Old Forester 2025 Birthday Bourbon Review

Old Forester
2025 Birthday Bourbon
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
12 Years
92 Proof
SRP: $200
Review

Please enjoy our Old Forester 2025 Birthday Bourbon review!

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has become one of the most anticipated annual limited releases. Birthday Bourbon is traditionally released on September 2nd each year, to honor Old Forester’s founder, George Garvin Brown. This year, there was no release at the distillery, but instead lucky winners earned the opportunity to purchase a bottle via an online raffle.

The Details

This batch of Birthday Bourbon was drawn from 210 barrels, all distilled on April 5, 2013 and aged for 12 years in Warehouse K on Floors 1 and 5. What sets this bourbon apart from prior years, in addition to its relatively low proof, is that it was distilled from a sweet mash. Traditionally, Old Forester bourbons are made using a sour mash, where part of the byproducts from a prior distillation (setback or stillage) are added to a fresh mash to help adjust the pH and maintain consistency. In a sweet mash, no setback is used.

Tasting Notes – 2025 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Review!

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Tart orange peel; spicy oak, subtle sweet floral notes and cherries; light caramel; leather which becomes increasingly pronounced with time; alcohol vapor is fairly mild and appropriate for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Leather, tannins, light caramel and simple syrup
👉🏻Finish: White pepper spice & tannins; increasingly dry; dry oak, mild char; subtle leather; fairly long; spice, cherries, dry wood, tannins and char linger for quite a while; moderate warmth

The nose is fairly tart with orange peels and spicy oak. Subtle sweet floral notes and cherries provide a bit of sweetness, along with light caramel. Over time, leather becomes more pronounced. Meanwhile, the alcohol vapor remains mild, as expected from the relatively low 92 proof.

The taste is fairly light bodied, with leather, tannins, light caramel and some sweetness from simple syrup. The finish becomes increasingly spicy from white pepper, and dry, with a tannic tartness. Dry oak, mild char, subtle leather, spice, cherries, and tannins all linger for quite a long time. In the end, I am left with a moderate warmth.

Not What I Expected

The 2025 Birthday Bourbon is not at all what I had expected. I did anticipate that the mouthfeel would be on the lighter side due to the relatively low 92 proof. However, I was expecting the sweet mash to add more character, and the taste to be more full and rich. Instead, I found the opposite. That said, the bourbon’s age still comes through in its considerable oak, tannins, and growing dryness. Perhaps this low proof point was chosen because at a higher proof this bourbon might have been even more oaky, tannic, tart and spicy.

Other Reviews Are A Bit Different

I read with interest many other reviews. It seems the majority rave about this release, other than its price. It even made me wonder if my sample was off. Still, many reviews mention the same flavors that I noted. The other reviewers found them to be balanced, rather than some being overbearing, as was my feeling. I did taste the 2025 Birthday Bourbon a couple of times, as I do for all my reviews, and my results were repeatable. I have found Birthday Bourbons to be hit or miss for me in the past. They generally aren’t really my flavor profile, so I am not particularly surprised by my results. Although, I do wonder a bit why I am not having a similar experience to most others. Having said all that, I did really enjoy last year’s release, so was looking forward to this one.

Conclusion

If you are a Birthday Bourbon fan, you will probably want to buy this bottle. And, if you are like many of the other reviewers out there, you’ll probably enjoy it. At the very least, it will make your collection complete. As for me, I’ll just have to wait for next year. Given the SRP of ~$200, and the difficulty finding this bottle at a price that is not drastically higher, I would recommend trying it somewhere before you buy it, if you have that opportunity. Have you tried the 2025 Birthday Bourbon? What did you think? I am very interested to know. Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Old Forester 2025 Birthday Bourbon review! Read these related articles next: Old Forester 1924 Bourbon Review, Old Forester Distillery Tour Review and Old Forester 100 Proof Bourbon Review.

This sample was graciously provided by the brand for my review. I appreciate it!

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