More to Enjoy
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2023
-
Distiller:
Old Forester
-
Bottler:
Old Forester
-
ABV:
48%
-
Age:
12 Years
-
Price:
$$$$$
- Raided Score: 86
- Publication: VinePair
- Excerpt: A surprisingly bitter finish throttles those high points, resulting in a bourbon that’s simply good, but not great.
- Read Full Review
- Raided Score: 90
- Publication: Drinkhacker
- Excerpt: All told, it’s a pleasant and moderately complex whiskey, and it stands as a high point among recent Birthday Bourbon releases, and I wouldn’t hesitate to throw my name into that lottery for the chance to buy a bottle at MSRP.
- Read Full Review
- Raided Score: 81
- Publication: Breaking Bourbon
- Excerpt: Deviating from the brand’s typical flavor profile results in an Old Forester Birthday Bourbon release that is more unique tasting than most years, but that also brings its own set of problems.
- Read Full Review
- Raided Score: 90
- Publication: Whiskey Raiders
- Excerpt: This is a tricky whiskey, but Old Forester has found a proofed-down, high-age whiskey that works in this release
- Read Full Review
Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
-
Intro:
The 2023 release of Old Forester's Birthday Bourbon is here - a 12yr Kentucky distilled bourbon bottled at 96pf. These are typically a tricky find, so let's see how this year's stacks up! Let's dive in.
-
Nose:
Absolutely packed with caramel, cherry, cherry cordial chocolates, cola and oak. It's an interesting profile, loving the heavy cherry here with cocoa, cola and oak.
-
Taste:
Moderate mouthfeel, it's interesting and really heavy on the oak without becoming bitter. Cherry persists, paired nicely with more cola, cocoa, a hint of coconut, punchy oak. It's getting a bit dry here on the back palate but not bitter. With the lower proof, it's a pretty easy sip, the ethanol doesn't pop up on the palate at all.
-
Finish:
Long finish, possibly the best part of the whiskey here: oak, cola, cherry and a hint of butterscotch, vanilla and cream persist for ages.
-
Overall:
This is a tricky whiskey, but Old Forester has found a proofed-down, high-age whiskey that works in this release. They appear to have shaken the extreme bitterness I didn't like in earlier years, and this 2023 release reminds me of Cherry Coke of my youth. Fun stuff.
-
Score:
7
-
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources