Old Fitzgerald is a brand with a rich history, being first registered in 1884. During Prohibition, the brand was sold to "Pappy" Van Winkle. Since 1999, Old Fitzgerald operates under the Heaven Hill banner, and the whiskey is distilled at Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Heaven Hill releases their Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond whiskey biannually: once in autumn and once in spring. The bottle is inspired by an original 1950s decanter, reflecting the rich history of the brand. The Fall 2022 release is a Kentucky straight bourbon that was distilled in 2003 from a mash bill of 75% corn, 20% wheat, and 5% malted barley. After patiently maturing for 19 years, the whiskey was bottled in October of 2022 at 100 proof.

The batch is made up of barrels from three different production dates stored in four different rackhouses in six different locations. The breakdown of the barrel storage is as follows: 11% came from the 3rd floor of 7-story warehouse 5, 33% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G, 27% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse H, 29% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z. This will be a history making batch of Booker's Bourbon since I selected this batch with the help of my son and 8th Generation Beam Distiller, Freddie Noe. The color is a rich, light brown that reminds me of the beautiful horses throughout Kentucky. The aroma contains vanilla, toasted nuts and some hints of baking spices. The flavor is full and has a finish that can be enjoyed neat. We enjoyed tasting it and selecting the barrels on an unseasonably cool and rainy day. This batch is special to me since I created it with my son to carry on my father's legacy and his distillery location. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed selecting it.