Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2020 release adds more oak into the equation than past releases, and excels for it. Brown butter, toffee, vanilla bean - a hint of cherry - and deep rich tannins make for a dessert forward release that should pair exceptionally with the upcoming change in seasons, and all of the holidays that come along for the ride.
Distilled in the Fall of 2005 and bottled in 2020, this 14 year age stated wheated bourbon is the latest entry into Heaven Hill's Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series. Produced using all the markers of a Bottled in Bond release, this series has taken off quite well in recent years after an initially rocky start. I was a big fan of this Spring's bottling, so I'm looking forward to diving into the older fall release that has just arrived.
It’s a major diversion from the usual Old Fitz profile, a new favorite which I found awfully hard to put down — and which you will likely find just as hard to purchase.
The taste has a bite of black cherries along with honey at first, followed by black pepper and allspice notes that provide a nice complex burst before settling down to a nice balance with honey and pipe tobacco in the background. The finish is long with hints of spices and oak balanced by black cherries, honey, and caramel. Excellent!
The Fall 2020 release may not be an overall complex affair, but it completely nails its nose and palate with an amazingly balanced sip - one of the best of the year actually. Sadly, its finish is severely lacking.
The Fall release of OF BIB is more oak forward, though not over oaked, and plays more to the sweet tooth in the audience. If you wish the spring release had a bit more oak and a hair less cherry, this is for you.
The palate is full-bodied and chewy, yet displays the softness you'd expect from such a well-aged wheater, as the flavor marries alluring caramel-and-maple sweetness with mixed nuts to achieve perfect balance
Overall, I would still probably lean slightly in the direction of the richness of the Fall 2019 batch, but this Fall 2020 batch beats out this year’s spring release pretty handily in retrospect.
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House Review
Synopsis:
Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2020 release adds more oak into the equation than past releases, and excels for it. Brown butter, toffee, vanilla bean - a hint of cherry - and deep rich tannins make for a dessert forward release that should pair exceptionally with the upcoming change in seasons, and all of the holidays that come along for the ride.
Nose:
Sweet and enticing - loaded with maple sugar, brown butter, molasses, sweet grain and a promising oak note. Leaning sweet and desserty, fruits are diminished in favor of more brown sugar and oak.
Taste:
Rich on the palate, muted in ethanol. Dessert forward once more, with an especially notable molasses character that coats the palate nicely. A hint of berry, then the oak makes an appearance. I always have concerns with bourbon 12+ years or so - that perhaps too much oak will turn great flavor into a bitter bomb. This doesn't really seem to be an issue here. Sweet caramel candies, nice toffee, tobacco and pepper from the tannins. Rich red berry note that quickly gives way to vanilla bean and waffle cone. Not nearly as fruity as the Spring release of this year, the oak is definitely a more prominent guest in this show, but it works.
Finish:
Short finish, medium complexity. Dessert is the note of the day and it sticks once more. Brown butter, oak body and tannins, some caramel and a hint of cherry.
Overall:
The nose and palate on this release are dialed in perfectly. The finish is a hair short, but that's no crippling flaw. The Fall release of OF BIB is more oak forward, though not over oaked, and plays more to the sweet tooth in the audience. If you wish the spring release had a bit more oak and a hair less cherry, this is for you.
Score:
88
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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