LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Frazier History Museum is opening a special holiday exhibition next week that will feature decanters, designs and advertising materials for the historic brand.
It's called Spirited Design: Old Forester's Mid-Century Decanters. But it's much more than a collection of vintage bottles. The exhibit will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time.
IMAGES | Vintage Old Forester decanters from the mid-20th Century
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
The Spirited Design exhibit opening at the Frazier Museum in Louisville on Nov. 22 will feature the complete collection of Old Forester decanters, packaging, and advertising materials together for the first time. (Old Forester)
"We’re fortunate to have this partnership with Brown-Forman Archives to bring this amazing exhibition to the Frazier in time for the holidays," the museum's senior director of engagement Casey Harden said in a written statement. "It has also given us the opportunity to display some newly acquired midcentury cocktail dresses and tuxedoes we received from the Kentucky Science Center earlier this year."
The exhibit will also feature the 150th Anniversary Old Forester decanter that was created to commemorate Brown-Forman Corporation’s milestone anniversary in 2020. The final product was released to members of the Brown family in 2020. Old Forester released a limited number to the public online with a newly designed gift box for $2,500. Those limited edition decanters containing 12.5-year-old Old Forester sold out in 14 minutes.
One lucky person who attends the Spirited Design Opening Party on Nov. 22 will win the right to purchase a bottle.
Tickets to the opening party are available at fraziermuseum.org for $25.
The release of the decanters during the holiday season is meant to pay homage to the historical decanter line which ran from 1950 to 1969.
"When Old Forester released these decanters in the 1950s and 1960s, the brand was ahead of its time," Old Forester master taster Melissa Rift said in a written statement. "Even today, the designs are timeless. Consumers visiting the Frazier exhibition will enjoy seeing and reading about the attention to detail that went into each holiday release."
During the 1950s and '60s, the closely guarded designs were unveiled at annual holiday sales meetings. The presentations were often as lavish as the decanters themselves, including performances by actors, specialty films, original music, and giant reproductions of the packaging.
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
