Old Forester

When the product was introduced in 1870, bottles of Old Forester were sealed as a way to guard against adulteration and substitution of the contents, and were initially sold in pharmacies as a medicinal product. The innovation introduced with Old Forester was not that it was available in such bottles, but that it was the first bourbon to be exclusively available in this fashion – providing a greater level of assurance of quality for that brand relative to other products in the market. This innovation was enabled and further fueled by emerging advances in the mass production of glass bottles, such as those soon to be developed by Michael Owens. The sealed bottle approach was popular with doctors and with the pharmacists that sold the product, and their approval was touted in advertisements of the product to the general public.

Originally, the product name was spelled "Old Forrester", with a double "r". The product is reported to have been named after a physician Dr. William Forrester who endorsed its consumption, and the renaming is conjectured to have been a way to avoid direct reference to the physician's name. Originally formed by George Garvin Brown and his half-brother John Thompson Street Brown (J.T.S. Brown, who would also later figure into the history of the Four Roses Distillery and inspire the naming of a brand of bourbon produced by Heaven Hill Distilleries), the company that produces the product was originally registered as J. T. S. Brown & Bro., and became Brown–Forman in 1902 after several partnerships and name changes involving partners James Thompson (who was also involved in the Glenmore Distillery Company and created the Old Thompson brand), Henry Chambers, and George Forman.[http://www.pre-pro.com/midacore/view_vendor.php?vid=SDF11464 Brown–Forman Co., Louisville, KY, 1870–1919] (Accessed February 2011) George Garvin Brown became sole owner by 1902, and although Brown–Forman is now a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange, the Brown family still controls more than 70% of the voting shares (as of 2010).{{cite web|url=http://www.hoovers.com/brown-forman/--ID__11781--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml |title=Brown–Forman – Company Overview – Hoover's |publisher=Hoovers.com |access-date=July 30, 2010}}

To produce his Old Forester product, Brown would initially purchase whiskies from distillers such as John McDougal Atherton and Ben Mattingly, and blend them together. In 1902, he then purchased Mattingly's distillery in the town of Saint Mary in Marion County, Kentucky.[http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/ky-saint-mary.html Saint Mary, Kentucky], University of Kentucky, Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. (Accessed February 2011)

Until Prohibition in the United States began in 1920, Old Forester was the leading brand produced by Brown's company. The company was granted one of the few government licenses to produce medical whiskey, at which time the product became a straight bourbon at 100 proof (previously it had been a blended product).{{Cite book |last1=Waymack |first1=Mark H. |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL784496M/The_book_of_classic_American_whiskeys |title=The Book of Classic American Whiskeys |last2=Harris |first2=James F. |date=1995 |isbn=0812693051 |page=98|publisher=Open Court |ol=784496M }}

Since then, other brands were acquired by the company, such as Early Times (purchased in 1923, which became America's best-selling bourbon and maintained high sales for 30 years[http://www.ellenjaye.com/earlytimes.htm Brown–Forman Corporation – The Early Times Distillery, Shively, Kentucky], September 14, 2000. (Accessed February 2011)), and Jack Daniel's (purchased in 1956{{cite magazine|url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836197,00.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080222003202/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836197,00.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= February 22, 2008| title=Corporations: Slight Change of Recipe|access-date=May 6, 2017| date=August 5, 1966 |magazine=Time}} and as of 2007 the best-selling whiskey of any kind in the world[http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2007/11/jack-daniels-is-best-selling-whiskey-in.html The Chuck Cowdery Blog – Jack Daniel's Is the Best-Selling Whiskey in the World], November 16, 2007. (Accessed February 2011)), have become its leading products.

