Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Fall 2021 edition

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

RAIN!

We finally got rain last night. As you may know, much of the country is experiencing drought conditions and, well, my house is no exception. To give you just one example of how dry it has been here, I’d like to point to the fact that I haven’t mowed my lawn since the middle of June. It’s been too dry for it to grow. So I was pretty happy when I woke up to the sound of a sustained downpour this morning. I was even happier when I saw that the rain gauge showed over 2 inches had fallen overnight and into the morning. My lawn is already greening up. Which means mowing probably isn’t far behind. But heck, at least I won’t have to water the garden this week. That’ll help the ol’ water bill.

And while I wait for the grass to grow, I might as well go ahead and preview the newest bourbon that Heaven Hill has sent over. This is the Fall 2021 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond. It was distilled in the Spring of 2010 and bottled in the Spring of 2021, making this an eleven-year-old release. According to the press release, it spent those eleven years resting in rickhouse EE. As with all Bottled-in-Bond products, this was bottled at 100° proof and is the product of one distilling season.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, Fall 2021

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $110 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $7.33

Details: 11 years old. 50% ABV. Aged in Rickhouse EE.

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, oak, red fruit.

Mouth: Spicy with notes of baking spice, caramel, vanilla, and almond.

Finish: On the longer side of medium with notes of almond, caramel, and cooling mint.

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Thoughts: Baking spice and almond are the notes that stand out to me for this one. I tried it next to the Spring 2021 edition and I think I like Spring better, even though it was only 8 years old compared to this edition’s 11 years. I much prefer Spring 2021’s caramel notes to Fall 2021’s almond, and Spring 2021 had more spice to it. But, don’t get me wrong, this is a very good bourbon. I'm just not sure I'd be willing to drop $110 on it, I am a freelancer after all. That said, I would happily accept a glass if you were pouring.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.

Larceny Barrel Proof, B521

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

I am smoking a couple Waygu Ribeye steaks tonight so you better believe that I’m going to be making this quick. They are on the smoker right now and I am keeping one eye on the probe temp as I type this. I got them online, the company had sponsored a barbecue YouTube channel I enjoy watching and I wanted to support him and I wanted to try these crazy expensive steaks.

I’ve found over the last couple years, that while I don’t mind splurging on the occasional overpriced whiskey (because they are almost always overpriced compared to how they taste), i’d much rather splurge on a novel food experience.

This may have contributed to my expanding waistline…

But in any case, I’d much rather sit down to a nice meal than I would sit down to a nice bourbon these days. Some of that is because I’m a pretty good cook so even a nice meal is usually cheaper because I’m making it at home. But most of the switch is my growing disillusionment with high-priced Limited Edition bourbons. If I ever give up this site, I’ll probably be hard pressed to justify the expense. Especially when there are things like Maker’s Mark 101, Knob Creek 12-year-old, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and Larceny Barrel Proof that are available in my market from $35-$65. Even Booker’s is pushing the price limit of what I’d like to spend on bourbon these days.

And good for the companies that can get that kind of cash for their products. I wish them the best. But eventually I’ll give this up and will be voting with my dollar like the rest of you and I won’t feel like I need to buy these overpriced bottles to help others decide whether they should pass or splurge on them. I’ll be splurging on the best sub-$60/$70 bottles I can find, with most purchases coming in the $20 to $40 range.

Luckily, I’ll still be happy to buy bottles of tonight’s whiskey. At a suggested retail price of about $50, it has a pretty good price on it if you can find it.

Larceny Barrel Proof, B521

Purchase info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99.

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 60.5%

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, mint/eucalyptus, and a dusty cocoa note.

Mouth: Thick and rich with caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Lingering notes of nutmeg, vanilla, and oak.

Comparison to A121: Very similar on the nose. These are both fairly spice forward, but A121 is a bit sweeter and hotter in the mouth. But, honestly, there are only minor differences between these two batches.

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Thoughts: I really liked batch A121, so I'm pretty happy with this batch as well. There is a bit more caramel and a bit less chocolate, but I really like both of those flavor notes so I'd be hard-pressed to pick one over the other. In fact, when tasting notes were done, I just mixed them together. Spoiler alert: it was still really good.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

If You've Had...the Evan Williams Edition

Quick Disclaimer: the 1783 bottle used in this article was provided for review purposes. It was reviewed here.

I thought I was done with these posts, not because I don’t like doing them, but I’d done all of the ones I could think of. Luckily you guys are smarter than I am and when a reader requested I do one on the Evan Williams, I felt like it was time to jump back in on this series. But, seeing as it has been almost two years since I last did one of these posts, I’m thinking a little explanation is in order.

I think that one of the best ways to really learn the differences between bourbons is to compare them head-to-head. That's the theory behind the If You've Had... series. The setup is like this: "If you've had Whiskey A then Whiskey B is..." hotter, spicier, sweeter, more floral, etc. Each section below is written comparing all of the whiskeys in the line-up to one of their peers. So if you've had Whiskey A, but not Whiskeys B through E, then the Whiskey A section will be the most useful to you. You may notice that there are different tasting notes here as compared to the usual reviews. That is because I am literally going from one bourbon to the other and recording my impressions of the difference. This article purely describing the differences between the various bourbons. I try to write this so that there are no value judgments. This way you get to decide based on what you know of Whiskey A if Whiskey B sounds like something you'd want to try.

Tonight we are featuring the Evan Williams family of bourbons. We are looking at the 80 proof Evan Williams Green Label (which, rumor has it, has been discontinued*), the 86 proof Black Label, the new 90 proof 1783 Small Batch, Bottled-in-Bond, and the 2013 vintage of Evan Williams Single Barrel. So without further ado, I present the eighth installment of the If You’ve Had… series. 

If you've had Evan Williams Green Label, then…

Evan Williams Black Label: is slightly sweeter on the nose. The mouth on Black Label is similar, just a touch spicier. The finishes are basically identical.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: is spicier on the nose, showing more cinnamon. Evan Williams 1783 has a thicker mouthfeel and shows more baking spice and caramel. The finish follows and is longer than Green Label.

Evan Williams Bottled in Bond: is sweeter on the nose with more baking spice and hints of chocolate. The mouth on Bonded is much spicier, showing more cinnamon, caramel and chocolate. The finish is much warmer.

Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is richer, showing more oak and floral notes. The mouth follows showing more floral and melon notes. The finish is similar in warmth and length but brings the floral and melon notes along.

If you've had Evan Williams Black Label, then…

Evan Williams Green Label: is less sweet and more grain forward on the nose. Green Label has a thinner mouthfeel and is slightly sweeter showing less spice on the mouth. The finishes are virtually identical.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: has less cinnamon and more caramel. 1783 also has a floral hint when compared to Black Label. 1783 has a more robust flavor profile showing much more spice and caramel. The finish shows more cinnamon and is longer.

Evan Williams Bottled in Bond: is sweeter on the nose showing more vanilla and chocolate. The mouth shows more cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, and chocolate notes. The finish is longer.

Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is very similar on the nose, showing a few more floral notes. The mouth shows more fruit and floral notes. The finish follows the mouth showing more cinnamon, fruit, and floral notes.

If you've had Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch, then…

Evan Williams Green Label: is more grain-forward on the nose, showing a lot more corn. The mouthfeel is thinner and the flavor is more grain-forward. The finish is shorter.

Evan Williams Black Label: has less of an alcohol burn and shows more dried grain notes on the nose. Black Label has less spicy heat than 1783 but has a more pronounced cinnamon flavor. The mouthfeel is thinner and the finish is shorter.

Evan Williams Bottled in Bond: is sweeter, nuttier, and has more cocoa on the nose. Bonded is warmer in the mouth showing more baking spice and chocolate notes. The finish on Bonded is longer.

Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is very similar, though showing more floral notes, on the nose. The mouth on Single Barrel (2013) shows more fruity and floral notes which follows into the finish.

If you've had Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond, then…

Evan Williams Green Label: has much more dried corn on the nose. Green Label has a much thinner mouthfeel and a less concentrated flavor profile. The finish is more gentle and shorter.

Evan Williams Black Label: is very similar, though slightly mintier, on the nose. Black Label has a thinner mouthfeel and a gentler, less concentrated spice to the mouth. The finish is more gentle and is shorter.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: shows more floral notes on the nose. 1783 has a thicker mouthfeel and shows more caramel and a pronounced floral note when compared to Bonded. The finish of 1783 is more floral and mintier.

Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage): is much fruitier and more floral on the nose. Single Barrel (2013) is much fruitier and more floral with more cinnamon on the mouth and that difference follows into the finish.

