John E. Fitzgerald Larceny Wheated Bourbon Review

By Kurt Maitland

Rating: B

The supposed back story on John E. Fitzgerald is that he was a bonded treasury agent and one of only people legally allowed to carry the keys to the barrel storage warehouses. Rumor has it that Mr. Fitzgerald had a particularly discerning taste when it came to fine Bourbon, and would use the aforementioned warehouse keys to gain access to the best barrels, namely the Herbst and Pappy Van Winkle barrels he had access to. These barrels eventually became known around the distillery as “Fitzgerald barrels”. Old Fitzgerald was named to immortalize the man who love for bourbon knew no bounds and respected no laws. Heaven Hill’s Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon honors the namesake of the Old Fitzgerald brand.

Larceny Bourbon continues the Old Fitzgerald tradition of using wheat instead of rye as the third grain in the whiskey’s grain recipe. The use of winter wheat provides Larceny Straight Bourbon with the softer profile that of Old Fitzgerald is famous for.

The Bourbon
Larceny is gold and copper in color, with an aroma of tobacco, cinnamon, fresh bread and vanilla. It is bottled at 46% abv (92 proof). It’s spicy in the front, mellowing into a dry finish with a resurgence of the spice and tobacco notes as you hold it your mouth. It’s dry and not at all oily. With water it takes on an entirely different profile. The spice notes mellow to a sweeter, more floral flavor and accentuate the wheat in this mix and a little water gives you a hint of space from the dry finish.

Another of Heaven Hill’s quality additions to their line. It matches up nicely with other wheated bourbons and it’s a great value to boot.

The Price
A bottle of John F. Fitzgerald Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon will run you around $29.99 in U.S. liquor stores. At that price point, it’s a steal that its namesake would be proud of.