How Hard Is It To Find Old Forester President’s Choice?
Old Forester has a large portfolio of bourbons, but none are more rare than President’s Choice. Old Forester President’s Choice is a single barrel bourbon that is selected from only the finest and exceptional barrels Old Forester has to offer. Historically, these barrels have been selected by the company president and given as gifts. The first few barrels of modern day President’s Choice were indeed selected by the President of Brown Forman, but the more recent barrels selected are normally chosen by the Old Forester Master Distiller, Assistant Master Distiller or Master Taster.
The first Old Forester President’s Choice was gifted to the Kentucky governor way back in 1890 and may have been the first single barrel bourbon ever bottled! In 1964, President’s Choice was bottled by George Garvin Brown II. The modern day President’s Choice has been around in its current from since 2018 and is extremely hard to find. It is mainly released at the Old Forester distillery in downtown Louisville, KY with a very small amount of bottles escaping to retailers in Kentucky. Bottles are randomly released in the gift shop or after scheduled tours of the distillery. Recently in 2025, it was just announced that President’s Choice would be availble for limited national distribution.
How Old Is Old Forester President’s Choice?
Old Forester does not put age statements on any of their bottles except Old Forester Birthday Bourbon and Old Forester President’s Choice. That is important because most Old Forester products are in the 4-6 year age range due to the “sped up aging process” in heat cycled warehouses. Kentucky is a great place to age bourbon because of the large flucuations in temperature that allows the bourbon to move in and out of the chared oak barrels. In the cooler months the aging process is normally slowed down. Old Forester trys to speed up the aging process by pumping heat into their warehouses to keep their bourbon aging year round.
Every bottle of Old Forester President’s Choice are labeled with the number of summers it was aged on the front label and number of months it was aged on the back label. The majority of the bottles released have been between 7 and 12 years old.
What Is The Old Forester President’s Choice Mashbill?
Old Forester President’s Choice mashbill is comprised of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. All of the bourbons produced at Old Forester have the same mashbill except Old Forester 1924. This is a traditional bourbon mashbill and one would expect a classic bourbon flavor profile. Old Forester (and Brown-Forman) bourbon also traditionally has very fruit forward notes.
Old Forester President’s Choice #66
I poured neat in a glencairn and let set for around 15 minutes. If you would like to support the site and buy a pair on glencairns, follow the hyperlink!
Old Forester sent out an email the Wednesday morning before Father’s Day 2024, stating they would be selling limited amounts of President’s Choice that morning. Luckily I live fairly close to the distillery and quickly headed that way. By the time I arrived there were already 50 people in line! Old Forester did their release right, offering free coffee and cookies to those waiting in line. They let us inside the distillery into the tasting room 20 people at a time to meet with Master Taster Melissa Rift. She guided us through a quick history of President’s Choice and a tasting of the barrel we were about to purchase. Melissa was super knowledgable and it was cool hearing her describe what notes she got when tasting barrel #66.
- Distillery: Old Forester
- Age: 10 Summers
- Proof: 110.3 (55.15% ABV)
- Mashbill: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley
- MSRP: $230.00
Color – Dark walnut color is just what I would expect for a 10 year old bourbon.
Aroma – My first approach to the glen is amazing. My senses are overloaded with orange citrus notes and a creamy thick vanilla. Totally reminds of me an orange creamsicle. Oak is present but it is layered quite nicely underneath the initial citrus and vanilla blast. The end of the nose has some slight baking spices that complement the rest of the flavors perfectly. Very well balanced and layered.
Taste – This barrel of Old Forester President’s Choice has strong nutty notes complimented with vanilla and baking spices. I don’t get the strong citrus notes on the palate that were so prevalent on the nose. The oak notes are thick and rich with a magnificent silky mouthfeel that coats the mouth completely. The flavors are complex and layered nicely.
Finish – The finish is nice, full of flavor and lasts for a few minutes. A gentle Kentucky hug. Not an intense finish but has nice notes of vanilla, oak, and most notably almond that linger on the palate.
Rating – 9.3/10
Thoughts – This barrel was aged and proofed to perfection. The nose was magnificent. The nuttiness flavors on the palate isn’t the flavor profile I normally seek out but this was extremely enjoyable. I would have liked more citrus or sweetness on the palate but the nuttiness fit this pour perfectly. The oak was present and complimented the primary flavors and provided complexity. The finish didn’t quite meet my insanely high expectations for an ultra rare bottle like this but I’m splitting hairs.
Old Forester President’s Choice is a world class bourbon and a pleasure to experience. This is the best product I’ve had from Old Forester hands down (If you aren’t counting King Of Kentucky). The price tag on this is steep with an MSRP of $230, but this is an ultra rare bottle and it delivered. I would purchase this again at MSRP given the chance and not hesitate. I thought this pour was outstanding and would love to compare it to another barrel of President’s Choice. These are all single barrels and I am sure there are some that wont agree with my palate as much as this pour did, but I think side by side comparisons are the best way to figure out what you really enjoy.
I stand by my opinion in some of my other reviews (Old Forester 117 High Angel’s Share and Old Forester 100 Proof Single Barrel) that Old Forester products need more time in the barrel. I think the heat cycled warehouses do help speed up aging, but not enough to make a 5-6 year old bourbon taste like a 8-9 year old bourbon. The well aged bourbons I have had from Old Forester are superb. If they would allow their standard lineup to age a bit more, Old Forester products would be hard to beat. If you have had President’s Choice before let me know how you liked your barrel in the comments!
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists
5 | Good | Good, just fine
6 | Very Good | A cut above
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect
Debonair Gentlemen 
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