Sneak Peek: Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon Review (Spring 2019)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Although Heaven Hill’s revamp of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond meant the death of one of those brands that is a favorite among bourbon nerds while remaining largely unknown to drinkers at large, it had the benefit of bringing a premium brand based on Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon stock that has been older than the statutory minimum of four years required by the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. Released as a bi-annual, the Spring 2018 edition was an 11 year old and the Autumn 2018 was 9 years, 10 months.

Spring 2019 is the oldest batch yet, drawing on barrels filled in September 2005 and dumped in February 2019, for an age of 13 1/2 years. Past that, the Bottled in Bond tag tells you everything else you need to know: aged in a bonded warehouse and bottled at 100 proof.

The Bourbon
In the glass, Old Fitz BiB 13 Year Old has a coloring straddling the line between copper and amber, and I say that because it has just a little too much dull brown in it to stay on the copper side of the line. Swishing the glass yielded a spread of tears.

The nose is rich with caramel, sweetened by orange rind and cherries, and nicely balanced with an earthy note of cocoa and wood-driven spiciness. A lot of that carries over onto the palate: the current of caramel and vanilla coupled to citrus and cherries runs right through it, and if the flavor has only traces of the earthiness from the nose, the spiciness has turned to slivers of dry wood. This is more of a nosing bourbon than a drinking bourbon, but that is only because the nose has that one more interesting aspect. Overall, it’s a lovely pour. From there, the finish runs off that dry, woody note, staying dry and turning spicy.

The Price
The recommended retail for this item is $110, but, all things considered, I think you’ll be a little lucky to pick up a bottle at that price.