Old Fitzgerald’s 25th Anniversary Bourbon Honors a Pivotal Time in Heaven Hill History
Heaven Hill unveiled its latest offering of Old Fitzgerald, a 25th Anniversary bottled-in-bond bourbon. (Photo: Heaven Hill)
On Tuesday, Heaven Hill announced the release of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 25th Anniversary Edition, which pays homage to the moment Heaven Hill acquired Bernheim Distillery after the 1996 fire at Old Heaven Hill Spring Distillery.
This is the latest release in Heaven Hill’s Very Very Special line and features a maroon label. Only two other VVS releases of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond decanters exist besides this one.
The 25th-anniversary edition of Old Fitzgerald bottled-in-bond will be available on an allocated basis. The bourbon clocks in at 100 proof and hosts a suggested retail price of $229.99.
The bourbon is composed of 13-year-old barrels distilled in September 1999, the same year Bernheim Distillery was purchased. The brand claims 13 is a lucky number for Heaven Hill, as the Kentucky whiskey brand filled its first barrel on Dec. 13, 1935.
Old Fitzgerald uses Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon mashbill, which is composed of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley.
“The Bernheim Distillery became the lifeblood of Heaven Hill after the setback from the fire and has been ever since,” Heaven Hill Executive Chairman Max Shapira said in a statement. “We are honored to have been able to continue the Old Fitzgerald legacy since that time and look forward to many more years of exceptional releases from Bernheim Distillery and from Heaven Hill Springs Distillery set to open early next year.”
Heaven Hill claims the bourbon is rich with aromas of warm cinnamon toast, coupled with baking spices and sweet oak. The pour hosts a pleasant honeyed vanilla sweetness with subtle spices and segues into a warm finish with some gentle pepper spice, per the brand.
Old Fitzgerald releases twice a year. The Spring 2023 release hosted a 10-year age statement. If you want to know what we thought about it, you can read our review here.
The Heaven Hill Fire — A Defining Moment for the Whiskey Brand
NBC’s WBAL TV reports that the Heaven Hill fire took place on Nov. 7, 1996, after a strike of lightning set fire to the distillery. Warehouses full of Heaven Hill bourbon were ignited in a whiskey-soaked inferno, and it is still considered one of the worst distillery fires to this day.
The fire jumped between warehouses — possibly due to 70 mph winds from the storm — and hundreds of firefighters attempted to contain flames that rose 20 stories high.
The outlet reported that an 18-inch “deep river of burning bourbon” flowed, and the wind continued to agitate the conflagration.
Eventually, first responders gave up trying to fight the fire and focused on protecting surrounding warehouses. When the flames subsided, the damage was compared to “a war zone.”
It was nothing short of a miracle that nobody was hurt or died. The outlet reported a total of 30 million in losses which included 2% of the world’s whiskey.
Yet the brand managed to recover from the damage, with the help of other brands including Jim Beam and Brown-Forman, according to VinePair.
VinePair reported that as of February 2022, Heaven Hill was on track to fill its 10th millionth barrel. We’re sure it has filled significantly more since then.
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