Old Forester was started in 1870 by George Gavin Brown as a medicinal product. It was the first brand of bourbon to be exclusively sold in bottles, at a time when most American whiskey was still sold by the barrel. The brand name supposedly came from Dr. William Forrester, who promoted the whiskey’s health benefits, and the whiskey’s brand was originally spelled Old Forrester. In 1902 through partnerships the company became known as Brown-Forman, a name which has carried on ever since. The company continued to produce medicinal whiskey through prohibition. Old Forester had been a sourced product, but the company in 1940 purchased the Labrot & Graham distillery (formerly Oscar Pepper) and the Old Kentucky Distillery Company to produce their brands.

 

Photo libraries, in ascending order by bottling year

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