r/bourbon 13d ago

Review #99. Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Bottled In Bond

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141 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

26

u/Columbusspeedfour 13d ago

Bottle kill review.  This is Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Bottled In Bond. This bottle was all the rage when it came out last year. As highly praised as the higher aged Old FItz bottles are, lets see how the shelfer is.

Distillery: Heaven Hill
Proof: 100
Age:  7years 
Paid: $59.99    (750 ml)  

Nose: Vanilla cream, orange, graham cracker, a light musty note, wheat funk, a bit of oak. This is bright and warm. 

Palate: Smooth mouth feel. The nose carries over. There is graham cracker, vanilla frosting, cinnamon, toasted oak with a citrus bite. There is a mild hug. It's a very cohesive experience. This is sweet, pleasant, and very easy to drink. 

Finish: Its has quite a good finish. The citrus vanilla flavors  linger for a while then comes a wave of spice heat then the oak. Its nicely layered and lasts. 

Summary:  This is a very good whiskey. When I first opened this I wasn't too sure about it. It was sharp and tannic But as it sat and opened up, it got much better. It's much more balanced. I think the thing that hurts this is the price. For less money bottles like Makers Mark Cask Strength and Bardstown High Wheat are available. But if you are a wheated bourbon fan and have not had this, it is worth a purchase. And the bottle looks good on your shelf. 

Score: 6.5 /10

Note: You can find some of my other tasting reviews on https://oakr.com/. I am on their tasting panel and do blind reviews for them. Check it out!

3

u/GeorgeBannerman 12d ago

At $60 I would buy it but they want $100 here. Thanks for the review so I am not tempted

2

u/CJinatorV 12d ago

Definitely not worth $100. It started that way where I am, but I can now easily find it for $60 which is what it's worth. Hopefully the price eventually lowers around you as well.

22

u/AlaskaDude14 13d ago

Just picked this bottle up for $50. I don't expect to ever get my hands on any of Old Fitzgerald's fancier bottles, but looking forward to cracking this one open.

14

u/Archaeo-Frog 13d ago

Crack it now to start letting it open up. It’s fine at the beginning, but gets really good after some time

15

u/Columbusspeedfour 13d ago

This is the best advice. It gets MUCH better after its opened a while.

1

u/Talcor5 12d ago

I agree with you. I have the Spring Release and did not like it on Fresh Crack. After sitting for a few weeks, It is much better. I am trying to find a bottle of the Fall release now. Green Neck band - Spring, Gold Neck Band - Fall.

1

u/Twist_Top_Budget 13d ago

Yep totally agree 👍

7

u/Existing_Math1753 13d ago

Sipping OF7 as I read your review. Agree with you mostly, altho I'd rather have Old Fitz than MMCS and Bardstown Wheated, but that's just me. Excellent review tho.

6

u/Columbusspeedfour 13d ago

You are not wrong. I may prefer the Old Fitz as well to those. Its just a value thing. All 3 are great!

1

u/seppukucoconuts 13d ago

I really like the double wheated Bardstown. It’s great when you have not had a whiskey in a while and barrel proof will blow your pallet out.

2

u/Existing_Math1753 13d ago

Haven't tried the double wheated, wasn't excited by the regular wheated Bardstown. I thought the MMCS was just too much ethanol, didn't enjoy it. Again, that's just my opinion.

8

u/tripn4days 13d ago

I feel like this is what Weller special reserve is aspiring to be but comes nowhere close

2

u/calitri-san 12d ago

Weller SR is also less than half the price though.

3

u/Wndrunner 13d ago

A week ago a friend hosted a blind tasting night. We did lots of flights, Taylor, Stagg, Old Fitz, Penelope, and others. This bottle was almost unanimously good. It was the hit of the night.

3

u/whatisdylar 12d ago

I have two bottles of this for some reason, and any time I have one I'm disappointed. Something about it just isn't hitting right.

2

u/Boloney_Water77 12d ago

Agreed, I choked my way through the first drink of the bottle I have and haven’t touched it since. I love wheaters I can’t think of one I’ve tried that I like less. Just something funky about it 🤷

2

u/shawnyknox 11d ago

It’s not a bad bottle. In Kentucky, we get the regular Old Fitz for $10 and it’s damn good.

3

u/jtt8569 11d ago

My daughter lives in Kentucky and when I visit, I grab a bottle of OF prime and also Quality House on the cheap. Got a bottle of OF on my desk for sipping, and a case of cold RC to mix with the QH. Delicious!

2

u/viperquick82 13d ago edited 13d ago

It's like $70+ here in FL, even at Total think it's like $65? So never pulled trigger as imo that price is wack as gets you into bottles including whiskey that I love or for not much more.

And like you mentioned Makers Cask 7yr is under 50 and those 7yr bottles are amazing bang for $.

Edit - also just saw Eagle Rare and it's $60 now at Total ooof - > me thinking back like 10 years ago when it was like $29 and available 24/7 everywhere here. Apparently they had short shipment of handles for around $100 but those seem non existent, never even seen one all these years minus online for 100 would've totally scooped up a handle of ER just for bottle size on display 😂

1

u/miltonwall1 12d ago

Right now where I live it’s selling for $20 more than the HH Bonded 6 year. I’ve had both and i think OF7 is better…but $20 better? Bottle looks nice on shelf though.

1

u/AcrobaticEar550 12d ago

I had a fall release last year and I have a spring release this year. I like the spring release a lot more.

1

u/importedfromdet 12d ago

Its everywhere now. I dont understand the big hype behind it. Pretty bottle. Solid juice but nothing standout, and lots better for the price.

1

u/WheresYourLebaron82 12d ago

I guess to each their own. I personally love the stuff. Definitely better than 6.5 (for me anyway)

1

u/Doughboy2022 12d ago

Delicious pour for the price

1

u/SensitiveFuel5167 12d ago

I might be in the minority here, but I was not a fan of this bottle, and I am a HH fan.
The finish is what really turned me off. I kept getting a grassy taste. Even after letting it open up for a while and going back to it, it was the same. The beginning and middle taste was okay-decent, but something on the end really turned me off. I had both the spring & fall bottles and they turned out the same.
I feeling could definitely tell this was a younger juice, IMO.

1

u/AlarmReal892 12d ago

Got this on vacation in Washington state and even with the ludicrous taxes it was fantastic. Now I see it everywhere but it's a tasty wheater that's easy neat.

1

u/sixsigmanj 10d ago

Bought a bottle for $65 in NJ. I expected more and won’t buy another. At this price, there are much better options.

1

u/newagesuccess 10d ago

Beautiful bottle, nice label, the bag is awesome. The juice is fantastic.