Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald is set to debut its first limited edition bourbon of the year. Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond returns this July with a 10-year-old wheated bourbon, bottled in a special decanter at 100 proof. This rarefied whiskey is made from a batch of barrels all distilled in Spring 2016. They hit 10 years old this year, and the resulting batch certainly meets the high-proof requirements of a bottled in bond product.
Heaven Hill is arguably the leading producer of Bonded whiskeys today, with bottled-in-bond products available from the Heaven Hill, Old Fitzgerald, Henry McKenna, Evan Williams, and several others in the past. But Old Fitzgerald’s decanter program is always a bourbon program to watch because the whiskeys are unique year to year, showing the variations of flavor from various distilling years, as well as at various ages.
The Old Fitzgerald brand was acquired by Heaven Hill in 1999 along with the Bernheim distillery. It had been produced at Bernheim since 1992, where it moved after the shutdown of the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery — the same distillery that distilled Pappy Van Winkle. Old Fitzgerald has been produced since 1870, including as a prescription medication during Prohibition. Under Heaven Hill, the brand has won a number of awards, including top billing for releases like its 13-year-ol Very Very Special Bourbon and its Very Very Special 2025 Bourbon.
As for this first release of 2026, it looks promising on paper. Tasting notes from Heaven Hill describe aromas of creme brulee, citrus oils, and antique oak, and notes of burnt sugar, butterscotch and toast on the palate. The finish lingers with caramel, baking spices, pepper, and finishes soft and sweet.The $150 price tag represents a slight uptick in recent years (this line initially averages about $10 per year old) but that price is still somewhat of a bargain given the quality of the last 16 releases under this line.
G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for whiskey reviews and trends, perspectives on drinks, and stuff.