Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2018 is made at the Brown-Forman distillery in Shively, Kentucky using a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. This limited edition release was distilled on June 9, 2006 and aged 12 years before bottling at 101 proof. It carries a suggested retail price of $99.99, though secondary market prices have risen significantly.
The palate sees more popcorn, butterscotch, and ripe banana notes, with a growing barrel char character ratcheting up as it evolves in the glass. Again, it’s fairly typical of Old Forester, though the added proof adds ample heat.
Starting out as a rich, smoky vanilla scent, the mildly higher proof manifests itself quickly with a gruff punch of cinnamon and light orange-like fruitiness in the background. That then settles back into that smoky vanilla with a note of baked red apple making the bouquet even richer and sweeter than it began