Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond 15 Year (Fall 2019)

Buttery smooth, Carmel, marshmallow, nutmeg, cinnamon. Really nice oak on the back end with a lingering sweetness on the finish.

Rich with a buttered toast finish

Nose is caramel and butterscotch. Palate and finish are more caramel, but also oak and dark fruit. Only knock is the finish is a little light, if it were more full bodied it would be near perfection

Nose: vanilla, cinnamon, cloves… if you take a bigger whiff there’s a lot of dark fruit to be found there too, but oddly I still had to go looking for it despite how pronounced I ultimately found it to be. Something masks it well. Palate: much less ethanol burn compared to the 14yr. Sugary, oak, chocolate, ever so slightly grassy. Finish is on the shorter side, peppery, oak, nutty flavors dominate but overall the exit is quick. The nose is probably the best part of this bourbon… complex and layered in a way the rest of the sip doesn’t live up to.

smoother than the 13 year. Very little water needed

The nose starts with a mix powdered sugar, florals and dusty old leather bound books that fades to Goetze’s vanilla caramel creams, candied peanuts and dark chocolate then McDonald’s apple pie, orange sherbet and maraschino cherries that transitions to ginger, cloves and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium and creamy mouthfeel starting with a mild bitter and sour spice that quickly fades to with a mix powdered sugar, florals and dusty old leather bound books followed by dark chocolate gelato with creamy peanut butter then sautéed apples, candied orange peel and maraschino cherries that transitions to ginger, cloves and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with mild ashy oak, chocolate covered toasted marshmallow, sautéed apples, cloves, ginger and dusty old leather bound books. This is a fantastic old bourbon that manages to mix some dusty old oak along with the traditional bourbon character with a near perfect balance, but there is mild bitter and sour spice on the front of the taste and finish that quickly fades to allow those old bourbon notes to shine through. If you were able to snag one of these at the original $150 price, this would be a fantastic buy. Sadly these tend to fly off the shelves and at today's price of $700+ on the secondary market, I'll just enjoy this sample and let someone else think about picking up one of those pretty decanters.