Like Birthdays for Middle-Agers, Old Forester's 2026 Birthday Bourbon Is Insignificant
This is mostly for collectors of Birthday Bourbon craving "the next one" to make a complete set. It's a pass for those who recall better past Birthday releases.
Bottle Details
- DISTILLER: Old Forester Distilling Co.
- TYPE: Straight Bourbon
- MASH BILL: 72% Corn | 18% Rye | 10% Malted Barley
- AGE: 11 years
- YEAR: 2026
- PROOF: 97 (48.5% ABV)
- AVAILABILITY: "In limited quantities at select retailers nationwide," per Old Forester
- MSRP: $199.99
- BUY ONLINE: Not available at OldForester.com
TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Classic Birthday notes of dark-charred, bourbon-soaked old oak with cocoa powder, raisin, black pepper and a whiff of Old Fo' acetone lingering in the background.
PALATE: Oak and cocoa carry to the palate along with a little burnt match and campfire. Cigar leaf, black pepper, dried currants and dates build in across the palate along with baking spice and a little cinnamon.
FINISH: Warm and pleasant, but disappears rather quickly.
Reviewer's Verdict
RATING: Bar. I'd not recommend spending $200 on this without getting a pour first. Be fully informed. If you deem it magnificent and want a full bottle, get it. I doubt these will be hard to find.
WORTH THE PRICE: No. The ask is too high. So many good whiskies out there for much lower prices, including Old Forester limited releases such as the High Angel's Share, Old Forester 1924 and single barrels of Old Forester Bourbon or Rye.
WHO IT'S FOR: Collectors of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, especially those who crave "the next one" to make a complete set. Doubtless, those are eye catching, conversation starting packages that do glam up a bourbon shelf.
REVIEWER'S VERDICT: Old Forester Birthday releases just aren't what they used to be. The most recent release to really wow me was the 2019, and before that was the 2015. Over many random conversations with other drinkers about Birthday, these hit or miss releases and the lengthy gaps between great ones are diminishing Birthday's once-legendary status. Like birthdays for middle-aged humans, this one has lost the significance it once enjoyed in what used to be the "September bourbon release season."
Fo' fans like me are wondering what happened to the depth, complexity and heaps of cooked stone fruits that made Birthday worth celebrating and collecting. Where did all that great flavor go? This one is especially short on the richness and roundness found easily on the 1924.
It helps not a bit that its price is so high–more than 2x what I paid for the 2015 release. Given the American whiskey industry is adjusting to softening sales, $200 for most bottles seems high. But given strong demand from those with more spending power than the average Steve, why not jack up the price and earn some margin, right? At least that's what sales teams will say.
The marketing team is having a say this year, too. A limited-edition, Old Forester branded deck jacket is now available for $250 at this site. It's a nice looking piece of clothing that's stamped with “OF-1870” printed on the jacket's back to honor Old Forester's founding in 1870.
It's a clever line extension for sure, but I'd rather have a better Birthday Bourbon by which to remember 2026.
Disclaimer
This bottle found its way to us compliments of the brand. What ends up on the page is ours alone — and they knew that going in. Around here, honesty isn't a policy. It's the whole damn point.
About Our Rating System
Bourbon & Banter uses a three-tier rating system created over a decade ago: Bottle, Bar, or Bust.
- 🍾 Bottle — Buy it. This one deserves a place in your cabinet. (Approximate equivalent: 85 and above on a 100-point scale)
- 🥃 Bar — Worth trying, but not necessarily worth owning. Find it at a bar before committing to a bottle. (Approximate equivalent: 70–84)
- 💀 Bust — Skip it. Life is too short and your shelf space too valuable. (Approximate equivalent: below 70)
Numeric scores imply a precision that doesn't exist — and most publications never score below 80, making half the scale meaningless. We'd rather answer the question that actually matters: buy it, try it at a bar before you buy, or skip it. The approximate equivalents above are for reference only.