ON THE WEB
Old Forester ’ s Melissa Rift on Birthday Bourbon and Whiskey ’ s Future
by KYLE SWARTZ
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is a sign of the time : a high-age-statement American whiskey that lands lauding reviews and leaves whiskeys fans nationwide chasing its rarity . In other words , bourbon is booming . Brown-Forman ' s 23rd annual Sept . 2 release , celebrating founder George Garvin Brown ’ s birthday , encapsulates the immense quality and popularity the industry has achieved .
But for how long can bourbon remain so trendy ? And what exactly goes into crafting an annual , one-off product as well-received as Birthday Bourbon ? For answers , we recently spoke with Old Forester Master Taster Melissa Rift .
Beverage Dynamics : Tell us about this year ’ s Birthday Bourbon . Melissa Rift : This was a fun one , because we started developing it right when I was coming into the role . Next year ’ s I ’ m excited for , because I can get my hands on it early on . But this one , it ’ s tied to last year ’ s release . Last year ’ s was an 11−year-old expression , at 96 proof . When I started that fall as Master Taster , and sat down with [ Master Distiller ] Chris Morris , he said that for the previous year ’ s Birthday Bourbon , they had set aside a double lot . They wanted to do a timed release .
So they already had the barrels identified , which made my job easier , haha . This year ’ s and last year ’ s releases are the same day of production , but 12 months apart in aging . This allows consumers to review the different qualities of the ’ 22 and the ’ 23 release . How they have similar characteristics , but how that additional year of aging adds more oak and caramelized developments .
BD : Why has Birthday Bourbon become so popular ? MR : Part of it is because these are some of the oldest liquids that Old Forester puts out . We don ’ t normally put out older products because our heat cycles lead to a loss of a lot of liquid through evaporation , affecting the consistency of the liquids in those older barrels . But higher age statements , by design , will be more popular with consumers .
I think it ’ s also because Birthday Bourbon is the only vintage-dated bourbon in the market . And even though it ’ s a little different every year , people have come to expect the same level of quality in each Birthday Bourbon , even if the flavors differ .
BD : How much longer will this bourbon boom last ? MR : People like to speculate that we ’ re approaching the peak , or that the bubble will burst . But I don ’ t see the industry slowing down anytime soon .
We ’ re not even close to the popularity of bourbon in the ‘ 50s and ‘ 60s . And we ’ re still growing globally . Scotch is head and shoulders above bourbon , globally . So we still have catching up to do there .
Maybe we won ’ t see the same breadth of startups and newer brands coming online . Not that I don ’ t love the startups and newer brands adding more innovation and entrepreneurship into our industry . I love that . But what we may see is a curving off of investment opportunities for newer brands , as consumers gravitate more towards brands that they already know will have consistency in quality .
BD : What ’ s next for the whiskey industry ? MR : Lots of folks are now coming into legal drinking age . And while they may drink less in quantity , they ’ re interested in drinking quality . They have a lot of interest in craft spirits : Where the grains came from , what yeast you use to propagate . It ’ s the whole ‘ slow food ’ mentality . That ’ s what the new LDA consumer is interested in .
I also think you ’ ll continue seeing big investments in the experiential side of the industry . The Bourbon Trail has become hugely popular in Kentucky . People are building whiskey destinations in rural parts of Kentucky , bringing economic growth all over . And you ’ re seeing whiskey tourism pick up outside of Kentucky , too .
We ’ re giving people a place to bond with the brands and create a real relationship , so that it ’ s not just a bottle on the shelf . •
This interview was condensed and edited for publication .
For the full stories , visit www . BeverageDynamics . com . www . beveragedynamics . com September 2023 • Beverage Dynamics 5