Every year since 2002, Old Forester releases a Birthday Bourbon expression, made available exclusively through a national sweepstakes.{{Cite web |last=Struble |first=Cristine |date=24 August 2023 |title=Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2023 offers a new chapter in its storied history |url=https://foodsided.com/2023/08/24/old-forester-birthday-bourbon-2023-offers-new-chapter-storied-history/ |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=Foodsided}} The winners are chosen on September 2, to commemorate the day of Brown's birth.{{Cite web |last=Patton |first=Janet |date=22 August 2023 |title=Details are out on how you can get one of Kentucky's most-coveted bourbons |url=https://www.kentucky.com/lexgoeat/bourbon/article278483704.html |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=Lexgo! Eat}}

In August 2016, Old Forester announced the release of its 115-proof "1920 Prohibition Style Bourbon".{{cite news|last=Patton |first=Janet |url=http://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article96356972.html |title=Old Forester bourbon releasing Prohibition-era version |access-date=March 16, 2017 |date=August 18, 2016 |work=Lexington Herald-Leader}} In 2021, the company announced its latest expression, known as the 117 Series, or the "High Angels' Share".{{Cite web|date=2021-05-24|title=Interview: Old Forester's 117 Series Lets Master Taster Jackie Zykan Spread Her Wings|url=https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/interview-old-foresters-117-series-lets-master-taster-jackie-zykan-spread-her-wings/|access-date=2021-06-03|website=The Whiskey Wash|language=en-US}}

Bottling variations include:

• Old Forester Classic (86 proof / 43% abv)
• Old Forester Signature (100 proof / 50% abv)
• Old Forester Mint Julep (Official drink of the Kentucky Derby – Cocktail Ready to Drink – 60 proof / 30% abv)
• Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (introduced in 2002, 96 proof / 48% abv in 2023 bottling)
• Old Forester President's Choice Bourbon (will vary in the traditional range of 110–120 proof / 55%–60% abv, typically aged eight years)
• the "Whisky Row Series"
• Old Forester 1870 – Original Batch
• Old Forester 1897 – Bottled in Bond
• Old Forester 1910 – Old Fine Whisky
• Old Forester 1920 – Prohibition Style
• Old Forester Statesman (95 proof / 47.5% abv – inspired by the dynamic characters in the film, Kingsman: The Golden Circle).

Some awards and recognitions for the brand include the following:

• Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (95 proof / 47.5% abv in 2010 bottling, brand variation introduced in 2002):
• San Francisco World Spirits Competition:[http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/ The San Francisco World Spirits Competition] (Accessed January 2011) "best bourbon" award 2012, "double gold medal" award 2003 and 2012, "gold medal" award 2006 and 2007, "silver medal" award 2005.
• Rating in 90+ Percentile—Best Whiskies indicated by Proof66.comProof66 Summary Page for Old Forester http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/old-forester-birthday-bourbon.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006143640/http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/old-forester-birthday-bourbon.html |date=October 6, 2012 }}
• "Best bourbon aged under 10 years" in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2006 ({{ISBN|1-84442-550-9}}): 2005
• Rated 91 on a 100-point scale (with the range 90–94 being referred to as "Outstanding! One of the best for its style. Distinctive.") by John Hansell of Malt Advocate Magazine: 2010[http://www.whatdoesjohnknow.com/2010/09/14/review-old-forester-birthday-bourbon-2010-release/ Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105043153/http://www.whatdoesjohnknow.com/2010/09/14/review-old-forester-birthday-bourbon-2010-release/ |date=January 5, 2011 }}, John Hansell, Malt Advocate, September 14, 2010. (Accessed February 2011)
• Named an "American Whiskey of the Year" at Malt Advocate WhiskyFest New York 2007
• Other recognitions by USA Today, Whisky Magazine, Spirit Journal, and Santé
• Old Forester Signature (100 proof / 50% abv):
• San Francisco World Spirits Competition: "gold medal" award 2003, "double gold medal" award 2004 and 2012, "best bourbon of show" award 2004.

Wine Enthusiast described Old Forester as having "a very spicy nose that has some sweet vanilla peeking through".{{cite journal | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCEtAQAAMAAJ | title=Wine Enthusiast | year=2000 | volume=13 | issue=1–7}}

Food critic Morgan Murphy said "The sweet-and-sour aroma will be the first thing you notice about this venerable Kentucky classic."{{Cite book| isbn = 978-0848743161| title = Southern Living Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South's Favorite Foods| last1 = Murphy| first1 = Morgan| author-link1 = Morgan Murphy (food critic)| year = 2014| publisher = Oxmoor House| last2 = Editors of Southern Living magazine}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{Brown-Forman}}

{{Alcoholic drinks}}

Category:Brown–Forman brands

Category:Bourbon whiskey

Category:American brands

Category:Economy of Louisville, Kentucky

Category:1870 introductions

Category:1870 establishments in Kentucky