Food - Drink
We Can Thank Old Forester's Founder For First Bottling Bourbon
By JEN PENG
In its early days, bourbon was only sold in large barrels, casks, and kegs, which often led to inconsistent quality, especially since the spirit was sometimes watered down.
The average bourbon drinker could deal with these issues, but they significantly impacted doctors who used or prescribed bourbon as a medicinal whiskey back in the day.
George Garvin Brown, who was a pharmaceutical rep in the mid-nineteenth century, heard those complaints from his clients that were physicians and decided to do something about it.
In 1870, he created Old Forester bourbon and sealed the spirit in convenient glass bottles to guarantee quality and consistency, thus starting the tradition of bourbon in bottles.
We can assume that doctors were then able to use consistent, quality bourbon for their practices. "America's first bottled bourbon" is still printed on bottles of Old Forester.