The annual Old Forester Birthday Bourbon sweepstakes is live. It launched on 18 August at 9 am and runs through 24 August at 23:59 (11:59 pm). The winners will be drawn, they say, “sometime in early September.” One thousand winners will be randomly selected for the opportunity to buy a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2026 (say that five times fast before you do any tippling).

BLUF: Enter the contest right here on the Old Forester website.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Background

The tradition of a birthday bourbon began as a way to honor and celebrate Old Forester’s founder, George Garvin Brown. Unlike previous years, this celebration won’t take the form of a distillery release. They want it to be available to more Old Forester Fans; hence the sweepstakes. Note that there’s no purchase necessary, but you can enter only once.

Rules and Regulations and Legalese and Whiskey Whatnot

A few things to know about the contest:

• The prize is the opportunity to buy one limited-edition bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2026 (an $199 MSRP)
• Limit one entry per customer
• Winners will be notified by email
• Winners must pick up their bottle in person at the distillery (Old Forester Distillery at: 119 W Main Street, Louisville, KY, 40202)
• If we’re reading this right, you’ll have from the time of your notification until 19 December 2026 to pick up your bottle
• Anyone who wins but doesn’t really want their bottle is welcome to donate to the staff of Breach-Bang-Clear
• Bottles are intended for personal use, not for resale (but they make an excellent Christmas gift for the editorial staff of places like Breach-Bang-Clear)
• There’s a whole bunch of other fine-print type stuff right here on the boring-but-necessary page

Oh! And also, if you don‘t win, all is not lost! Old Forester says there will be other opportunities to buy, albeit limited ones.

“The distillery will have additional opportunities to purchase. Future releases will be “on random days and at random times” and may be in the form of a gift shop release or in conjunction with select tastings, tours or events. Additional opportunities to purchase will not be announced in advance.” ~ Old Forester