Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Whisky

Old Forester 1870 Original Batch is a tribute to the pioneering batching process George Garvin Brown used when he founded Old Forester in 1870 and created America's first bottled bourbon — selecting barrels from three different warehouses, each with a different production day, entry proof, and age profile, then batching them together for the complexity and consistency that no single barrel could reliably produce.

When George Garvin Brown began selling bourbon in sealed glass bottles in 1870 — a revolutionary practice at a time when most whiskey was sold from open barrels susceptible to adulteration — he needed a consistent product. His solution was batching: by combining barrels from different warehouse positions, production dates, and age profiles, the natural variation of individual barrels averaged out into a reliable, repeatable flavor. The 1870 expression recreates this specific three-source batching approach, minimally filtered to preserve the character from all three barrel types. The result is a 90-proof bourbon with the layered complexity that only multi-source batching produces.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Caramel, vanilla, and subtle spice — the layered complexity of three-source batching
• Palate: Balanced and rich with the different barrel contributions producing more depth than a single-warehouse expression
• Finish: Smooth and sustained at 90 proof

Specs

• Distillery: Brown-Forman, Louisville's Whiskey Row, Kentucky
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Series: Whiskey Row Series
• Batching: Three warehouses, three production days, three age profiles
• ABV: 45% (90 Proof)
• Size: 750ml

Browse all bourbon at Wooden Cork.