Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2021

So, I’ve looked for one of these for years and was never successful or willing to wait 12h in line. With prices creeping up and hopes sinking I was ready to give up on it and then one day it came out of the ether (really just off the truck with 2 other bottle that also immediately sold). Serendipity - and even more reason to celebrate because I popped this several days later with a friend for my birthday. This could best described as aggressive, yet gracefully restrained. It’s like walking right up to the edge without going over, though the earth crumbles slightly beneath your feet to remind you of the situation you are in. Rich, medium-dark amber with a thin to medium appearance being swirled in the glas. Smoking hot cherry pie, oak and lacquer lane first. Sweeter notes emerge of cinnamon roll and fruit cake with a large swath of spices that I will take my best guess in but resemble caraway, dill, anise and unmalted rye. There are funky, musty support notes of dusty books, tobacco pipe, and tarry creosote as well. Some aggressive swirling brings out those familiar OF bananas foster and maple maple syrup notes. With even more time to rest the brighter cherry and raspberry notes oddly burst forth. Wow. Nose is on par with GTS or a funkier version of ECBP B520 or Remus Reserve IV for any who have tried those. Medium mouthfeel - musk, funk, oak, oak, lacquer, wet leaves, tobacco, raisin and dried berries, char. Toward the end the brighter fruit notes show up but the empty pipe funk never fades. This is so rustic and heavy. Imagine Blanton’s, Green Spot or even Oban 14 - and then imagine the complete opposite. While I wouldn’t call this viscous or syrupy it is none the less heavy and somewhat weathered. Finish - empty tobacco pipe, dust, cinnamon, dried fruits. Simply heroic. All the dark, brooding, earthy and oak notes of Glendronach 18 with the fruit and dusty funk of a WT Masters Keep 17y BiB…. I think this has the balance of a solid Old Carter single barrel but the spice and heat are dialed back. Same with GTS but instead of the melt-your-face-off approach it stops just short, and throws in a dusty/funky element to match. I really don’t want to do this but for 12y, 104 proof and an unlikely $135 out the door this comes close to how I would take my ideal bourbon. The price is still more than I would like but the only real comp at that price and degree of complexity, if you win the bourbon lottery, is GTS. Neither are worth the $500-900 on the secondary but both are worth a $50 pour at least once in life. This gets a probationary 5.0 from me. Here is to another year!

Picked this up today, kinda me accepting I'll get nothing good from 2021 and this is kinda the boobie prize. Not the worst deal ever but with what I spend and the effort I make to get bourbon, a bit frustrating. Nose - This instantly brings me back to classic bourbons. Nice age, at 12 years old comes off while classic intense candied vanilla bourbon notes shine through. A bit of puddy, some shoe shine varnish, touch of cigar ash, and dare I say some chocolate birthday cake? Given the reasonably low ABV the alcohol is stronger than expected, giving a rather drying element to this. After letting the glass sit and settle, I get really rich oakey caramel. Near the end I am getting dark cherries, interesting, but nothing overwhelming. Taste - Thinner on the palette than nose. More alcohol astringency. It is a bit chocolatey, good vanilla, plenty of varnish, it has this caramel and aspartame and oak thing on the back end. The alcohol bite doesn't go away, and yet it isn't unpleasant. There's a surprisingly alcohol forward. All that said, it's this very classic bourbon with good sweetness, refined in terms of youthful elements, and good oak notes. And a lot of oak, I'm really struggling to explain this almost refined alcohol note that meshes with the oak. Normally, you get a big HOT note from alcohol and then it subsides, if anything the alcohol picks up and builds on your cheeks as the oak waves come at you. Odds are I'm missing some fruit notes here but the oak and tannin/alcohol forward elements are kind of hiding them. I'm sure this will open up over time, but I must say, good bourbon, with some really great classic notes. I'm sad that this profile, which I enjoy, has become so rare that I can fully get why people wait in line for it. I'll give this a 2.5, about an 86 but I could go higher on both. The nose is solid 89 or 90 about a 4 star nose. But the drinking experience does not do enough. I should note a dab of KoK makes this into a glass of lower proof KoK ;) It might be my secrete hack! You know second thought 2.75. In a sane world this would be a 75 dollar bourbon that you could get on a daily basis. We sadly don't live in a sane world anymore.

Tasting- 1 oz. Neat in a copita glass. Color is a medium gold. Lighter than one might expect for a 12 yr offering. Nose- mellow oak and sweet honey come front and center. Vanilla and creme brulee then dominate the scene. There is a sweet richness about the nose that rides above from start to finish-- perhaps apricot jam? It is a really a nice aroma. Palate- this is definately sweeter than 2020 Birthday Bourbon, which was more floral and tea-like. I get rich vanilla custard, darker fruits like cherry, and over-ripe italian plum similar to what 2019 Birthday brought to the game. Those, along with the apricot jam I experienced on the nose, are what helps to carry this one. Traditional caramel and cornflakes linger on the way out. What it does lack though is spice. Of the last 4 Birthday offerings, this is perhaps the sweetest but it may also be the best balanced in what it shoots for. It is excellent in capturing those fuller, fruitier, bursting flavors. Finish- the finish is long and lasting with a sweet and sour sauce tanginess on the aftertaste. Oak plays in the background. You can taste it, but it doesn't make it too drying or chewy. The juicy, fruitier flavors are still retained throughout. This stays on the tongue ling after the sip is done Overall- I am really enjoying this bottle. Every year for the last 5 years I have been blessed to either get an entire bottle, or a generous sample from someone. Of the last 5 years, this one impresses me most. The sweet characteristics definately puts this in the dessert category. Some may find it too much of that, but I don't. I embrace that. Like most Old Forester products, it seems that the same mashbill yields either very sweet, very herbal, or very spicy offerings. This definately showcases the best of the best of the sweeter side. Looking past the sweetness though, it is all in there and nicely put together- vanilla, caramel, cornflakes, oak. If there is one flaw, however slight, it may be a lack of spice for some.

Aroma - black pepper, baking spices, massive oak, citrus, slight hint of honey and vanilla. The aroma is outstanding. Taste - not as bold as the nose would indicate. Much more salted caramel and vanilla. More cinnamon pops here. Oak is outstanding. But I’m a little shocked by how much alcohol pushes through. Overall this a terrific bourbon but I’m honestly a little underwhelmed by it. The alcohol presence eliminates some of the finer nuances of this bourbon. It drinks closer to upper 50s/low 60s. There is definitely a noticeable “hotness” even a slight burn on this one.

Nose - Salted Baked dulce de leche. Freshly baked bread. Light vanilla, like a whipped cream. More of a unique, bakery nose. Palate - Insanely sweet and fruity. Grape, apple, oak, baked bread. The same whip cream follows through. After rolling it around, some baked caramel comes through, but baked into a pastry. Finish - Finish isn’t very long but pleasant. The same baked bread keeps coming, like breathing in a bakery. Little bit of barrel spice but not enough to be spicy. Very comfortable!

Fabulous. Very deep, rich, and oaky. Nose: Cherries, Molasses, Almonds, Caramel, Apricots, Bubble Gum, Cinnamon, Vanilla, White Chocolate, Rosewater, Milk Chocolate, Butterscotch Palate: Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Licorice, Root Beer, Dark Chocolate, Tobacco, Maple Syrup, Oak, Cola Cubes, Pecan Pie Finish: Pecan Pie, Toasted Marshmallows, Dark Chocolate, Morello Cherries, Maple Syrup, Butterscotch, Spearmint