Old Forester

Old Forester Straight Bourbon Whisky
Liter glass bottles of Old Forester Classic 86 and Old Forester Signature 100
TypeBourbon whisky
ManufacturerBrown–Forman
Country of origin Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Alcohol by volume 30.00% – 60.00%
Proof (US)60–120

Old Forester is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whisky produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation.[1] It has been on the market continuously for longer than any other bourbon (approximately 150 years as of 2020), and was the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed bottles. It was first bottled and marketed in 1870 by the former pharmaceutical salesman turned bourbon-merchant George Garvin Brown – the founder of the Brown–Forman Corporation (whose descendants still manage the company).[2] During the Prohibition period from 1920 to 1933, Brown–Forman received one of only six licenses authorizing lawful production (for medicinal purposes).[3]

Old Forester is produced under the supervision of Master Distiller Chris Morris (as of 2006)[4] at the Brown–Forman distillery in Shively, Kentucky, (which is located directly adjacent to the pre-merger Southwest boundary of Louisville) and at Old Forester Distilling Co. (located in Downtown Louisville, KY on historic Whisky Row in the original building used from 1882 to 1919) using a mash bill of 72% corn (maize), 18% rye, and 10% malted barley[2] (the same mash bill used for Woodford Reserve[5]). Its mash bill has been described as "pretty standard"[2] and "richer in rye than most bourbons".[6]

  1. ^ "Love Life. Sip Responsibly". Old Forester. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Review: Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, Bourbon Culture (Accessed Oct 2019)
  3. ^ Old Forester To Release Repeal Bourbon Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Brown–Forman press release, June 17, 2008. (Accessed February 2011)
  4. ^ American Whiskey: Annual Filson Historic Society Fundraiser – Old Forester Bourbon – A Taste of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, EllenJaye.com, August 24, 2006. (Accessed February 2011)
  5. ^ Jason Pyle, Old Forester Bourbon Review, May 31, 2011.
  6. ^ BourbonEnthusiast.com Old Forester 86 proof (Accessed February 2011)