Old Forester was founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown, a pharmaceutical sales executive. He later partnered with George Forman, leading to the establishment of the current corporate identity in 1901. You may have heard of Brown-Forman.
The Brown family continues to lead this large enterprise today. Campbell Brown, the great-great-grandson of George Garvin Brown, is the chairman of the board. Brown-Forman also owns several well-known spirits brands, including Woodford Reserve, Herradura Tequila, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, and Finlandia Vodka, among others.
Old Forester is located in the heart of downtown Louisville on Whiskey Row at 119 West Main Street. This site, just a block south of the Ohio River, was chosen for its convenience in moving bourbon barrels from storage to the river for transport to St. Louis, and ultimately down the Mississippi River to New Orleans during the nineteenth century. It was relatively easy to roll barrels from Whiskey Row to the nearby boats waiting for this precious liquid cargo.
Old Forester holds the distinction of being the first to place bourbon in clear bottles that were capped and sealed with a paper label meant to “ensure their quality.” This was a significant advancement in 1870, as glass bottles were not yet mainstream in any industry. At that time, bottles were hand-blown and quite expensive due to the lack of mass production.
I view this relatively small downtown location as an opportunity for Old Forester to showcase all steps of bourbon production, rather than just offering a tour of a full-scale distillery, like many others featured in this guide. For example, the fermentation tanks here hold only 4,500 gallons, compared to more than 50,000 gallons at Bardstown Bourbon. Barrel storage at this location is also limited, accommodating just 750 barrels.
Their main production facilities are located nearby in Shively, but they do not offer tours there. A major highlight of the downtown location is a small working cooperage that produces a handful of barrels each day. This is the only distillery I have visited that makes its own barrels and includes this process as part of the tour. Be sure to take advantage of this unique opportunity to observe them in action.
They offer two tours: the “Nothing Better in the Market” tour and a more traditional Old Forester tour. The former concludes with a VIP tasting experience that features their highly sought-after Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. Note that this tasting is only offered on a limited basis, so check for availability on their website.
Old Forester is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mark Meade is the author of The Bourbon Journey, a travel guide that highlights our iconic bourbon distilleries and the experience of bourbon tourism. This column serves as a natural extension of the book. All rights reserved. For questions or comments, contact the author at [email protected].
