Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky Whiskey Row Series 79% Corn 11% Rye Unique Yeast Strain 100 Proof 50% ABV 750ml

Old Forester is America's first bottled bourbon — founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown, who was so convinced of his whiskey's purity and consistency that he sealed and signed every bottle with the pledge: "There is nothing better in the market." Over 150 years later, the Whiskey Row Series continues that tradition of conviction — each release anchored in a specific moment of the brand's storied history, each one a genuine creative and production statement rather than a marketing exercise. The 1924 is the most ambitious and most surprising of the five.

The year 1924 marks a singular chapter in American bourbon history. During Prohibition, more than 200 Kentucky distilleries were forced to close. Old Forester continued operations under one of only six federal medicinal spirits permits issued to American distilleries — Permit P-3 — legally acquiring barrels from shuttered competitors and bottling that liquid under the Old Forester name. Those acquired barrels came from different distilleries with different mash bills, temporarily expanding the brand's flavor range beyond its traditional recipe. One hundred years later, Brown-Forman has commemorated that unprecedented moment by creating a bourbon with a deliberately different mash bill — 79% corn and 11% rye rather than the traditional 72% corn and 18% rye — aged for a full decade and fermented with a unique yeast strain developed specifically for this expression.

Named 2024 Bourbon of the Year by Bourbon Podcast. Sold out nationally within weeks of its January 2024 debut. Returned for its second annual release in January 2025. The result is described by Bourbon & Banter as "an arguably perfect example of masterful Kentucky bourbon maturation" — and by reviewers across the board as one of the finest expressions to carry the Old Forester name. Fudge, cocoa, marzipan, cured tobacco, chocolate-covered graham cracker, grilled pineapple, and a finish described as "Birthday Bourbon-esque" — which is the highest compliment in the Old Forester vocabulary.

This bottle is one bottle per order, please.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Old Forester was founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Louisville — DSP-KY-354, one of the oldest continuously operating distillery permit numbers in the United States. Brown's founding conviction — that bourbon of guaranteed purity should be sealed in glass rather than sold from open barrels subject to adulteration — made Old Forester the first bourbon ever bottled and sold in sealed glass bottles, earning it the designation "America's First Bottled Bourbon." Brown-Forman has distilled without interruption ever since, including through Prohibition — sustained by the federal government's medicinal spirits permit P-3 that allowed the company to continue bottling bourbon for dispensing by pharmacies.

The 1924 expression is the fifth installment in the Whiskey Row Series — a chronological storytelling project that maps the most significant dates in the brand's history onto distinct whiskey expressions: 1870 (founding), 1897 (Bottled-in-Bond Act), 1910 (a distillery fire that necessitated second-barrel aging), 1920 (Prohibition's beginning), and now 1924, which commemorates the year Old Forester was uniquely positioned to survive — and thrive — during Prohibition's height by acquiring barrels from distilleries forced to close.

The production decision that defines 1924 is the mash bill. Rather than the standard Old Forester recipe of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley — the mash bill that has defined the brand for over 150 years — Master Distiller Chris Morris and his team researched the mash bills of the Prohibition-era distilleries from which Old Forester acquired barrels in 1924 (contractual obligations prevent disclosing whose mash bill specifically inspired the final recipe) and developed a new formulation of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley. The higher corn percentage and lower rye produces a noticeably sweeter, more full-bodied, and more richly textured bourbon than the traditional recipe — and a unique proprietary yeast strain developed specifically for this expression adds an additional layer of differentiation. After 10 years of maturation in Brown-Forman's heat-cycled warehouses in Louisville — where deliberate temperature cycling accelerates the spirit-barrel interaction cycle and produces a bourbon that tastes measurably older than its age — the expression is bottled at exactly 100 proof, non-chill filtered per Whiskey Row Series standards, and released as a limited annual expression each January.

Critics Reviews

Bourbon Podcast — 2024 Bourbon of the Year

Bourbon & Banter called the 1924 "an arguably perfect example of masterful Kentucky bourbon maturation" — the highest praise in their review vocabulary — noting that "for a whiskey of this age to taste more juicy than drying is amazing."

Bourbon Banter's own official tasting notes describe "almond paste, Nutella, chocolate cake, graham cracker and ginger" on the nose, with a palate delivering "cinnamon sparks and bits of graham cracker" alongside "black pepper and maple notes" and a finish "Birthday Bourbon-esque — delicious in every respect."

Debonair Gentlemen praised it as having "one of the most viscous mouthfeels I have had for a 10-year-old bourbon" with "no harshness at all" — noting that drinking it "gives me slight reminders of King of Kentucky, which is the same mashbill but aged 5–6 more years longer and bottled at barrel proof."

