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Old Forester Birthday Bourbon


Guy Debord
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I'm not sure what to make of this MSRP thing - because last year I heard the MSRP was going to be mid-50s and I still got it in two places for about $36 in Texas.

If it really turns out 80 this year then I'll add it to my growing list of passes.

Got to hand it to the industry - they've got the brakes on HARD this year with pricing. Hopefully it achieves something good for all of us in the long run.

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I know that the 2015 is 100 proof, but not necessarily a BIB based on the the laws of BIB. However, could it be considered a BIB in the spirit of the law? It came from 1 day of production (1 distillery season), is at least 4 years old and is 100 proof. I realize there is more to it to be an official BIB, but it seems close.

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The term BIB is optional just like the term straight. Even if it does meet all the criteria, the distiller is not required to use it. So it may very well be BIB.

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I know that the 2015 is 100 proof, but not necessarily a BIB based on the the laws of BIB. However, could it be considered a BIB in the spirit of the law? It came from 1 day of production (1 distillery season), is at least 4 years old and is 100 proof. I realize there is more to it to be an official BIB, but it seems close.
Edited by MOwhisky4me
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The bourbon also needs to be aged in a federally bonded rickhouse to be eligible for BiB. With the nature of the Birthday Bourbon being chosen as an expression of a very limited flavor profile I would guess there are times it's aged in different buildings, so maybe that's why they haven't tried to go the BiB route with OFBB.

I've been back and forth on whether I'm interested in this year's release, but now that it's out my inner Old Forester fan has emerged and I'm hoping to score a bottle! Not sure when it will show up here in Mid-Missouri, but I've got all my local shops on speed dial and I'm doing the daily call around with my fingers crossed!

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Good advice! I have 3 shops that I regularly hit and they know me, so I'm not concerned about checking in with them via phone. But a couple others I'll shift my approach and follow your suggestion on. Thanks!

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The bourbon also needs to be aged in a federally bonded rickhouse to be eligible for BiB. With the nature of the Birthday Bourbon being chosen as an expression of a very limited flavor profile I would guess there are times it's aged in different buildings, so maybe that's why they haven't tried to go the BiB route with OFBB.

!

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chances are if you call I'm going to tell you no. It may not be fair, but I'm going to get the bottles to customers that regularly purchase all sorts of bourbons from me.
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While i appreciate a well cultivated shop owner/customer relationship and know first hand how rewarding it can be, there are downsides at times. The caveat to this type of situation is there are times when it feeds those bourbon buyers that aren't bourbon lovers.

If a person has limited financial means but seriously enjoys a good or favorite bourbon he or she may not be awarded the possibility of even knowing that bourbon is available at their favorite shop simply because they can't afford to always pick up a few premium bottles on a semi weekly basis. But the guy who loves to stock his bar to impress his friends and buys those $50+ bottles because his buddies gasp at the label when they come over for poker night... Well he'll get a call because he spends the money.

Obviously this is a exaggerated case, but one that I have experienced.

Again, I'm never going to knock how anyone runs their business and as I said, I appreciate and have been personally rewarded in multiple ways by similar relationships... But devil's advocate had to point out a possible flaw in the logic.

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In order to be treated like a good customer you have to be a good customer and that means regular purchases.

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In order to be treated like a good customer you have to be a good customer and that means regular purchases.

Indeed. The occasional higher dollar buy combined with a chat every now and then with the booze manager goes a long way. Take a sample in of your purchase to share, that way they also know you're not just a flipper

Edited by RWBadley
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In order to be treated like a good customer you have to be a good customer and that means regular purchases.

Yeah, individual situations may vary, but I don't think you have to always be buying expensive bottles to be considered a good customer. Buy those bottles of EW, ER10, WT101, six packs of beer, be friendly, chat them up if they're not too busy. Of course, if you're the guy who bought one of their 3 WT Diamonds, that may not hurt either, but if the people in charge know you appreciate bourbon - to drink - that goes a long way.

I figure I'm not the only one looking for allocated bottles, and I'm not going to get every one. Give them a reason to save one for you. Plus, you just might make a friend in the bargain.

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In order to be treated like a good customer you have to be a good customer and that means regular purchases.

Oh, I certainly won't disagree with that. I'm a huge proponent of being a patron of the local owned shops and don't bat an eye about paying a bit of a premium for that local flare and personalized attention. I understand my position and role in the food chain and I'm happily willing to do my part. My previous post was simply a statement in hopes that the shop owner does theirs as well. After all, one of these days the bourbon bubble will deflate in some way and when it does I'll still be spending my hard earned dollar on bourbon I enjoy... There will be some "big spenders" who don't.

Okay, off my soapbox... And back on topic...

Simply hopeful that I'll have the opportunity to grab a bottle of this year's OFBB when it shows up here. I've been told it could be anytime over the next 7-10 days.

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That's where I feel like it is a BIB in spirit. I get that part of the law, but of all the parts that affect flavor, that one seems to have the least impact. Really just more of a bourbon curiosity for me when thinking about it.
I could be wrong but don't all Whiskey storage locations (rickhouses) have to bonded by law?
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I could be wrong but don't all Whiskey storage locations (rickhouses) have to bonded by law?

That is what I thought. Maybe it wasn't the case when the law was originally written.

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I think the original legislative intent was to exclude factor warehouses which were a common practice of the day. Factors were middle men who purchased whisky from different distillers, aged stock in their own warehouses and blended (vatted) different sources together to sell as their own house brands. The Bourbon so sourced may have qualified as BIB originally but when it passed out of the bonded warehouse into the market there was no guarantee it wouldn't be mixed with other younger, non complying, or even non whisky spirits, and thus no longer qualify as BIB.

George Dickel, W.L.Weller, Brown-Forman, a number of well respected names got their start as Factors.

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Not to mention that retailer and bars could purchase barrels of whiskey that they then would fill the bottles that their customers brought. This brought a whole other set of problems with adulteration. With BIB, the whiskey bottle was filled under government supervision.

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That is what I thought. Maybe it wasn't the case when the law was originally written.

I'm far from an expert but I'm under the impression that this only pertains to warehouses holding BIB barrels and if it's not BIB the warehouse is not bonded. On the GD tour they show you the little building where the government agents used to stay.

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That was my impression too, but Lord knows I spend a lot of my time being wrong... Just ask my wife!

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Quick take from a sample... better than last year, not quite up to '13 or '12, solid stuff but a bit of a stretch at the new price points.

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So this has been retailing for $80 a bottle? Is that right?

Release is too early to have a general consensus on price, but it seems that $70-$80 might be the new general ballpark. For what OFBB offers to me, I think I would be on the sidelines at this price, notwithstanding that I am sure I won't come across any of it anyway.

I snapped up three bottles of the 2013 right off the shelf at $50 apiece, and while I like it (about half a bottle left of my third and final bottle), it is not spectacular to me, not worth that much more money to me compared against OF Sig within the same family, and not worth that much money to me as compared against other stellar (to me) bourbons priced much lower such as FR barrel proofers, Rock Hill Farms, ECBP, Stagg Jr. and many others.

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