Old Forester bourbon dates back to 1870 and has the distinction of being the first American whisky to be sold exclusively in a bottle sealed by its manufacturer, thus making it an important milestone in the evolution of spirits brands. The spirit was dreamed up by George Garvin Brown (1846–1917), a Louisville pharmaceutical salesman, and his half-brother J. T. S. Brown Jr., a whisky merchant. The duo initially marketed it to doctors, who at the time prescribed alcohol for a range of maladies. Unfortunately, at the time the only way for a sick (or healthy) person to obtain whisky was to go to a bar or grocery store and buy a glass or a bottle that had been filled by the establishment or the wholesaler they bought their whisky from; neither distillers nor non-distillery producers bottled their whisky, selling it only by the barrel. Wholesalers and retailers often adulterated their whisky before bottling, stretching it out with ingredients that might have done more harm than good. The Browns’ sealed bottle carried a guarantee of purity, and the brothers refused to sell it unless in that bottle.
When the brand was first introduced, its name was spelled with three r’s, “Old Forrester.” It was later changed to the modern spelling, Old Forester. There are several theories as to why this was done, but, according to the brand, the third r was dropped after Dr. Forrester, who had endorsed the bourbon when it launched, passed away. In any case, the change was made by 1911.
The Brown brothers’ single whisky brand survived Prohibition with a medical license and grew into the large liquor company Brown-Forman, which continues to produce and sell Old Forester (the company’s annual issue of their small-batch Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is hotly anticipated among bourbon collectors), in addition to a portfolio of bestsellers that includes Jack Daniel’s and Herradura tequila. See Jack Daniel’s and Herradura. In fact, Campbell Brown, George Garvin Brown’s great-great-grandson, now runs the brand. Campbell Brown recently oversaw the rebuilding of Old Forester’s original headquarters on Whiskey Row in Louisville, which now includes an actual working distillery and visitor center.
See also Brown-Forman and whisky, bourbon.
Rothbaum, Noah. The Art of American Whiskey. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed, 2015.
Washburne, George R., and Stanley Bronner, eds. Beverages de Luxe. Louisville, KY: Wine & Spirit Bulletin, 1911.
By: Noah Rothbaum