Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 90 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 50% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $140.00 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2023-09-27 |
Old Fitzgerald 10 Year Old Bottled in Bond Decanter Review (2023) Review
Since its launch in 2018, Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series has paired Kentucky bourbon with drop-dead gorgeous bottles (er, decanters). Each bottled-in-bond release features the current Old Fitz wheated mash bill, with ages (thus far) ranging between 8 and 19 years. Each 100 proof release presents drinkers with the same question: Regardless of age, can the liquid inside live up to the super premium packaging?
To take a small step back, it’s worth giving some context as to why Heaven Hill positions Old Fitzgerald as one of its most coveted, allocated, and (these days) expensive releases. Since it first appeared on bottles in the late 1800s, the Old Fitzgerald brand has changed hands several times; it was perhaps most famously owned and produced by Pappy Van Winkle himself. Heaven Hill acquired the brand in 1999 and has been distilling it at their Bernheim facility ever since.
“Old Fitz” is a name that has long carried weight among whiskey nerds, and Heaven Hill’s decision to pair it with the Cadillac of current bourbon bottles has only served to grow its status. These decanters are coveted, allocated bottles — though in my experience, the flavor quality varies significantly from batch to batch.
Today, we’re looking at Old Fitzgerald 10 Year Bottled in Bond. This Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey was distilled during the Spring 2013 season and was bottled with a 10 year age statement. Let’s see how it stacks up to its predecessors, especially following the stellar 19 year expression released in Fall 2022.
Old Fitzgerald 10 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond: Stats and Availability
The suggested retail price for Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series releases varies somewhat. For this 10 year expression, Heaven Hill lists it as $140 for a 750 milliliter bottle. As with previous bottles in this series, the 10 year is a limited, allocated release, which leads many retailers to charge significantly more. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this on a retail shelf for two (or more) times MSRP.
Old Fitzgerald 10 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
The nose is an immediate one-two punch of Concord grape and a litany of spices: cinnamon, allspice, clove, and both black & white pepper. There’s other fruit — some green apple, specifically — but the spice soon fills the nostrils to the point where other scents become hard to parse. That spice only builds with subsequent visits to the glass.
On a return, the spice forks in two directions. There’s the aforementioned, traditional baking spice notes, of course. But coming into the mix is a strong pop of chili powder and then Szechuan peppercorn that leaves the nostrils a little numb. Overall the nose feels like you’re smelling something 10-15 proof points higher, though it’s not overly present ethanol that causes the effect; there’s just a lot of spice here, in multiple waves and layers.
This Old Fitzgerald lacks a bit of the oaky, charred, sweet barrel influence from some of the other recent decanter expressions, especially compared to the 17 and 19 year bourbons from 2022.
Taste
While spice steers the nose, at first sip, oak is back in the driver’s seat. There’s a subdued, layered sweetness: a bit of honey and a bit of caramel, which slowly give way to molasses as the whiskey coats the midpalate and back of the tongue. In this regard, the bourbon acts its age and then some, with plenty of wood sugar and barrel influence that shows welcome restraint. The Heaven Hill team certainly batched this release before the majority of barrels tipped over into a dreaded “overly oaky” territory. Pulling these barrels at 10 years strikes a nice balance on oak tannins.
Sipping again, I keep searching for that grape note and get just a tiny bit, though I’m yearning for more. Instead, the fruity characteristics are dominated by dried fruit, especially prunes.
The taste is overall milder than the nose implied. I would have welcomed more pronounced flavors, but I should be clear there is still spice here. It’s not quite numbing like on the nose, but it’s rich in allspice, clove, and pepper.
Ultimately, though it doesn’t quite hit some of the highs of prior decanter series releases, this 10 year expression is a pleasant sip with both nuance and depth (though perhaps a bit more of the former).
Finish
The woody sweetness on the palate gives way to a mid-length finish that acts appropriately for a 100 proof bourbon. There’s a classic oak-meets-brown-sugar sweetness on this finish I get from most of these releases, and it’s both familiar and welcome. Again, there’s about as much oak as you’d want from a 10-year-old bourbon without it being overpowering or distracting. It’s a combined effect that leaves my mouth watering more than expected. I found my glass emptying and refilling at a faster clip than I had originally planned, partially because I was searching for the full complexity sensed on the nose.
Old Fitzgerald 10 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Rating
90/100
Recap
After a superlative Fall 2022 release, the Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series takes a step back in both age and complexity. The resulting 10 year release has a captivating nose, with a palate and finish that fall just short of the highs we know this series can hit. Still, it’s an enjoyable pour in its own right, with characteristics that build gradually and over time in the glass. As always, it’s best enjoyed with friends — and maybe also dessert.
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