I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.
Folks, you know what is amazing? That I, a well-noted clumsy person, have never broken a bone. Maybe it’s all the calcium that I ingested as a boy growing up in Wisconsin. I’ve tripped over both existent and non-existent items for almost 50 years. I’ve slipped, I’ve fallen, I’ve hit my head on things hard and soft. But no bones were ever broken.
Until last night when I tripped over a stone in my yard while barefoot, the concrete chunk that I used as part of my stone edging ripped open one of the smaller toes and (based on the color and severity of the bruises and the sensitivity of the toe) likely broke it too. It was an interesting night as I tried to keep dogs from stomping on it.
But the night wasn’t all bad. I also had the opportunity to taste a lovely sample from Heaven Hill. And no, I tasted it after the injury, not prior. The injury was solely due to my own clumsiness with no help from imbibed substances.
Tonight’s bourbon is the latest in Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald line of Wheated Bourbons. It was distilled in the Spring of 2013 and Bottled in the Spring of 2023, making it ten years old and, as it is a bonded bourbon, 100° proof. As usual, it comes in a beautiful decanter. This edition has a suggested retail price of $140.
Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2023
Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $139.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $9.33
Details: 10 years old. 50% ABV
Nose: Spearmint, bubble gum, and just a hint of baking spices.
Mouth: Velvety mouthfeel. Initial notes of caramel, cocoa, and almond before spicy cinnamon and nutmeg take over.
Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium with notes of cherry, cinnamon, and cocoa.
Thoughts: This is very good, though priced way out of my price range for what it is. I'd buy two at $70. But at $140? Well, I would have a hard time explaining the purchase to my wife. (Though not for nothin', she said she'd probably buy it if she saw it because she wants the bottle. If given the opportunity to choose, though, she'd pick a different edition to fulfill her need to put pretty bottles on the shelf.) It's very good, just not $140 good.
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