Old Forester Birthday Bourbon - 2006 Release

Released September 2nd, 2006. A 12-year small-batch selection — the final year of the Birthday Bourbon series' rarest founding-era vintages before production and collection scale began to increase significantly.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is released once a year on September 2nd from a unique small-batch of 12-year-old barrels. The 2006 marks the transition point in the series' history: the 2003–2006 vintages were produced before premium bourbon collecting reached its modern scale, in smaller volumes with lower collector awareness. Starting around 2007–2008, awareness of the series grew and surviving stock became increasingly difficult to find. The 2006 is the last of the founding-era vintages.

Specs

• Distillery: Old Forester Distilling Co., Louisville, Kentucky (est. 1870)
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Age: 12 years
• Release: September 2nd, 2006 — Annual Birthday Bourbon
• Size: 750ml

Browse the full Old Forester collection or explore all bourbon at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is 2006 considered the end of the founding era? The 2003–2006 Birthday Bourbon vintages were released before the dramatic premium bourbon demand surge that began around 2009–2010. Production was smaller, collector infrastructure was minimal, and most bottles were consumed rather than saved. The 2007 onward saw significantly more collector attention, making surviving 2006 and earlier stock increasingly scarce.
• What is the Birthday Bourbon series? Released annually on September 2nd, each edition is a unique small-batch of 12-year-old barrels. No two vintages share the same barrel selection or proof.
• Is the 2006 still available? In very limited quantities. The 2006 is nearly 20 years out of primary release and available only through legacy specialty retailer stock.
• Is Old Forester America's first bottled bourbon? Yes — George Garvin Brown began sealing bourbon in glass bottles with his signature in 1870, establishing the commercial bottling standard the entire industry now follows.