Old Forester Gives Back for the Holidays

[Josh]

I got this email from Old Forester today.

It takes a plentiful supply of crisp, clean water from limestone springs to make Old Forester. And we’re eternally grateful to have such a valuable resource right where we live.

Sadly, for too many people around the planet, there simply isn’t enough safe, clean drinking water just to survive. Together, we can help change that. So, in the spirit of the giving season, we’re pleased to announce that Old Forester is making a donation of $2,500 to charity: water on behalf of you and Old Forester enthusiasts everywhere.

charity: water is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.So thank you for enjoying our bourbon, and for helping make a difference.

Have a truly happy and meaningful holiday season.

I thought this was a pretty cool thing to do. We all know how important water is for our favorite product, and this is a great way to give back. I may make a direct contribution myself, aside from all the indirect ones I've made this year.:grin:

http://www.charitywater.org/

[ILLfarmboy]

I don't care how PC they are. I'm not a fan of OF products. In fact, now I'm less so.

Maybe Brown-Forman could cut back on the amount of water they use by upping the proof of JD back to 90, or at least 86. Until then, moves like this are nothing but pathetic politically motivated bull shit designed to appeal to weak minded sheep.

just my .02

[Josh]

I don't care how PC they are. I'm not a fan of OF products. In fact, now I'm less so.

Maybe Brown-Forman could cut back on the amount of water they use by upping the proof of JD back to 90, or at least 86. Until then, moves like this are nothing but pathetic politically motivated bull shit designed to appeal to weak minded sheep.

just my .02

allllllllllllllrighty then. I wish you would be more up front with your opinions, Brad. I can never pin you down.

[whgaunce@alltel.]

Merry Christmas to all from a Brown Forman employee!:slappin:

[SMOWK]

I don't care how PC they are. I'm not a fan of OF products. In fact, now I'm less so.

Maybe Brown-Forman could cut back on the amount of water they use by upping the proof of JD back to 90, or at least 86. Until then, moves like this are nothing but pathetic politically motivated bull shit designed to appeal to weak minded sheep.

just my .02

My OF experience is about the same. The '09 OFBB I got was not all that great. I do have 2 more and an '08 that I have yet to open. I've heard from a few friends that the '08 is outstanding, but this is yet to be seen for me.

OFBIB is terrible IMO. I had a bottle that I put up against a lot of other stuff. Bottom, as well as top shelf. It didn't do anything for me. Granted, it was one bottle. Maybe I should get another just to see. I doubt it though.

[OscarV]

Yeah Josh! And another thing, I'll bet you get your marching orders from that ole Commie himself Lambchop!!!!

[BBQ+Bourbon]

Providing drinking water to people who do not have any sounds like a noble cause to me. A contribution of $2,500 seems half hearted for OF but better than nothing.

I still don't care for standard or BIB OF, but the 05BB and the 06 that will hopefully be coming, are excellent.

[Josh]

Providing drinking water to people who do not have any sounds like a noble cause to me. A contribution of $2,500 seems half hearted for OF but better than nothing.

I still don't care for standard or BIB OF, but the 05BB and the 06 that will hopefully be coming, are excellent.

Have you had the Signature? I think it's better than the BiB was and is the best nationally available bourbon for the money, hands down. I think the Sig is a rare case of the current offering being better than the dusty. Just richness, brown sugar, allspice and dried dates.

I agree that it's a worthy cause, and that the amount is paltry for what B-F is bringing in on the basis of a certain Tennesee Whiskey it happens to own.

At any rate, I love Old Forester, and I think it's a great bargain, and I love the fact that it's a pre-pro brand that is still owned by the same company that started the brand. Drinking OF is like drinking a glass of American History. It's a unique bourbon that doesn't appeal to everyone, and that's fine, but if you love bourbon you can't help but give props to a company that chooses to keep Old Forester alive when it could survive on the profits brought in by JD alone. Love it or hate it, Old Forester is living history.

[SMOWK]

You can disregard my other post Josh. I'm going to get a bottle of each to find out.

Any idea when they made the switch?

[callmeox]

Regardless of the amount that B-F is donating, the exposure that Charity:Water is getting is worth even more.

I would love to see more of corporate America do this.

