Old Fitzgerald 15 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon (Fall 2019)

The nose starts with a mix powdered sugar, florals and dusty old leather bound books that fades to Goetze’s vanilla caramel creams, candied peanuts and dark chocolate then McDonald’s apple pie, orange sherbet and maraschino cherries that transitions to ginger, cloves and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium and creamy mouthfeel starting with a mild bitter and sour spice that quickly fades to with a mix powdered sugar, florals and dusty old leather bound books followed by dark chocolate gelato with creamy peanut butter then sautéed apples, candied orange peel and maraschino cherries that transitions to ginger, cloves and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with mild ashy oak, chocolate covered toasted marshmallow, sautéed apples, cloves, ginger and dusty old leather bound books. This is a fantastic old bourbon that manages to mix some dusty old oak along with the traditional bourbon character with a near perfect balance, but there is mild bitter and sour spice on the front of the taste and finish that quickly fades to allow those old bourbon notes to shine through. If you were able to snag one of these at the original $150 price, this would be a fantastic buy. Sadly these tend to fly off the shelves and at today's price of $700+ on the secondary market, I'll just enjoy this sample and let someone else think about picking up one of those pretty decanters.

The nose has a delightful toasty flavor - a bit nutty, but mostly just nice and roasted, almost like barley tea a bit. It also has some tart and vanilla scents that fill out the complexity. It smells fantastic with a huge fullness of flavor. The palate agrees. This is smooth and rich with some spiciness and a moderately strongly viscous mouthfeel. It tastes delightful and that toasted flavor just has a mild barrel presence to it, preventing it from tasting over-oaked. I don't taste as much complexity as I feel like I should, but the richness is sublime. The notes of white pepper give it life, but they don't overwhelm it at all. This is what I thought that I.W. Harper 15 and Garrison Brothers would taste like. This isn't what I expect of a wheater, but now I know why I like William Larue Weller so much. There is a bit here that does remind me of Blanton's, so Blanton's could be a good substitute. There are flavors of toastiness, mild pecan and almond, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, brown sugar, maple, vanilla, a tad of banana, and light spearmint. And something tart. There's a bit of tannin, but not a lot. I love it. It's easily a 20 and might even be a 22. I don't think it's a 23, but there's always that possibility. Everything here is in amazing balance. I'm bordering on 21 vs 22. I think I'm landing on 21 though. I upped it to 22. It's so, so good, but so tragically expensive!

Well, if this sucks I got a fancy bottle. Nose - Very sweet and there's a mix of oak, bubble gum, a touch of cherry..pretty much a classic wheater style nose with a bit more alcohol and oak than you might get from some of the younger expressions. As it opens up I get a huge french vanilla like finish to the nose. Taste - really complex bourbon and sometimes wheat forward bourbons are a bit lacking there. There's a nutty element that while light is adding a nice complexity all throughout this one. Cherries, rich dark oak, caramel, burned brown sugar, and an very so light bit of vanilla. The 50% abv is perfect giving this full body, intense flavors, but not burning my tongue like heavily oaked cask strength bourbons can. If you want an older wheated bourbon, buy this over Pappy. It's better though it is a bit more traditional bourbon while the pappy line is sweeter. As always there is no true "replacement" for a 15-23 year old Pappy, but this is closer than a weller due to the added time in the barrels. 3.75, just short of exceptional but maybe i'm being too hard a grader on this. As always I reserve the right to come back and modify the score.

Review after 2 weeks of opening Complex in the nose once you get past the shoe leather and oak. A drop of water brings out the sweetness. Vanilla, Werther's Originals, cinnamon, mint, pipe tobacco, and hints of citrus. Quite potent and interesting nose Palate shows leather, vanilla, French Toast, caramel, sweet cream, mint, orange, and sweet tobacco. Lingers for quite a while with big tannins, but it has enough sweetness to help keep a balance. Super round and full bodied, loved the mouthfeel with minimal burn. Lasting mint and nutella on the finish, very good. Don't give up on this one if at first you don't get much or are disappointed, this one definitely was lacking right out of the gate. Taste it again after a few weeks and see if you're still disappointed. It is an oak bomb, but it shows complexity and balance. You've got to be in the mood for an aged bourbon, but this hits the spot.

Nose- Caramel sweetness, rich oak, vanilla toffee, candy corn, honey, peanut oil, molasses Palate- Confectioners sugar, honey sweetness, cinnamon, deep dark caramel, wet oak Finish- Long, drying finish on the tongue, with a pleasant creaminess filling the rest of the mouth. Tasty notes of dark, rich caramel, candy sweetness, and toasted oak round it out Absolutely wonderful. I will say, i’m a huge fan of Old Fitz 9, 11 and 13 so I may be biased, but this is the best of all of them. Excellent although out, and perfectly balanced. Finish is drying just in the right way. The tongue dries out, while the rest of the mouth is introduced to a beautiful creamy mouthfeel, which, in my opinion is everything you want in a finish. I will always strive to keep this on my shelf, delicious stuff.

Very funky nose. Reminiscent of old lead paint. Spicy oak front end. Palate is a little more neutral but still complex. Medium finish. Medium heat. Very unique but not for my palate. I use the rating scale below. Distiller uses a scale of 5 and I use a scale of 10, but I’m sure you’re not too drunk to do the math! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice. 3. Bad - Multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not bad, but many things I'd rather have. 5. Good - Just average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Well above average. 8. Excellent - In a league of its own. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect