March 4, 2006

Very Special Old Fitzgerald Bourbon Review

Very Special Old Fitzgerald
12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
90 Proof (45% ABV)
Typical Price: Around $45 for 750ml - Buy it at Internet Wines & Spirits

Usually, when something is called special, it puts us in mind of short buses and drool mops. When something is called "very special," it reminds us of chintzy 80s TV - "and tonight, on a very special episode of Golden Girls, Blanche learns the true meaning of friendship when the rest of the girls help her hide her herpes outbreak..." You know, that kind of stuff. When we saw Very Special Old Fitzgerald staring up at us from its squat, ugly little bottle, we were brought to mind of something along both of those lines.

It's a good thing we didn't let that pre-judgement keep us from trying a taste, however, because we would have been missing out on something truly...well...special. And we mean that in the nicest sense of the word.

The Color: Lovely Brown
It's very, special, old and brown.

The Nose: Caramel Apples
The first smell we took in was a delicate whiff of apple blossoms, followed by caramel. All in all it was very delicate, almost floral, with a leathery tinge at the end.

The Taste: Hi, Honey, I'm Home
The first taste was tart, with honey and brown sugar and fruit all very prominent. The fruit was a touch of the apple we smelled, mixed with a citrusy undertone. It smelled like leather and unsmoked tobacco, but It also reminded us of the bigger, older brother of Bernheim's Wheat Whiskey, and were we glad of that. We did a little reading, and we found out that Old Fitzgerald replaces most of the rye in its mix with wheat, so we weren't too far off in that comparison.

With the lessened amount of rye there was very little fire to it, and all in all, it was clean, sweet and perilously tasty. In fact, it was everything we could do not to muscle through a good portion of the bottle in a sitting.

The Recipes: Don't Even Think About It
Drink this one straight, or add one or two drops of cool water - resist the temptation to add ice or mix it.

The Verdict: Very Special, Indeed
This stuff is officially one of our favorite Bourbons. Pour a nice snort of it in a snifter, not a rocks glass, and sit down with your favorite book (or liquor-related website). Hold it up to your nose, swish it around in the glass, take a taste. This is Bourbon that makes you glad you drank all those other brands, because it lets you appreciate how good the one in your glass is.

The Site: Read up on Old Fitz at the Bardstown Bourbon Society.