Will the real VVOF please stand up

[Vange]

Is this the famed VVOF or a later version?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6251090288&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

[Joeluka]

I believe that bottle of VVOF was done after 1972, when the Van Winkles no longer owned the distillery. If you look at the back of the bottle it says the Old Fitzgerald Distillery not the Stizler-Weller Distillery. I've seen a couple of the post Van Winkle VVOF and they all have that lable and neck label.

[Rancastle]

It also says DSP-16-KY!!! It's 12 years old. It's Stizel/Weller whiskey!!!

[Joeluka]

It also says DSP-16-KY!!! It's 12 years old. It's Stizel/Weller whiskey!!!

Yes it is but I was under the impression we were talking about why the labels look different from older bottlings. When the Van Winkles sold the distillery I would assume they also threw in the whiskey. If you've seen older bottles of VVOF from the 50's and 60' you could tell that the labels are different from the bottles from the 70's. The whiskey is the same and thats my point. Different owner same whiskey!!!!!!

[Rancastle]

Sorry...I was under the impression we were talking about the whiskey. But then again my collection is for drinking, not just to look at! And I have seen the different labels. I have many,many,many bottles of S/W from all decades of operation!!!

[NorCalBoozer]

as far as I know the "VVOF" brand didn't come around until late 60's? before then it was known as "Very Old Fitzgerald 12 y.o." in the late 50's to early 60's. I'd be very interested to see some VVOF bottled in the 50's or early 60's if they exist.

If you've seen older bottles of VVOF from the 50's and 60' you could tell that the labels are different from the bottles from the 70's. The whiskey is the same and thats my point. Different owner same whiskey!!!!!!

[cowdery]

I'm not sure when the VVOF name came into use, nor when they stopped making it, but there were a variety of extra-aged expressions as early as the 1950s. I think VVOF came to be considered the bees knees fairly late in the game, and I think it was still being sold into the late 80s. I know it had been off the market for some years when the Bourbon Heritage Collection was launched, whenever that was (94?). I know it was still in stores during the period when I lived in Louisville, which was 1978-1987, though perhaps not for all of it.

The name change from Stitzel-Weller was primarily an attempt to associate the distillery more with its leading brand, to support the brand in every possible way. I'm pretty sure it did not coincide with the sale nor was it caused by the sale, except in the sense that there was a new sheriff in town and changes were made.

Julian could say for sure.

[NorCalBoozer]

yes, the earliest VOF bottles I have seen were barrelled in 1947. I 'd be interested to hear if someone has seen some VOF barrelled earlier than that.