century, and we’re going to be studying them all in this incredible taste through history:
1870 - Original Batch (90 proof).
1897 - Bottled in Bond (100 proof).
1910 - Old Fine Whisky (115 proof).
1920 - Prohibition Style (93 proof).
Bourbon - 100 proof
Rye - 100 proof.
Btw, did we mention there was swag involved? Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Old Forester, the first 40 folks to sign up will get an Old Forester tumbler glass, a pen, a small notepad and a bag.
It’s going to be one helluva event, we hope you can join us.
Cheers,
Drammers Club Team