Old Fitzgerald 19 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey 2022
Old Fitzgerald · Heaven Hill Distillery
This is bourbon as living archive — nineteen years of Kentucky seasons inscribed into every sip. The 2022 release of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond demonstrates that patience and wood can transform wheat-forward spirit into something approaching profundity. A collector's bottle that genuinely rewards the drinking, not just the owning.
Nose
Rich waves of dark caramel, aged leather, and dried cherry unfold slowly, followed by deep oak tannins and a wisp of pipe tobacco. Underneath, there's a honeyed sweetness intertwined with toasted pecans and a faint floral note reminiscent of dried roses. Extended time in the glass reveals dusty antique wood and baking spices.
Palate
Extraordinarily layered — brown sugar and butterscotch give way to dark chocolate, charred oak, and a tannic grip that speaks to nearly two decades of maturation. Warming cinnamon and clove weave through a core of stewed dark fruit and vanilla custard. The wheated mash bill provides a silky, round mouthfeel that tempers the oak without diminishing its authority.
Finish
Exceptionally long and contemplative, with waves of tobacco leaf, dark caramel, toasted pecan, and lingering bittersweet cocoa. The oak resonance fades slowly, leaving a memory of leather and dried fruit that persists for minutes.
- Mash Bill
- Wheated bourbon mash bill (corn, wheat, malted barley — exact proportions undisclosed)
- Barrel Type
- New charred American oak barrels
- Bottled in Bond
- Yes
- Single Barrel
- No
- Wheated
- Yes
Food Pairing
A dense, flour-less dark chocolate torte paired with espresso crème anglaise mirrors the bourbon's cocoa and tobacco depth while the bittersweet intensity of high-cacao chocolate meets the wheated softness head-on; candied pecans on top echo the nutty oak character.
First produced in the 1880s by John E. Fitzgerald — a bonded treasury agent rumored to have used his keys to cherry-pick the finest barrels — the Old Fitzgerald name has always signified the privileged selection of what time and oak choose to remember.
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