For this bourbon, we used a different malted barley supplier. The new barley produced a slightly lighter bodied spirit than usual. Barrels were stored on the 7th floor of Warehouse H, where they were exposed to extremely warm temperatures and dry conditions. The lighter bodied spirit and warehouse condition resulted in a higher than average Angel’s Share loss that concentrated the rich toasted and charred oak notes.

Master Distiller Chris Morris allowed the warehouse crew to select the vintage from his list of candidates, making it the only release where the union created the Birthday Bourbon lot.  The barrels chosen were only aged 8 years.  This spicy, complex bourbon was entered into Warehouse L during a cycling period. The interior temperature of the warehouse was warm and humid so the pores of the charred white oak barrel were open. This allowed the new bourbon to soak deeply into the barrel wood where it began to absorb the perfect balance of wood, confectionary and spice character.

All of the barrels were in a low heat cycling. Barrels were not exposed to rising heat or sunlight; rather, they were in lower, cooler floors, resulting in a softer, less sweet character.

Barrels were soaked into thunderstorms prior to being filled which abbreviated the normal initial Angel’s Share process. This is unusual because we usually don’t let barrels get wet.

This vintage had experienced an unusually long, 6-day fermentation; the resulting spirit when barreled was matured in the same warehouse location, near a window and close to a heat cycling duct, exposing the barrels to very high temperatures. This maturation resulted in extremely robust and intense wood-derived characteristics.

This lot of barrels was in the middle floors of Warehouse G and I which resulted in a very even temperature exposure.

For the 2014 release, the fermenter set had a higher pH setting, which created a distiller’s beer that was fruitier and less sour than typical batches. Once distilled and barreled, it was matured in Warehouse I on the 7th floor, where exposure to high summer temperature advanced the ripening of the rich fruit base.

The 2018 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon was drawn from 12 year old barrels from different warehouses and floors. A total of 120 barrels; 93 barrels matured together on the 3rd floor, on the Northwest side of Warehouse J. The remaining 27 barrels matured together on the 3rd floor, on the Northwest side of Warehouse I. Barreled on June 9, 2006 – Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2018 is presented at 101 Proof. This is the first Birthday Bourbon vintage to be bottled at the new Old Forester Distilling Co. on Louisville’s Historic Whiskey Row.

The 2016 Birthday Bourbon barrel selection commemorates the 15th anniversary of the first-ever release. Unlike various selections, where barrels were drawn from different warehouses and/or floors and locations within a warehouse, the 2016 release has uniquely matured together on the same floor within the same warehouse.  This year, all of the bourbon matured in a very warm location, giving it a deep, rich oak forward personality.

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon is a high-quality, premium bourbon produced by the Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. It is made from a blend of corn, rye, and barley and is aged for at least six years in oak barrels. The bourbon is then bottled as a single barrel, meaning it is made from the contents of one specific barrel rather than being blended from multiple barrels.