Old Fitzgerald 17 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon (Spring 2022)

Nose: blackberries and caramel. Thick gooey warm caramel. Light oak but it’s really well balanced. Not over oaked at all. Vanilla. Body: medium to full Palate: toffee on the front palate that evolves to caramel and vanilla and then fades into blackberry and vanilla and then just melds into the long smoky, sweet lingering finish Finish: medium to long with barrel smoke and sweet vanilla blackberries. Note: this was an amazing purchase through 1010. Really it was a lucky day. I am excited to rate this after tasting it for the first time yesterday and really thinking this is an outstanding dram. It reminds me of a less in your face barrel gold, it’s more understated (which is not bad at all), but has the classic caramel and vanilla with a very interesting front palate that is almost minty, like minted toast and toffee and then has the blackberry sweetness on the back end. The difference between this and barrel gold is this doesn’t have the Tennessee whiskey orange starburst flavor. This is an amazing dram that is ridiculously easy to drink so if you get a bottle be careful not to finish it too fast.

What an amazing aroma of dark caramel dipped toasted oak, chocolate cream pie, apples with cinnamon and sugar, vanilla bean, and my grandpa sitting in an old leather chair puffing away on his old pipe. Incredibly balanced and evocative, I keep smelling it. Surprisingly, the fruit hits first with bright red apple and red cherry before the toasted oak washes over the palate. Awesome weight and smoothness on the here too with hot cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and toasted marshmallow bring much welcome spice and sweetness to the party. Finish is long lasting and flavorful with more toasty oak and caramel. Damn near perfection. There’s nothing I would change about this bourbon. Nose is amazing, oak doesn’t dominate, super smooth and lively in the mouth, incredibly complex and moreish. My favorite Old Fitz to date

These OFBIB releases keep getting better and better. The latest one features an olfactory palette of heavy spice, sweet notes of caramel, fresh cocoa and young tobacco. These all carry through to the palate where they become even more pronounced. Drinkable at full strength, the body is medium-light, with a round and warming middle tonality. The finish is extraordinarily long, with oak-laden tannins continuing to percolate on the tongue. With a splash of water, things open up into a softer and more mellow mood, but do not lose any of their personality. This particular release is excellent and shows what an extra year in the barrel can do to transform a great whiskey into an exceptional one.

The nose is overwhelmingly oak and barrel char which is to be expected with a 17yr, but after letting it breathe I get sugar and nutmeg. It almost reminds me of sweet tea. On the palate it's gucci. It's ridiculously smooth. The balance of sweetness and age is perfect with the age and char tempering the brown sugar sweetness. Cinnamon comes through as you're admiring how sweet it is and remind you you're drinking bourbon. The finish is soft, but goes on for some time. This is a damn good pour, glad I opened it!

(Short Note) - A truly sublime pour...the nose is glorious, but pales in comparison to the taste, which is fruity and sweet, but balanced with an amazing level of barrel complexity for something at this age. This bottle is not on my shelf, but on a friend's about a half mile away, and I feel compelled to offer my services to house sit for their next vacation. Top ten, likely top five, and possibly top 2 or 3 whiskey I've ever sipped. I'll give it a 5...there's only so many that can be better!

Yeah, I just pinned a "5" on this one. It's the second time I've been thunderstruck by OF BIB. Not sure how things get better than this. Strawberry vanilla cream with a kick of spice including cinnamon and clove. Added a drop of water to a side pour as I didn't want to risk the glass. Good choice. No water necessary. Takes away the heady Aroma and the front fruit punch. Spice kicks up. Maple notes from time to time with lovely dark brown sugar and oak. Just spectacular