How do I get into the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon sweepstakes?

In an effort to provide a fairer distribution of its Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, this year the Old Forester distillery will be distributing the bottles via a nationwide sweepstakes.

In previous years, only a select few retail locations across the nation receive a supply, which left most people having to travel to Louisville to make their purchase of the prized bourbon in person at the Whiskey Row distillery. Each year, the supply sold out before sunset with some of the buyers turning around and reselling their bottles for much more than they paid.

The Birthday Bourbon is an annual limited release that commemorates the birthday of the distillery’s founder George Garvin Brown. This will mark the first year since the Birthday Bourbon’s launch in 2002 that bottles will not be sold at the distillery.

Among the many services print shops provide is that of label designer and printer.

In addition to its Birthday Bourbon, Old Forester also produces limited batches of its 117 Series and Presidents Choice, which are available only at the distillery and select retail locations in Kentucky, with a few put aside for online sales.

For the opportunity to purchase one of the much-desired bottles of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, go to the distillery website between August 24-31 and register. On September 2, emails will be sent out notifying winners.

Bottles of the Birthday Bourbon sell for $149.99

2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Sweepstakes - Old Forester

Expired2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Sweepstakes

If you love drinking bourbon, you should check this out!

The 2022 Old Forester BIRTHDAY BOURBON Sweepstakes is offering you a chance to purchase the 2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon this year.

Last year they had the 2021 edition and offered the opportunity to be one of the few to purchase a 10 year old bourbon.

This year, an 11-year old bourbon is up for grabs.

This bourbon won't be released to the general public.

Want to get a shot at winning a chance to buy the limited edition release?

There will be 500 winners of the Old Forester Bourbon.

The sweepstakes will run from August 24 - August 31 2022.

Interested?
Don't miss it!

First Prize

Be One Of The Few To Purchase 11-year old bourbon - 2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

Entry Form

https://www.oldforester.com/birthday-bourbon-sweepstakes/

Winners List

not available

  • Added

    Aug 12, 2022
  • Started

    Aug 24, 2022 (120 days ago)
  • Expired

    Aug 31, 2022 Expired
  • Prize Count

    500
  • Prize Value

    $84,995
  • Minimum Age

    21
  • Sponsor

    Old Forester
  • Type

    Sweepstakes
  • Entry Frequency

    One Time
  • Categories

    • Other
  • Report this Sweepstakes

Enter for a chance to purchase (1) bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (MSRP $169.99) at the Old Forester Distillery in Louisville, KY.

Enter Here

This 22nd limited edition expression of Birthday Bourbon is presented at 96 proof. After showing exceptionally unique character during a tasting panel, the 11-year-old barrels were chosen specifically for Birthday Bourbon. Hand selected by Master Distiller Chris Morris, this small batch bourbon offers a unique character and flavor profile that will never be replicated.

The prize consists of the opportunity to purchase one (1) limited-edition bottle of Old Forester 2022 Birthday Bourbon, (MSRP $169.99) (the “Prize”) in person at Old Forester Distilling Co., located at 119 W Main St. Louisville, KY 40202.

For bourbon enthusiasts, speculators, and collectors, September 2nd is a date circled on the calendar. That’s when Old Forester drops their annual limited release Birthday Bourbon, celebrating founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday, to the public. Available only at a select number of retail locations across the country, the bottle rapidly disappears. For most drinkers, the only way to secure one was to fly into Louisville, Kentucky, and head to the distillery on the release date to buy one of the limited number sold over the counter.

This led to a carnival-like atmosphere, with long lines forming on Louisville's downtown streets hours before the distillery opened its doors. What was for sale quickly sold out long before sunset.

While Old Forester welcomed that enthusiasm, they realized that most of their fans were getting shut out. So, for the first time since they launched Birthday Bourbon in 2002, they will not be selling bottles at their Whiskey Row distillery. Instead, they are launching a nationwide sweepstake that will give everyone an equal chance to score one of their $149.99 bottles.

The popularity of limited edition and release bottles is a phenomenon that has spread across the whiskey landscape in recent years. Most distillers along Kentucky’s famed Bourbon Trail and across the country all offer bottles only available on site or in small retail offerings. Besides rewarding their loyal customers with something rare, they also build a buzz around a brand and increase their presence online.

Old Forester is no stranger to this trend. Besides the aforementioned Birthday Bourbon, one of the first limited batch bottles in the nation, the company offers a few others. Their Presidents Choice and 117 Series are only available a few times a year at select Kentucky retail locations, the distillery, with a few sold online.

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The latest release in the Old Forester 117 Series-Whiskey Row Fire.

Old Forester

“Back in 2002, when we introduced Birthday Bourbon, we couldn't give the stuff away, literally. The bourbon craze hadn’t hit, and people didn't know what to make of a one-time product,” says Chris Poynter, the public relations and partnership manager at Brown-FormanBF.Bfor Woodford and Old Forester. “Now, people look forward to that release every year and chase it. Recognizing that, we wanted something special for visitors during the year, so we added a few products just sold here. Our latest one, the 117 Series, lets us debut some new products and test the market while helping to grow the brand."

The decision to not offer their Birthday Bourbon on site was just the latest step the brand has taken to clamp down on resellers gobbling up the rare bottles of Old Forester that often show up at their tasting room. Like the effect that resellers/scalpers can have on the price of concert tickets, gobbling them all up and then driving the prices sky high, whiskey has the same problem. Bottles of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Presidents Choice, and 117 Series sold online can have price tags from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

“There are some people here in Kentucky who make a living of going to the different distilleries and buying allocated and special release bourbons and reselling them," says Poynter. "It's something we can't control, and we don't encourage it. So we instituted a policy that only one limited release bottle a month can be bought by someone on-site."

The lines of people waiting outside Old Forester.

Old Forester

By rolling out a nationwide sweepstake offering lucky winners the chance to buy a bottle of Birthday Bourbon, Old Forester will be offering the boozy equivalent of Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. From August 24-31, consumers can register online at Oldforester.com. The winners will be notified via e-mail on September 2nd. They will have to come to the distillery to buy their bottle in person, filled with liquid hand selected by Master Distiller Chris Morris. While this change might upset some loyal fans in their hometown, it does level the playing field for all their drinkers.

"Birthday Bourbon holds a special place among Old Forester's limited releases, celebrating the legacy of the Brown family," says Morris. “We’re excited to open up the opportunity for bourbon lovers all over the country to get their hands on this beloved bourbon.”

How many bottles of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon are released each year?

Don't get too excited. While demand increases every year, the distillery is limited in what they can bottle, and this year's batch is 14,400 bottles in total — about a thousand more than last year's. To put it in perspective, that's about twice what Pappy Van Winkle will release each year, and still a miniscule supply.

When was the first Old Forester Birthday Bourbon released?

Old Forester celebrates the 156th birthday of founder George Garvin Brown with the first release of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon™ on his birthday, Sept 2. 2002. FIRST VINTAGE-DATED BOURBON IN THE INDUSTRY.