[theDon]

Have you had the Signature? I think it's better than the BiB was and is the best nationally available bourbon for the money, hands down. I think the Sig is a rare case of the current offering being better than the dusty. Just richness, brown sugar, allspice and dried dates.

I agree that it's a worthy cause, and that the amount is paltry for what B-F is bringing in on the basis of a certain Tennesee Whiskey it happens to own.

At any rate, I love Old Forester, and I think it's a great bargain, and I love the fact that it's a pre-pro brand that is still owned by the same company that started the brand. Drinking OF is like drinking a glass of American History. It's a unique bourbon that doesn't appeal to everyone, and that's fine, but if you love bourbon you can't help but give props to a company that chooses to keep Old Forester alive when it could survive on the profits brought in by JD alone. Love it or hate it, Old Forester is living history.

[ThomasH]

I agree that regardless of the amount donated, the exposure generated for charity:water is quite nothing but good. Clean water is a necessity for everyone!

Thomas

[BBQ+Bourbon]

In keeping with the holiday spirit, I wanted to provide drinking water to the least fortunate. Can you imagine not having water to drink?

I picked up an Old Forrester Signature this evening.

[cowdery]

Old Forester Signature, by the way, is 100 proof but not BIB.

Old Forester had a BIB at one time because the market demanded it, but George Garvin Brown was opposed to BIB because he liked to combine whiskeys from different seasons and even different distilleries.

As for the worthy cause tie-in, it's a marketing tactic that works best for all concerned when the tie-in makes some kind of sense. This one, by that standard, is just about perfect.

[T Comp]

OFBIB is terrible IMO. I had a bottle that I put up against a lot of other stuff. Bottom, as well as top shelf. It didn't do anything for me. Granted, it was one bottle. Maybe I should get another just to see. I doubt it though.

[BBQ+Bourbon]

OFBB 06 made it's way from the shelf to my cabinet yesterday. It's very good, and I'll have to spend time with the 05 and 06 some day. They are very different but both quite good.

[ILLfarmboy]

"Old Forester Gives Back for the Holidays"

What did they take, that they should "give back"?

And if they took something that belonged to someone else without compensating the owner in a mutually agreed upon way, or at a mutually agreed upon cash price, shouldn't someone at OF be arrested and brought up on charges?

[DeanSheen]

Whats BS is politicizing donating to a charity that provides water to those in need.

Give it a rest man.

/sheep who?

[ILLfarmboy]

Robert....

I was just pointing out how politicized the verbage we now normally use has become.

No need to shoot the messenger..............

This sort of thing is highly political by its very nature, By 'this sort of thing', I mean highly publicized charitable donations.

OF and their parent company B-F will get a lot more than 2,500 dollars worth of good will advertising out of this.

In contrast, a year ago, with no media fanfare, David Spade walked into a Phoenix Arizona police station and handed them a personal check for $100,000. It hit the news wires only after the fact. Apparently, David Spade, who once lived in Phoenix, saw a television program about Phoenix law enforcement officers buying AR-15's with their own money because the department didn't have the funds. There were no pictures of the event and no tie-in with a movie or a product he was selling.

$100,000 from a private citizen. Kinda makes that $2500 look all the more paultry, dosn't it? How much did B-F save in taxes alone when the dropped the proof of JD from 86 to 80? $2500 a week?

I suppose some on here will think I'm against people in developing nations getting pottable water just for pointing these things out.

BTW for a little perspective, if you are going to drill a new well in this part of the world, It'll cost you about 6,000 to 8,000 just to bore the hole assuming a depth of about 275-300 feet. That's just the hole. You'll need the bore hole encased in concrete and you'll need to run lines and lets not forget a well pump.

What does it cost to drill a well in a developing nation?

[DeanSheen]

"This sort of thing is highly political by its very nature, By 'this sort of thing', I mean highly publicized charitable donations.

OF and their parent company B-F will get a lot more than 2,500 dollars worth of good will advertising out of this. "

Agree with all that but these are the calculated moves that corporations make all the time. Virtually free publicity under the guise of giving back is what PR people and accountants get paid for.

The question is, when is it enough and isn't something better than nothing?

[loose proton]

...As for the worthy cause tie-in, it's a marketing tactic that works best for all concerned when the tie-in makes some kind of sense. This one, by that standard, is just about perfect.

High praise from someone with Chuck's lenghthy biz & PR experience.