Notes: Old Fitzgerald is an older brand by bourbon standards,. Old Fitzgerald was acquired by Heaven Hill in 1999 to add to their stable of already very solid to great brands. Heaven Hill itself dates back to 1932 and the repeal of Prohibition.

This is a Bottled In Bond bottling of bourbon that is nine years old (one of the younger versions of this series) and uses wheat in the mashbill to reduce the spiciness that a heavy rye version of bourbon can have.

This version was made in Spring of 2011 and bottled in Spring of 2020 making it 9 years old.

Appearance: Clear gold yellow in the glass, on swirling it leaves a medium-thick coat with no separation and slowly forms thick legs on the meniscus.

First Impression: Somewhat aromatic if a bit light with honey, cedar, some vanilla caramel

Taste: Sweet entry at first with a hint of vanilla, ginger followed by corn, and a drying cedar-like finish towards the end. After a mellow start, the whiskey starts to warm rapidly and has a somewhat aggressive finish

Drinks: If you want a spare, aesthetic Manhattan use this with Starlino or Cocchi Vermouth and an Amarena Cherry. It will yield a nice but pared-down, Manhattan with fewer distractions. A bit too light for many other classic bourbon or rye drinks but a good substitute for Irish or Canadian whiskies in their usual respective cocktails.

Bottle: Can’t comment as they did not send a production bottle.

Other: This is our 26th review of Heaven Hill Products. Please check our other reviews ( look for Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Bernheim, Larceny, Parker Heritage. Pikesville, and Rittenhouse Rye among others).

Final Thoughts: Not a fan. Decently made but too spare for my taste and rather expensive for what it is frankly. I fail to recommend it.

Website: HeavenHilldistillery.com This is a direct link to the Old Fitzgerald pages. If you back up you can see all their brands – which are quite a few!

Both this link and the other pages have a plethora of information and photos. Well laid out and fast loading, Heaven Hill has one of the easier to navigate and visually pleasing websites in the industry.