Building upon Legacy and Legend: The Old Forester Story

The Bourbon story is full of colorful history, lore, and personalities.  Old Forester is one of those whiskeys that deserves to have it’s story told and recognized.

Imagine a time in which the fix to your needs for whiskey required you to walk down to a tavern with a container and have it filled, only hoping that the quality level didn’t include unsafe additives like gunpowder.  Local saloons indeed used to have to stretch their supplies which created public health concerns, which was a driving force behind a young pharmaceutical representative in Louisville, Ky to becoming the first to bottle whiskey in glass containers to ensure consistency in both taste and quality of his product. 

Originally from Munfordville, George Garvin Brown moved to Louisville and eventually began selling the first bottled bourbon whiskey in the early 1870’s. Old Forester was named after a prominent physician in Louisville, Dr. William Forrester, and was initially sold as a medicinal product in pharmacies. After several partnerships, Mr. Brown took sole ownership of the Brown-Forman Company in 1902.  As the company grew and prohibition loomed in the 1920’s, Brown successfully maneuvered to have his stock sold as a pharmaceutical keeping the company afloat until the end of prohibition. His company is currently under the curation of his 5th generation descendant, Campbell Brown.

While publicly traded on the NYSE, the Brown-Forman Company, 70% of shares are still owned by the Brown Family, and the company remains one of the largest in the business.  Their brand portfolio includes, Old Forester, Early Times, Woodford Reserve, Jack Daniels, Canadian Mist, Finlandia, Chambord, Korbel and many other brands throughout the spirits sector.  The Old Forester Whiskey Row series is a bourbon fan favorite and the annual Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is one of the hottest bottles to find every year when it is released on Georges birthday, September 2nd.

By first bottling whiskey, George Garvin Brown was a pioneer, and thankfully his foresight to stay relevant beyond prohibition makes him legendary.

Cheers, Y’all!