Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Price 2026: MSRP, Retail and Resale by Year
The Old Forester Birthday Bourbon price for the 2026 release is $199.99 MSRP. North Carolina ABC lists it at $199.95, and Virginia ABC sells it by lottery at $199.99. Older releases cost far more: The Collective's August 2026 resale estimates run from $452 for 2025 to $925 for 2013. (Source: Old Forester press release, Sept 2, 2026)
Further reading
- Read our bourbon investment guide.
- Compare Four Roses Single Barrel prices.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon price: key takeaways
- 2026 release (11 years, 97 proof): $199.99 MSRP; $199.95 at NC ABC (Nov 1, 2026 list); $199.99 at Virginia ABC, lottery only.
- MSRP history: $99.99 in 2018 and 2019, $129.99 in 2020 and 2021, $149.99 in 2022, $169.99 in 2023, then $199.99 from 2024 through 2026.
- Resale (estimates): $452 for the 2025 bottle up to $925 for 2013 on The Collective, as of August 2026 (values delayed 90 days).
- Where to buy: select retailers, state lotteries and the distillery sweepstakes. Since 2022 the distillery hasn't sold it on Sept. 2.
How much does Old Forester Birthday Bourbon cost in 2026?
If you find one on a shelf, expect about $200. That's what the producer suggests and what the two control states we checked charge. Private stores set their own prices, and we found no dated private-store list to quote.
The table keeps three kinds of price apart: the producer's suggested retail price (MSRP), state-store retail, and secondary-market estimates from recorded trades.
| Release | Price | Type | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (11 yr, 97 proof) | $199.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, Sept 2, 2026 |
| 2026, 700 ml | $199.95 | State retail | NC ABC list, Nov 1, 2026 |
| Birthday Bourbon, 700 ml and 750 ml | $199.99 | State retail (lottery) | Virginia ABC, viewed Nov 13, 2026 |
| 2025 (12 yr, 92 proof), 700 ml | $199.95 | State retail | NC ABC list, Nov 1, 2026 |
| 2024, 750 ml | $199.95 | State retail | NC ABC list, Nov 1, 2026 |
| 2025 | $199.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, Aug 18, 2025 |
| 2024 (12 yr, 107 proof) | $199.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, Aug 15, 2024 |
| 2023 (12 yr, 96 proof) | $169.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, Aug 24, 2023 |
| 2022 (11 yr, 96 proof) | $149.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, Aug 2022 |
| 2021 (12 yr, 104 proof) | $129.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, 2021 |
| 2020 (10 yr, 98 proof) | $129.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, June 23, 2020 |
| 2019 (11 yr, 105 proof) | $99.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, June 11, 2019 |
| 2018 (12 yr, 101 proof) | $99.99 | MSRP | Old Forester release, Aug 6, 2018 |
| 2025 | $452 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2024 | $577 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2023 | $616 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2022 | $630 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2021 | $658 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2020 | $614 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2019 | $740 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2018 | $706 | Secondary (estimate) | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
Sources: NC ABC November 2026 price list, Virginia ABC, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, The Collective, Old Forester values, and the Old Forester releases linked in each section below. The Collective's values come from recorded trades and are not offers to buy or sell.
How has the Birthday Bourbon MSRP changed?
The suggested price doubled in six years. It was $99.99 for the 2018 and 2019 releases, rose to $129.99 in 2020, and reached $199.99 in 2024. It has held there for 2025 and 2026. (Source: Old Forester, Aug 15, 2024)
The bottle got smaller, too. North Carolina lists the 2024 release as a 750 ml bottle and the 2025 and 2026 releases as 700 ml, at the same $199.95. (Source: NC ABC, November 2026) Per ounce, that's a quiet price rise of about 7%.
What is each Birthday Bourbon worth on the secondary market?
Here's the part most price lists skip: how far resale sits above the original MSRP. We divided The Collective's August 2026 estimate by each year's producer-stated MSRP. These are our calculations from estimates, not market quotes.
| Release | MSRP | Resale estimate (Aug 2026) | Resale ÷ MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $99.99 | $706 | About 7.1x |
| 2019 | $99.99 | $740 | About 7.4x |
| 2020 | $129.99 | $614 | About 4.7x |
| 2021 | $129.99 | $658 | About 5.1x |
| 2022 | $149.99 | $630 | About 4.2x |
| 2023 | $169.99 | $616 | About 3.6x |
| 2024 | $199.99 | $577 | About 2.9x |
| 2025 | $199.99 | $452 | About 2.3x |
Two things stand out. First, the multiple shrinks as the MSRP climbs: a 2019 bottle bought at $99.99 is now valued at roughly seven times that, while a 2025 bottle bought at $199.99 sits near 2.3 times.
Second, resale values don't rise in a straight line with age. The 2020 release ($614) is valued below 2021 and 2022, and 2018 ($706) below 2019. Each year is a different single-day batch, and buyers price the batch, not just the date.
One more caution: the 2023 and 2025 sweepstakes rules say bottles bought through the distillery sweepstakes "are for personal use, not for resale." (Source: Brown-Forman, 2025 sweepstakes rules)
Birthday Bourbon prices by release year
Each release comes from barrels filled on a single day and picked for that year. Below are the releases where Old Forester published the age, proof and suggested price.
