Kentucky bourbon brand Old Forester is known for releasing both high-quality, affordable bourbons and collector’s items like Birthday Bourbon and the 117 Series. The distillery also has a few single-barrel expressions in its portfolio, and one of its most exclusive is President’s Choice, which is hitting stores now in what the brand calls the biggest “one-time drop” to date.
Old Forester was founded by George Garvin Brown in 1870, and nearly a century later in 1964 his successor and president of the distillery, George Garvin Brown II, introduced what the brand calls the first commercially available single barrel bourbon in the industry. If you’re familiar with Blanton’s, you likely know that this Buffalo Trace label laid claim to that same distinction when master distiller Elmer T. Lee launched it 20 years later in 1984. The difference seems to be that, according to a rep for the brand, Old Forester was offering single-barrel bourbon that you could purchase by the barrel or the case, while Blanton’s was the first to sell it as individually bottled expressions.
Nowadays single barrels can be found from many different whiskey distilleries and brands, and the fun of drinking these is that each will vary slightly (or sometimes greatly) in flavor depending on where the barrel was positioned in the warehouse and how thirsty the angel’s were for their share. The barrels selected for President’s Choice were aged from seven to 12 years and bottled between 105 and 120 proof based on what the distillery team considered to be the best flavor. “President’s Choice is our most sought-after product, and most people never get the chance to buy a bottle,” said Old Forester master taster Melissa Rift in a statement.
Old Forester has a few other single barrel expressions in its lineup, including expressions released at 100 proof and barrel strength, as well as a single-barrel rye whiskey—all of which might be easier to find on an ongoing basis than President’s Choice. But if you’re looking for a bottle of this new release (SRP $225), you can check the Old Forester website, head over to the distillery itself on Whiskey Row in Louisville, or try your luck on the secondary market (but be prepared to pay a hefty premium). The rest of the Old Forester lineup is available now from websites like ReserveBar.
