Old Fitzgerald Bottled In Bond Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Heaven Hill withdrew the Old Fitzgerald brand last year, presumably to focus attention on Larceny, which is based on the same wheated bourbon stock. Now Old Fitz is back, but not in it’s previous incarnations, which would have sat around Larceny in terms of quality and price point. Instead, the brand is back as a limited edition, annual offering.

This first, Spring 2018 installment is an 11 year old bottled in bond, done up in a 1950s decanter-style bottle. With the bottled in bond designation, we know it was all distilled in the Spring of 2006 by Heaven Hill, aged in a bonded warehouse and bottled at 100 proof. At 11 years old, it’s almost three times older than the statutory minimum four years required under the antique Bottled in Bond Act.

It’s a very different creature from the Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond that was retired last year, as that was a basic bottled in bond with a modest, old school price point. It’s important to remember that although bottled in bond offerings are gaining popularity as other staple sippers from the small batch era become no age statement (NAS) offerings or are retired altogether, four years is simply “mature” in bourbon terms. Most of the core, mass market offerings out there are blended from bourbon in the four to eight year range.

The Bourbon
A pour of this new, yet much older Old Fitz reveals a clear, middling amber bourbon. It’s not red or coppery, but not brown enough to bring on any murkiness either. A swish leaves a sprinkling of beaded, glacial legs on the glass.

The aromatic nose yields up plenty of honey and vanilla sweetness, accented by cinnamon, and hints of leathery wood and golden raisins. It’s a scent which leans a bit out of what I typically expect of the bourbon flavor profile, and that is enough the case that if I didn’t know better I would have wondered if some Sherry cask finish hadn’t found it’s way into the mix. Not much Sherry, mind you, but some.

On the palate, though, the whiskey turns back into solid bourbon territory. It’s brown sugar and vanilla sweet, with a dash of spice and wood, the latter making the flavor a bit dry. The latter note points straight to how this whiskey is not as floral as one is accustomed to from a “wheater.” The finish is short and rather sharp, being spicy, tannic and a touch hot.

I thought this 11 year old was an interesting look at both a middle aged, Heaven Hill wheated bourbon and a particular slice of what is going on down at their warehouses. The time has done some nice things with the scent and given the body a character that has some muscle and maturity on it, but without becoming big, oaky and ballsy.

The Price
The recommended retail for this bourbon is $110.