We will start with one that is one of the holy grails of dusty bourbon: Very Old Fitzgerald distilled at Stitzel-Weller. One good thing about bottled in bond whiskies is that they take much of the guess work out of dusty hunting. They are required to list the distillery that produced the bourbon and the older bonded whiskeys listed the date of distillation and bottling right on the tax stamp. This particular example of the renowned wheated bourbon is an eight year old that was distilled in 1948 and bottled in 1956. According to the label, this bottle was made expressly for Howard Cook. Whoever he is, I raise a glass to him.
Very Old Fitzgerald, 8 years old, distilled 1948/bottled 1956, 100 proof.
This has a beautiful nose with big candy notes including candied orange peel. The palate opens with a sweet dessert wine note, moves on to orange flavored baby aspirin (you'll remember those if you're over 40) and some floral notes. The finish is fleeting but slightly spicy with more of those orange notes.
This is a very unique bourbon and very different from other Stitizel-Wellers I've had. Those dessert wine and the floral notes separate it from other, more recent Stitzel-Wellers, though the orange and candy notes are more familiar. Of course, this is the oldest Stitzel-Weller I've had by a few years. While this was very good, I think I prefer the flavor profile from the late '60s and '70s.
See the LA Whiskey Society review of Very Old Fitzgerald 1948/1956.
You lead a charmed life, Sku.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell to what extent has the bourbon been affected by the sheer amount of time that's passed since it's bottling?
ReplyDelete@alligatorchar, the bottle was in very good condition with a good fill level and no sign of tainting, so it really shouldn't have changed much in the bottle. While the conventional wisdom is that bourbon does not age in the bottle, there are those who speak of "old bottle effect," an aging that takes place in the bottle, but of course, there is no way to know for sure since we can't really compare it to anything.
ReplyDeleteOBE is typically thought to cause a pleasant "mellowing" of flavors and heat. It also causes some bloggers to overrate mediocre whiskey. :)
ReplyDeleteOBE has been conclusivly proven to raise the price of the whiskey.
ReplyDeleteNIce.
ReplyDeleteHad a chance a while back to go to a Brown Forman tasting at the Plaza Hotel in NYC where they poured a whiskey from every decade since the 1930s. It's a fascinating comparison. Apparently I skew very 1940s in my taste.
Keith, sounds great. I've had some excellent old Old Foresters.
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate enough to share in another of Howard Cook's Old Fitzgerald collection, and was quite surprised at how much it held up, and how much I liked it. I definitely caught the sweetness, and the spice on the finish, but never would have thought to compare it to baby aspirin. I'll have to keep that in mind, should I ever run across Howard's second stash.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your rundown on this... I'd be very curious to try some of the later (60s/70s) SW, but I'm guessing the chances are slim for that.
Kevin, I drank a lot of REAL Rebel Yell (90 proof) back in the 70s and early 80s, when it was sold nowhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I can't give you specific flavor descriptions 30+ years later, but we treasured every sip of that stuff when we could get it.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to find a dusty of those memories somewhere!
I have a bottle of very very old fitzgerald. 15 year old bonded 100 proof. It was barreled in 1951 and bottled in 1966. Any idea the value of the bottle?
ReplyDeleteAnon, I'm not great at valuing whiskeys but you should check in with my pals at the LA Whiskey Society who participate in auctions and have a better feel for that sort of thing.
ReplyDelete