2026 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2026 bottle is 11 years old and 97 proof, drawn from 212 barrels on the third floor of Warehouse B, the oldest warehouse at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively. Chris Morris and Caleb Trigo selected it. MSRP is $199.99. (Source: Old Forester, Sept 2, 2026)
Retail: $199.95 for 700 ml in North Carolina. The Collective shows only one recorded trade so far, so it has no public estimate yet.
2025 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (25th edition)
The 25th release is 12 years old and 92 proof, from 210 barrels filled April 5, 2013 and aged on floors 1 and 5 of Warehouse K. It was made with a "sweet mash," without setback, using only freshly propagated yeast. (Source: Old Forester, Aug 18, 2025)
MSRP: $199.99. Retail: $199.95 at NC ABC. Resale estimate: $452 as of August 2026. (Source: The Collective, 2025)
2024 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2024 release is 12 years old and 107 proof, from 209 barrels matured in Warehouses G and L. MSRP: $199.99. (Source: Old Forester, Aug 15, 2024) North Carolina's list shows 105 proof for this bottle; we use the producer's 107.
Retail: $199.95 at NC ABC. Resale estimate: $577. (Source: The Collective, 2024)
2023 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2023 bottle is 12 years old and 96 proof, from 103 barrels filled May 5, 2011 and aged on the fifth floor of Warehouse I. MSRP: $169.99. (Source: Old Forester, Aug 24, 2023) Resale estimate: $616. (Source: The Collective, 2023)
2022 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2022 release is 96 proof from 11-year-old barrels. (Source: Old Forester, 2022 Birthday Bourbon) It was the first year the distillery sold Birthday Bourbon through a national sweepstakes, at $149.99 MSRP. (Source: Old Forester, Aug 2022) Resale estimate: $630. (Source: The Collective, 2022)
2021 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2021 bottle is 12 years old and 104 proof, from 119 barrels filled April 16, 2009 and matured in Warehouse G. MSRP: $129.99. (Source: Old Forester, 21st release) Resale estimate: $658. (Source: The Collective, 2021)
2020 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2020 release is 10 years old and 98 proof, from 95 barrels filled June 5, 2010. MSRP: $129.99. (Source: Old Forester, 20th release) Resale estimate: $614. (Source: The Collective, 2020)
2019 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2019 bottle is 11 years old and 105 proof, from 120 barrels distilled May 15, 2008 and aged on the second floor of Warehouse I. Old Forester said about 2,200 six-bottle cases would ship, at $99.99 MSRP. (Source: Old Forester, June 11, 2019) Resale estimate: $740. (Source: The Collective, 2019)
2018 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
The 2018 release is 12 years old and 101 proof, from 120 barrels distilled June 9, 2006. It was the first bottled at Old Forester Distilling Co. on Whiskey Row. Roughly 2,400 six-bottle cases were offered at $99.99. (Source: Old Forester, Aug 6, 2018) Resale estimate: $706. (Source: The Collective, 2018)
What are the 2013 to 2017 Birthday Bourbons worth?
Old Forester's product pages for these years carry tasting notes and awards but no proof, age or suggested price, so we list resale estimates only.
| Release | Resale estimate | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $925 | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2014 | $848 | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2015 | $795 | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2016 | $725 | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2017, 95.4 proof listing | $730 | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
| 2017, 96 proof listing | $770 | The Collective, Aug 2026 |
Pages: 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 on The Collective. It lists the 2017 bottle twice, by proof, at $730 and $770. (Source: The Collective, Old Forester)
Where can you buy Old Forester Birthday Bourbon?
There are three routes, and none of them is walking into the distillery on Sept. 2.
- Distillery sweepstakes: winners can buy one bottle in person in Louisville. The 2026 entry window has closed, and Old Forester says later distillery releases happen "on random days and at random times." (Source: Old Forester, Birthday Bourbon FAQs)
- State lotteries: Virginia ABC distributes Birthday Bourbon by lottery at $199.99. (Source: Virginia ABC)
- Select retailers: the 2026 release went to select stores nationwide in limited quantities. (Source: Old Forester, Sept 2, 2026)
Is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon worth the price?
At $199.99 it's a drinking bottle with collector appeal, not a sure-fire trade. Every release from 2018 to 2025 is valued above its MSRP, but the newest bottles carry the thinnest margin.
If you want to compare, our Four Roses Single Barrel, Eagle Rare and Blanton's guides use the same MSRP, retail and resale split. The allocated tier sits closer to Stagg, Weller and Pappy Van Winkle.
Holding older bottles? Our guide to old whiskey bottle value explains how condition and fill level affect price, and the Buffalo Trace price guide covers a daily bourbon for comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the 2026 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon?
$199.99 MSRP. North Carolina ABC lists the 700 ml bottle at $199.95 (Nov 1, 2026), and Virginia ABC sells it by lottery at $199.99.
What proof is the 2026 Birthday Bourbon?
97 proof, aged 11 years, from 212 barrels.
How much is a 2020 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon worth?
The Collective estimated $614 as of August 2026, against a $129.99 MSRP.
What was the highest-proof Birthday Bourbon?
Of the releases where Old Forester published the proof (2018 to 2026), 2024 is highest at 107. The 2019 release was 105 proof.
When is Old Forester Birthday Bourbon released?
Each year around Sept. 2, the birthday of founder George Garvin Brown.
Prices checked Nov 13, 2026 by Anthony Zhang. State prices change quarterly; secondary values are estimates delayed 90 days.
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