Whiskey Review: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2023 Edition

Editor’s Note: The party behind this whiskey gave us a review sample. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review. It should also be noted that clicking the buy link in this review earns our site a small referral payment, which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

Heaven Hill has a long history of releasing high-quality American whiskeys, particularly bourbons. One line that has consistently met this standard is its Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond bourbons.

The Fall 2023 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which I’m reviewing today, is this lineup’s twelfth national release. Heaven Hill drew from barrels produced in the Fall of 2015 for this eight-year-old whiskey and bottled it at 100 proof to meet the requirements for the bottled-in-bond certification.

This certification, set to standards defined by the federal government, is designed to ensure that whiskeys hit certain quality marks. To earn this, the spirit must be the product of a single distillery from a single distilling season, aged a minimum of four years, and bottled at 100 proof or 50% alcohol by volume.

As with past Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond expressions, this release is presented in an ornate decanter. A black label denotes it, and this bourbon also sports a tax strip, which the distillery noted “has always been a signature of transparency on bottled-in-bond products, [and which] will disclose when the liquid was produced and bottled.”

“As a leader of the Bottled-in-Bond category, Heaven Hill is proud to offer a premium product within this special class which showcases the authenticity and quality of the American Whiskey portfolio,” said Conor O’ Driscoll, Master Distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery, at the time of its release. “The Fall 2023 8-year-old Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond has the best qualities of a classic Kentucky Bourbon with the unique sweetness and spice this beloved brand is known for.”

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2023 Edition is priced at $109.99. For those who do not know, the Old Fitzgerald line was acquired by Heaven Hill in 1999, and its namesake, John E. Fitzgerald, whose legacy is also heralded by the Larceny Bourbon brand.