Old Forester has unveiled the 2025 edition of its coveted Birthday Bourbon, a release that bourbon lovers across the globe wait for each September. This year’s expression arrives with a striking distinction: it was crafted without the use of “setback” during fermentation, a tradition-breaking move that gives the whiskey a singular profile.
The 2025 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is 12 years old, bottled at 92 proof, and sourced entirely from one day’s production—April 5, 2013. A total of 210 barrels were drawn from Warehouse K, aging on floors one and five, before being hand-selected by Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris and Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo.
“For our 25th Birthday Bourbon release, the absence of setback allowed the yeast to express its full character, creating a flavor profile that’s both delicate and complex,” explained Trigo.
A Historic Departure: From Setback to Sweet Mash
Traditionally, Old Forester employs “setback” in its fermentation, a process in which spent mash is added back into the fermenter to ensure consistency across batches. This year’s bottling abandons that convention, instead embracing a “sweet mash,” using only freshly propagated yeast. The result is a bourbon that drinks with an unexpected silkiness, layering oak, vanilla, citrus, and clove.
Master Taster Melissa Rift framed it in terms of legacy: “There’s no better way to honor our founder than by sharing this rare and remarkable expression with bourbon lovers nationwide.”
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2025 Tasting Notes
- Color: Honeycomb
- Aroma: Herbal tea and cardamom, raw oak, tropical fruit, green apple
- Palate: Silky oak and vanilla, lifted by sweet citrus and clove spice
- Finish: Candied apple, burnt sugar, leather, and chai spice
Release Details
Each year, Old Forester celebrates the September 2 birthday of founder George Garvin Brown with the release of this vintage-dated bottling. The 2025 edition will retail for $199.99 per bottle (MSRP), with a limit of one per customer.
Access is granted through an online sweepstakes hosted on the brand’s official website from August 18–21, 2025. Winners will need to pick up their bottles at the Old Forester Distillery in Louisville between September 4 and December 20, 2025. The release will also reach select retailers nationwide in limited quantities.
With its 25th edition, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon once again proves why it remains one of the most anticipated annual releases in American whiskey.
The 2024 edition came in at a shockingly high 107 proof.