There are no widely published numeric scores from Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, or Whisky Advocate available for this expression.

Tasting Profile

Nose Deep copper-amber in color — the heat-cycled warehouse maturation producing a color and depth that looks older than 10 years. The nose is rich, complex, and immediately compelling. Fudge and cocoa lead — soft, dark, and dessert-like — followed by marzipan and almond paste that add a confectionary sweetness. Cured tobacco and warm cinnamon add depth and aromatic sophistication beneath the sweeter notes. The unique yeast strain's contribution is detectable in a fresh peach and dark fruit dimension — brighter and more fruit-forward than the standard Old Forester profile — alongside vanilla, Nutella, chocolate cake, and graham cracker. Rich oak from a decade of heat-cycled aging grounds the whole. The nose is, as one reviewer noted, "redolent of the usual Old Forester goodies" but with an additional layer of chocolate-and-almond richness that sets the 1924 apart from anything else in the range.

Palate Full-bodied, viscous, and superb in mouthfeel — the higher corn percentage of the new mash bill delivering a sweeter, richer, and more textured entry than the traditional Old Forester recipe achieves. The palate "explodes" (in the words of one reviewer) with warmth and layered flavor: chocolate-covered graham cracker dusted with cinnamon is the house's own flavor description, and it is entirely accurate. Spices not immediately apparent on the nose emerge here — clove, black pepper, and cinnamon building through the mid-palate alongside roasted peanuts, toasted nuts, and vanilla. Dark, tannin-free oak adds structural depth without dryness — the "juicy" quality that Bourbon & Banter found remarkable for a 10-year expression fully evident. Brown sugar, maple, pistachio, toasted buttered roll, and dried raisin weave through the center. The unique yeast strain adds a slight forest-green freshness that prevents the richness from becoming one-dimensional.

Finish Warm, long, and deeply satisfying — the "Birthday Bourbon-esque" characterization earning its reputation here. Spice and graham cracker crumbles lead the close, followed by cured tobacco, bitter chocolate, grilled pineapple, and a final warming oak note that lingers well past the swallow. The finish is slightly drying but entirely clean — not tannic, not harsh, and impressively persistent for a 100-proof non-chill filtered expression from Louisville's heat-cycled warehouses.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Best enjoyed neat in a Glencairn or wide-bowled tulip glass — the viscous, full-bodied mouthfeel and the dessert-like cocoa and graham cracker profile are most apparent without ice or dilution. A few drops of water at 100 proof will open the fruit and spice notes further and deepen the dark chocolate dimension. A single large ice cube works beautifully for a slower, more exploratory pour where the mash bill's sweeter corn character develops over the glass's temperature range. Outstanding alongside dark chocolate, pecan pie, marzipan-based pastries, chocolate-covered graham crackers (naturally), aged cheddar, and smoked meats. A natural annual gifting bottle for Old Forester enthusiasts, Whiskey Row Series collectors, and anyone who appreciates a bourbon with a genuine historical story behind every production decision.

Cocktail Suggestions

1924 Old Fashioned (the distillery's recommended serve) 2 oz Old Forester 1924 · 1 tsp Demerara syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over a large ice rock. The chocolate-and-graham cracker character of the 1924 aligns naturally with the Old Fashioned format — Demerara echoes the brown sugar and maple notes already present, and the orange peel amplifies the bright fruit dimension contributed by the unique yeast strain. A deeply satisfying Old Fashioned built on one of the most historically interesting bourbon mash bills currently in production.

1924 Manhattan 2 oz Old Forester 1924 · 1 oz sweet vermouth · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Luxardo cherry. Stirred over ice, served up in a chilled coupe. The cocoa, marzipan, and cured tobacco depth of the 1924 locks directly into sweet vermouth's botanical sweetness — producing a Manhattan that is richer, darker, and more dessert-forward than the traditional Old Forester recipe achieves. A Manhattan that rewards the patient drinker.

Prohibition Sour 2 oz Old Forester 1924 · ¾ oz fresh lemon juice · ½ oz honey syrup · optional egg white. Shaken hard over ice, served up. A nod to the Prohibition era the bottle commemorates — honey syrup echoes the fudge and brown sugar on the nose, lemon cuts through the richness with precision, and the egg white version creates a foam that carries the cocoa and marzipan aromatics dramatically on approach.

1924 & Ginger 2 oz Old Forester 1924 · premium ginger beer · squeeze of fresh lime. Built over ice in a highball. The sweeter, more corn-forward character of the 1924 mash bill carries beautifully in a long drink — the ginger amplifies the cinnamon and spice notes already present, and the lime's tartness cuts through the richness to create a refreshing highball that showcases the bourbon's unique flavor profile in an approachable format.