Old Forester The President's Choice Bourbon Whiskey 2026 Release

Old Forester The President's Choice Bourbon Whiskey 2026 Release is a single-barrel, hand-selected Kentucky straight bourbon and the rarest annual bottling Old Forester makes — a step beyond the distillery's Birthday Bourbon and 1920 Prohibition Style in both scarcity and proof. This is a bottle for the collector who chases allocated single barrels.

Process & Profile

The lineage runs deep: the President's Choice label revives the private single barrels first offered in 1964 by then-president George Garvin Brown II, grandson of the man who founded Old Forester in 1870 as America's first bottled-in-glass bourbon. Every barrel in this program is tasted and chosen personally by Master Taster Melissa Rift and Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo, aged between seven and nine years and bottled at a specific strength between 110 and 125 proof (55–62.5% ABV) rather than a fixed proof — the barrel dictates the number. It is built on Old Forester's classic mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. Since the modern relaunch, fewer than 100 barrels total have ever been released.

On the nose, chocolate frosting, blueberry compote, cherry cola, toasted oatcake, caramel, gingerbread, and a bright lift of orange peel with cinnamon and clove weaving through.

On the palate, a thick, almost milkshake viscosity carries crème brûlée and dark berries into a big seared-oak note, then leather, pipe tobacco, and dark-chocolate-covered macadamia edged with cherry.

The finish is long and nutty — macadamia, hazelnut and walnut — sliding into cornbread, cocoa powder, dark-roast coffee and a tart snap of pomegranate.

What sets the 2026 bottling apart is its national footprint: for only the second year, President's Choice left its Kentucky-only cage and shipped nationwide around National Bourbon Day, released in both bourbon and rye. Because each bottle is a distinct barrel, no two are quite alike — the proof and flavor arc shift from one selection to the next, which is exactly why the label has drawn secondary prices north of $1,000.

Serve neat in a Glencairn and give it ten minutes open; the heat settles and the darker oak-and-coffee register blooms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this whisky?
A hand-selected single-barrel Kentucky straight bourbon, Old Forester's rarest annual release, reviving a private-barrel label first offered in 1964.

What are the specs?
Aged 7–9 years, bottled at a barrel-specific 110–125 proof (55–62.5% ABV); mash bill 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley.

What does it taste like?
Chocolate frosting, blueberry and cherry cola on the nose; a viscous palate of crème brûlée, seared oak, leather and dark-chocolate macadamia; a long nutty, cocoa-and-coffee finish.

How should you enjoy it?
Neat in a Glencairn, rested a few minutes to tame the proof.

Why is this release notable?
Fewer than 100 barrels have ever been released, each personally chosen by Old Forester's master taster — and 2026 is only the second year it has been available outside Kentucky.