BOTM: 3/11 Old Fitzgerald BIB

[BMartin42]

Finally got to try the BOTM this afternoon. 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. For the price difference give me Weller SR every time for a cheap wheater. The Weller SR is only a dollar more which makes it a no brainer to me. I am a wheated bourbon fan, but this is ALMOST the worst bourbon I have ever tasted. The worst thing about it is the aftertase. I can't call it a finish. It just lingers like I bit into a piece of charcoal. I've had three pours, and that is enough. This will move to the "mixer" section of the bar.

I really wish I could try some of the stitzel-weller version since everyone raves about it. I've looked locally but not many dusties to be found.

[White Dog]

I expect these general thoughts to hold up all month. Just about all of us turn to BT's Weller label for entry-level wheaters. Hell, even Oscar had something nice to say about BT in that regard.

Heaven Hill, are you listening? :rolleyes:

[Chuckles]

...man oh man I wish SW was still producing bourbon!

[jburlowski]

Certainly, but you'd think HH could pull off a moderately priced wheater. Current Old Fitz suggests they can't.

Or won't. When I asked Craig Beam (at a tasting a while back) about HH doing more / better with their wheaters --- all I got in response was an indifferent shrug of the shoulders.

[flintlock]

I like HH whiskey in general, so I guess I wasn't too surprised that I liked the OF BIB. I made fancy tasting notes, but basically, I thought this was good basic bourbon - nothing at all objectionable. It doesn't have much presence right out of the bottle, but if you let it set, and warm it up a bit in your hand, it opens up into a very nice, ordinary bourbon. I've had bad bourbon, and to me, this ain't it. I'll buy it again at the price. I'd much rather have it than Jack Daniel's, for instance.

[dmarkle]

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.

[chefnash51]

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

[JB64]

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

[Chuckles]

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.

[Hawg73]

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

[Josh]

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.

[Gillman]

Very well put, Josh.

Gary

[roostercogburn]

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).

[rocky480]

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.

[cigarnv]

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.

[rocky480]

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???

[Special Reserve]

I had my first taste of Old Fitzgerald BiB this morning.

WOW!

Thick and soft, oily and smooth, sweet and spicy, sudden bursts of flavor with a long finish. Appears to have been bottled in 1988.

Now to make it last.

[T Comp]

I had my first taste of Old Fitzgerald BiB this morning.

WOW!

Thick and soft, oily and smooth, sweet and spicy, sudden bursts of flavor with a long finish. Appears to have been bottled in 1988.

Now to make it last.

Talk about hitting the nail on the head. Just a perfect description of what is so appealing about what was distilled at DSP 16 and bottled as Old Fitz even in the post 1972 through 1992 era. So perfect I just had to have me a tiny tiny pour here at 11:30 AM also.

[Virus_Of_Life]

what is so appealing about what was distilled at DSP 16 and bottled as Old Fitz even in the post 1972 through 1992 era.

Yeah, that talk of post 1972 is a bunch of fooey (:shithappens:) , one of the best SWs I've tasted was distilled well past '72 and I've never heard anyone turned one down because "it was distilled after 1972" !

[Josh]

Yeah, that talk of post 1972 is a bunch of fooey (:shithappens:) , one of the best SWs I've tasted was distilled well past '72 and I've never heard anyone turned one down because "it was distilled after 1972" !

CALLING JEFF MO!!!

[tommyboy38]

I enjoy the older versions and think I need some right now. I don't think I'll be purchasing a newer version soon because of the old stuff bunkered.

I have a feeling that if SW was still distilling, we'd find something we didn't like and complain about it. You only miss it after its gone.

[The Boozer]

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 .... could certainly stand improvement. The 2010 PHC make me hopeful that Old Fitz is on its way up as a brand.

Agree. Some days the Fitz BiB is a decent pour, other days not so much.

[unclebunk]

I have an older friend whose favorite bourbon of all-time is Old Fitz BIB. He always has a bottle on hand, as well as an assortment of other fine whiskies, but OF is his "go to" bourbon when we're sitting around the fire pit or listening to a ballgame on the radio, so I've come to like it quite a lot. I'm sure that part of its appeal to him is nostalgic, which is why he grabs every bottle he sees when hitting estate/garage sales. Some of the dusties he's turned up have been absolutely superb but I don't mind the current stuff at all and have even had some luck turning other friends on to it. You put it in the glass, I'll drink it!:grin:

[sutton]

Bought this today for $19.99/litre. I don't have a basis for comparison back to the DSP-KY-16 bottlings, but I thought this was "OK" for the price; a step-up from Maker's Mark but not quite to the level of OWA or Weller Special Reserve. Neat the heat seemed a bit too dominant, however, sitting on the back porch, adding a couple of ice cubes while monitoring the grill, this was satisfying. The dominant flavor seemed to be the menthol/mint, with a touch of wood on the back end.

Not sure I'll replace it when it's gone, but liked it enough to find any of the VOF or VVOF when I come across them - and I've never seen either in this area never mind the DSP-16 bottles. At this price range, I'd probably reach for a Dickel 12 more often, but as a change of pace, this was alright.

[wmpevans]

Tried the current Old Fitz BIB last night.

A real disappointment: concentrated alcohol on nose and palate; very thin flavor without much taste to distinguish it.

As a comparison I then poured ORVW 10/107. What a difference. Full of rich flavor, and a long finish. A great pour. Whatever common ancestry these pours had in past is long forgotten.

It's a real shame HH can't do better with Old Fitz given the heritage of this name. Also, somewhat of a mystery as HH can produce a great wheater as proven by the Parker 2010 release.

Bill.