Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2013 Edition
Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2013 Edition
Another year older, another year deeper into your whiskey collection.
This 12th edition of Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon doesn’t offer much in the way of data, but it’s 12 years old and very limited in quantity.
Lots of wood here; that’s evident from the get-go. The nose is classic, older Bourbon stock — wood-driven, but filled with lots of baking spice and vanilla notes. On the tongue, more where that came from, with an initially sweet rush, followed by cloves, baked apples, and more vanilla pastry character. The finish brings the wood back, plus a surprising amount of alcohol, although this has never been an incredibly hot spirit.
All in all, OldFo ’13 is in line with many of the previous bottlings, driven more by the barrel than the grain, and that’s something that will appeal to fans of older stock. Those seeking balance will find this a bit hoary (though I do have a soft spot for the butterscotch notes that come out after it’s had plenty of time to aerate in the glass).
Sample at 98 proof (OldFo says the final version will be bottled at 97 proof).
B+ / $55 / oldforester.com [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2013 Edition
$55
Hi you have the Birthday edition (Old Forester) listed at $55 on your home page once you pick it to buy (place in cart) it comes up to well over $1,200??? Is it $55 or $1,200? If it’s $1,200 don’t advertise it on “Your” page for $55…. I’d say if you’re going to offer it and have a price for $55 then you should honor what you have it listed for not what you ware re-selling it at retails prices well above the actual price…. This is misleading and actually isn’t very cool to do! Just list it at $1,200 so you’re not wasting people’s time…. I know it’s a hot bourbon but it’s pretty shady to do that price switch….
Lots of things to note here, Anthony. First, we are not a product merchant and only link to others, where prices invariably fluctuate over time. $55 was the MSRP for this product when it was released 11 years ago and when this review was written — and which some buyers would have been able to achieve from the distillery. While we try to post “street prices” for products when we can, this isn’t always possible — especially for products we review before they are even released.
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