BOTM: 3/11 Old Fitzgerald BIB

My feeling about the current OF BIB: When I first got into bourbon, I found some of this stuff for $12 in a local liquor store and thought it would be worth it. And, for the price, I thought it was decent at the time for what you paid. Later on, I started expanding and trying other labels. The moral of the story is that I'll take any Weller over this any day of the week.

To my taste, OF BIB hits the nose with volatile alcohol first. There isn't much body or depth to the bourbon -- the only complexity which is somewhat interesting is the characteristic Heaven Hill touch woodiness, among which one of the flavors is eucalyptus, which is OK in small amounts. The finish is almost non-existent. The best thing I can say about it is that it's by no means an offensive whiskey -- which is pretty common at the $12 price point!

Don't even get me started about the OF Prime. There's just nothing there. I consider it to be merely a substance that one adds to Coca-Cola which convinces the ladies to abandon their better judgement in social situations.

Had a pour last night, and was not enjoying it. Decided to down it and move onto something better.

I tried the Old Fitzgerald BIB, and based on the price I paid, found it to be a decent drink. I am sorry to say that I was never able to try the SW make. There are other bourbons in this price range I am wanting to try so if I ever purchase this again it will be a while.

Jim

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Originally Posted by fishnbowljoe

I was really excited about this as BOTM. Then, last night, as I started to post it, I realized that it had already been done back in August of 2005.

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I hope this isn't too far off the subject for this thread. I'm okay with re-doing a BOTM in due course: for example, I saw new versions of William Larue Weller and Old Forester Birthday in the stores over the weekend, and I would really value SB members' opinions on those bottlings before investing in them. On the other hand, there are lots of labels still waiting for a shot at BOTM. Maybe we need a new thread subject like "Bourbon Of The Month Revisited."

Just received my bottle of OF BiB and will sample tonight.

Regarding the current stuff: it's not something I drink a lot of, but as a well-type bourbon it's not bad. I think the BiB, 1849 and the prime could certainly stand improvement (in ascending order of the amount of improvement needed), but the most recent VSOF I got was actually pretty good. That and the 2010 PHC make me hopeful that Old Fitz is on its way up as a brand.

Very well put, Josh.

Gary

To me, Old Fitz is wholly inoffensive. While I don't get the volatile alcohol nose that some people have mentioned, I can't say that I get much at all from it. This theme, for me, carries into the palate, which is mildly sweet and not unpleasant. The finish is very brief and undistinguished.
All in all, I can't say I'm terribly disappointed by the BiB, though I didn't have the expectations that some who've had the older expressions understandably carry. For less than $15, it's an unremarkable wheater that I can drink comfortably when I don't feel like having my usual rye (or high-rye bourbon).

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Originally Posted by BMartin42

Wow, what a dissapointment. Just really bad. Not many redeeming qualties at all IMHO. I tried cutting it to 90 proof and all it did was water down the nastiness.

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The sums up my opinion of the current OF BIB. Add water, add ice, still bad. The only way I've found to drink it is in a sour where the flavor can be masked by the mixer.

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Originally Posted by rocky480

The sums up my opinion of the current OF BIB. Add water, add ice, still bad. The only way I've found to drink it is in a sour where the flavor can be masked by the mixer.

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This stuff seems to be all over the place. A few bottles from 2004-05 were fine... the last stuff was just as you describe it. Why the variation???