Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024 Edition

Someone once said that birthdays are nature’s way of telling us to eat more cake. At Old Forester, they’re nature’s way of telling us to drink more bourbon, I suppose, with Birthday Bourbon now in its 24th iteration.

Coverage of this release, celebrating the birth of George Garvin Brown, founder of Old Forester, should come as no surprise to Drinkhacker regulars. It’s as always a barrel pick, 12 years old, pulled from Warehouses G and L.

This is my second taste of Birthday Bourbon 2024 — the first was alongside master taster Melissa Rift at Tales of the Cocktail — and this time around I’m finding the expression more approachable and fruit-forward. Apricot notes are obvious on the nose: sweet and fruity, with an undertone of baked apples and cinnamon. Slightly doughy and touched with vanilla, there’s a perfect fruit pie character here that bears paying attention to.

The palate is a bit more rustic — still fruity but less distinct — with corn-heavy overtones and a healthy layer of barrel char. Notes of almond (and almond butter) fade into a gentle greenery note, lightly peppery and a bit on the beefy side. A racier side evolves as the whiskey develops in glass, featuring spicy red pepper. The finish offers a soothing quality, with some brown butter and a little milk chocolate in the mix, ringed with fresh cigar leaves.

All told, this is a solid effort from a series with a mixed track record, and one of the more immediately approachable Birthday Bourbon offerings in recent years. Not terribly complicated, but maybe that’s just the ticket when it’s your birthday.

107 proof.

A- / $200 / oldforester.com [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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