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BOTM 4/09: OF Birthday Bourbon


jeff
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Sorry for the delay everyone, being a new dad is taking most of my free time right now :smil41df29a15fb35: And, with April being the month my boy turns 1yo, it's only fitting to celebrate with a little Old Forester Birthday Bourbon! This is one of my favorite annual releases, each one different than the one before, and usually better! Officially we are talking about the latest bottling, but to compare and contrast with older iterations is not only allowable, it's expected!

Celebrate with me my son's Birthday, with a toast of OF Birthday Bourbon!

:893drillsergeant-thSound off:893drillsergeant-th

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As I have posted here, the 2008 OFBB expression is one of the best in memory. "The best I can say about this pour is how well-balanced and drinkable it. All the elements come together wonderfully. None stand out (in a good way) but rather compliment each other."

Wish it wasn't so hard to find.

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This is an excellent bourbon. I lucked upon a bottle and am very glad I did.

If you see it, BUY IT!

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"The best I can say about this pour is how well-balanced and drinkable it. All the elements come together wonderfully. None stand out (in a good way) but rather compliment each other."

My thoughts exactly. It has perfect balance. I bought mine in Kentucky but was lucky to have my local store get some in not long ago so I was able to pick up an extra.

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I brought the 2008 OFBB to our family Thanksgiving for the table. There was a healthy dent in it by the end of dinner, which I found puzzling. My brother filled me in that it migrated to the other end of the table where our uncle, who is "not supposed" to drink, discreetly spiked his iced tea with it all evening, he looked pretty happy at the end of dinner!:lol:

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My father opened my eyes to this bourbon (and bourbon in general) and I am glad he did. This is my second sampling of the series and this one confirms I will be making this purchase annually. An excellent, smooth bourbon that for me actually has a mint finish, which is strange because I never find that flavor.

Fine choice!

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There's a bottle of this sitting on the shelf at a store near my house... it's got a $50 price tag attached. This is at the same store that sells Buffalo Trace for $20, Ritt 100 BIB for $10, EC12 $18... you get the picture.

Seems for those prices, $50 seems pretty spendy... looks to be about $40 online. I would love to try it, but how does everyone feel in that price range? It's not that I mind spending $50 on a bottle... it's more the fact that I don't want to spend $50 on something that seems to be "good" but not necessarily stand out as something special and unique. (Versus spending $50 on something that may be a bit more interesting)

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Excellent choice for BOTM. I think it's one of the best whiskeys I've ever had.

Joshua: $50 is a bit steep, I think I paid $40 for the bottle I got, but it was damn good, maybe even $50 good. Do you like the other OF expressions?

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Had some of this in both Louisville and Bardstown. Very tasty stuff and hard to find. Found some in Louisville for about 33 bucks after a lot of looking. We did not see any of this stuff in Bardstown.

Joe :usflag:

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You had to look hard Joe. Liquor Barn was out when I went through friday so I stopped at Toddy's before going to the GN. They had two bottles on the top shelf behind the register and that was my normal quota. The label coloring had me fooled into thinking it was 06 when I saw it up there. But when I asked the guy behind the counter he said that was all they had left and showed me it was 08. I have yet to see it in Colorado though.

That being said, I have always loved the OFBB line (with one exception that I still didn't quite hate) and this one is no exception. It does leave me with a minty note that I hadn't noticed in the others but who says that's a bad thing?

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I'm not crazy about the Old Forester or the OFBB which I had a chance to sample at Whiskyfest in Chicago this year. I have two previous examples in my bourbon stash that my wife encouraged me to buy because the bottles were pretty. She's a sucker for a unique bottle no matter what's inside.

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That being said, I have always loved the OFBB line (with one exception that I still didn't quite hate) and this one is no exception. It does leave me with a minty note that I hadn't noticed in the others but who says that's a bad thing?

Curious Dane, what is the one exception? Personally I wasn't impressed with either 2003 or 2004 and haven't tasted 2005, but loved 2006 and thought 2002 and 2007 were both very very good.

I wish I could add my impressions of the 2008 but as I mentioned I've not found it in Oregon which doesn't surprise me and the few hours I had to spend in NorCal hunting turned up none either. I guess I'll be making a Binny's call.

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The 2004 was the exception because it was too young at 8 yrs and tasted too much like the normal Old Forester to me. The extra five years they went back to in 05 worked wonders for me. I understood that they were trying to make each year different but I was expecting a much older bourbon for that same price.

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I've got a bottle of the 2006, which is the only vintage I've had. I like it a lot! It's got a nice mint-and-toffee flavor that I really enjoy. I've got a ton of open bottles right now, but this is one I keep gravitating toward for my nightly pour. I need to track down some other vintages for comparison.

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Picked up three bottles today and enjoying some as we speak.

Delicious!

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Been 3 or 4 years since I bought a bottle. I've gone back and forth a bit - though I don't know if that was the result of year to year differences or because it tends to be near the edge of my favored taste profile. But I picked up the 08 over the weekend and found it very good, but not exceptional. After I finished a glass I followed with a glass of Signature, which I liked better. The BB was fairly dry, while the Signature had a little added sweetness that I liked.

Anyway, my verdict was "not bad" but at a bit more than half the price I prefer the Signature.

Craig

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  • 4 weeks later...

I can't wait until September, I have bought 2 bottles every year since 2002, one to keep and on to compare to the the previous years. It is a ritual that I do every year I usually start the last week of September and I will taste 3 different years a day. I usually start with the new (current) bottling about noon then about 16:00 I will try the 2002 then about 20:00 I will try the previous years. I will do this until I have compared them all (limiting my self to only 3 taste a day) so about 2 1/2 days. when we get the 2010 stuff I will be up to 3 days of testing. Oh boy!!:grin: Through out the year I will have a taste if I am in the mood, but with the large selection of whisk(e)y I have I just don't seem to make it around to this line to often. I have the ritual in place, so I do not miss out on this very fine tasting Bourbon. YUM-YUM

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