Old Fitzgerald Very Special 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Bourbon Review #15: Old Fitzgerald Very Special 12 Year Old Bourbon

Category: “Go-To”

Price: $35

Availability: Distributed to select states within the USA.       

Proof: 90, 45% avb

Age: 12 Years

Mashbill: Wheat    

Distillery: Heaven Hill- Bardstown, Kentucky.

     Well folks, my four-part serious on rye whiskeys has come to a close. I had a blast reviewing these products, and look forward to reviewing more of them in the future. Now it’s time to jump back into bourbon land! I’m a fan of old (post 10 year) wheated bourbons. The subject for this episode falls nicely into that category.

     The Old Fitzgerald brand goes back to the late 1800’s. John E. Fitzgerald was the creator of this bourbon. It was later purchased by Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, and produced at the Stitzel-Weller distillery in Shively, KY. Because of this, Old Fitzgerald shares the same historical “wheated” DNA as W.L. Weller and the Van Winkle bourbons.

     On the very first episode of the show, I reviewed W.L. Weller 12 Year Old Bourbon. Old Fitz 12 is often compared to Weller 12. Although these two bourbons can trace their roots back to Stitzel-Weller, are offered at the same proof, the same age, and both have wheated mashbills, they have evolved differently.

     In 1992, Diageo purchased the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Old Fitz sat dormant for a period of time before eventually being sold off to the Heaven Hill Distillery. 

     By contrast, the WL Weller brand had a more linear evolution. It, along with the Van Winkle brand went from Stitzel-Weller directly to Buffalo Trace (where it is being distilled today).

     Although this review is not intended to be a side-by-side comparison of the two bourbons, it will be interesting to see how I rank them. This will be fascinating to me simply because of how much they have in common.

     
     Overall: Quite simply, I’m not a fan of the Old Fitzgerald 12 Year bourbon. In my opinion, this “very special” wheated bourbon is….well….not so special! It just goes to show that sharing a past with the WL Weller and Van Winkle products doesn’t always translate to a “high quality” product on today’s market. I’m not trying to say that it started out great and deteriorated over time. I didn’t live back then, so I’ll never be able to speak to it’s original quality. I just know that I’m not a fan of the current juice that Heaven Hill is putting out under this old brand today.

     The finish is hardly there. The mouth-feel is watery and thin. The alcohol is not integrated well and serves to distract from the other flavors. It lacks both structure and complexity. I get a little of the sweet caramel/butterscotch notes. There is almost no spice. The wood is by-in-large absent. The Colonel’s score is a 3 out of 10. That’s a far lower score than the 6-7 that I gave to the Weller 12 year. If you asked me to choose between these two wheated bourbons, I would point you to the W.L. Weller 12 year with a high degree of confidence. 

         

Willett Family Estate- Two Year Old- Rye (Small Batch)

Whiskey Review #14: Willett Family Estate- Two Year Old- Rye (Small Batch)

Category: “Go-To”

Price: $36

Availability: Everywhere     

Proof: 108.1, 54.1% abv (Barrel Strength)

Age: Two Years Old

Mashbill: Ether- 51% rye + 34% corn. Or- 74% rye + 11% corn. Or a combination.   

Distillery: Willett Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky

     This is my fourth and final installment concerning rye whiskeys. That’s not to say that I won’t revisit them in the future! I will look forward to reviewing more ryes as they make their way into the Colonel’s pantry.

     Before I get into the meat of this review, let me take a moment to discuss the benefits of having a whiskey-sharing club. This can be as formal, or as informal, as you want. I happen to be in a three-person club (including myself). The main function of our club is to share the contents of our pantries, despite the fact that we live in different states.

     A few months back Dr. Joel Kilty purchased several small, 2oz, empty bottles. These bottles have screw down, airtight lids. Basically, he sends me stuff out of his pantry that I don’t have and visa versa. This is a great way to sample expressions, without the commitment of purchasing an entire bottle. The bottles are cheep and lightweight, making them easy to ship back and forth. My sample of the Willett 2 year rye was provided courtesy of Dr. Joel Kilty.       

     I will conclude my series on rye whiskies with a very timely review. The “Willett Family Estate 2 year old Kentucky Straight Rye (Small Batch),” is the first offering to emerge from the newly renovated Willett Distillery! Previously, the Willett Company (KBD) has been sourcing their whiskeys from other distilleries. In 2012 renovations were completed, and distillation/aging began.

     It’s no surprise that the first offering is a rye whiskey. As I have stated before, ryes are aged as younger expressions, as compared to bourbon. Two years however, is VERY YOUNG! Let’s face it, there was a large anticipation awaiting Willett’s first release.    However, are the folks at Willett capitalizing prematurely? One interesting offset to this very young product is it’s proof. In my opinion, a young barrel strength rye could go ether way. One thing is for certain, a lot is riding on the line for the folks at Willett with this first offering. I doubt seriously that they would produce a rushed, sub-par product with this much attention and hype.

     

     Overall: Although the alcohol is not distracting in an “off” sort of way, it is rather dominating the sip from mid pallet through to the finish. It warms up the spirit nicely, but serves to suffocate some of the more delicate notes. The +3 viscosity is helping to add to the finish, and creates a more luxurious mouth feel. It’s soft, delicate, sweet-fruit shines through the hefty punch of warm alcohol. The finish leaves you with butter-laced raisins and spiced cinnamon.

     I think it’s amazing that the folks at Willett can achieve a whiskey this nice in only two years. I’m not saying it’s the finest rye I have ever had, but it’s certainly not the worst! It does however beg the question, what could they turn out with more time? This young rye is only a foretaste of the wonderful offerings yet to roll out of Willett. I’m impressed with this expression, and look forward to the new whiskeys to come! The Colonel’s Score: 7 out of 10.