If you've had Evan Williams Single Barrel (2013 vintage), then…

Evan Williams Green Label: shows much more dried corn influence on the nose. Green label is sweeter on the mouth and shows more cinnamon spice and grain influence. The finishes are fairly similar in length and heat.

Evan Williams Black Label: is very similar, showing more vanilla, on the nose. Black Label is sweeter on the mouth, showing more classic bourbon "caramel/vanilla" notes. The mouthfeel on Black Label is thinner and the finish is longer.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch: is spicier on the nose, showing prominent cinnamon notes. The mouth on 1783 is richer, with a thicker mouthfeel and more concentrated flavor profile. There is more caramel and cinnamon spice on the mouth. The finish is longer.

Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond: shows mores cocoa and vanilla on the nose. Bonded is warmer in the mouth, showing more nutty and cocoa notes. The finish is longer and warmer.

Conclusions:

  • Single Barrel (2013 vintage) really reminds me of an Old Forester Bourbon when compared with the rest of this line-up.

  • Green Label, Black Label, and Bottled-in-Bond are all very similar, basically differing in how concentrated the flavors are and how long the finish is.

  • 1783 Small Batch is an outlier with a slightly different flavor profile when compared head-to-head with the others. 1783 is more floral whereas the other three are more "stereotypical" caramel/vanilla bourbon notes.

  • Green Label and Black Label are remarkably similar bourbons with only very slight differences between them. I can see why they could be considered duplicates in the Evan Williams line-up. If Green Label was your go-to before it was discontinued, you shouldn’t notice much difference if you switch to Black Label. Even the price per bottle is only a dollar different. (Current price for Black Label at Binny’s is $13.99 per 750 mL. I bought Green Label from them in December for $12.99 per 750mL.)

*As of the time of writing, I am waiting for confirmation on that fact from Heaven Hill and will update if I hear back from them.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Bourbon, 90 proof

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Evan Williams 1783, with its newly revamped bottle design and proof level sitting majestically on my deck railing.

I’ve been having a rare string of good luck when it comes to timing lately. I recently upgraded my tired 2015 MacBook Pro to one of the colorful new iMacs. In the process, I got a much larger internal hard drive, allowing me to free up an external hard drive. Not 30 minutes after that external drive was reformatted and freed up for use, I got a notification that my aging backup drive had just failed. I'll never be happy a drive failed, but the timing of that failure saved me days of waiting for an Amazon shipment to bring me a new hard drive. I’d been planning to fill the newly free drive with the contents of a different rickety old hard drive and usually, I’d have had the failure right after I’d spent hours copying that data over.

And the other example of my good timing is exemplified by tonight’s bourbon review. Quite a while ago, I got a reader request for an If You’ve Had… post centered around the various forms of Evan Williams. I started planning this post back in December, but one thing led to another and I finally had it scheduled to be published this week. 

Well, until this bottle of Evan Williams 1783 arrived on my doorstep from Heaven Hill. At first, I was pleased because I’d get updated packaging for the article’s photo. But then, as I read the press release, I noticed that the revamping extended to the whiskey inside the bottle as well. What used to be 86° proof was now 90° proof. I like seeing proof bumps for low-proof whiskeys so I figured a full review was in order. Especially since I haven’t done a full review on the expression since 2013. 

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Bourbon, 90 proof

Purchase Info: This bottle was supplied by the distillery for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $19.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50ml): $1.33

Details: 45% ABV.

Nose: Like the smell of the Angel's Share in a rick house. There is wood, caramel, vanilla, and nutmeg.

Mouth: Sweet and bursting with baking spices. Strong cinnamon and nutmeg notes hit first, followed by caramel, tangy fruit, and oak.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering notes of cinnamon candies, oak, and mint.

Comparison with the 86° proof it replaced: The 86° proof version shows a few more dried grain notes on the nose. The mouth is thinner on the 86° proof version and once again shows more grain at that dilution level.

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Thoughts: This is a better bourbon at 90° proof than it was at 86° proof. The added dilution of the previous 86° proof (small as it is) really seems to have dropped the richness of the bourbon. The 90° proof is brighter and richer in flavor and shows much less grain in the mouth.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Batch B521

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, batch B521 sitting in the morning sun.

I’m getting another tattoo tomorrow. A year ago, if you’d have asked me if I would ever have one tattoo, I would have told you no. That I was too big of a pussy to handle that.

As an aside, have you ever wondered about the practice of calling a weak person a nickname for female genitalia? I mean those things are tough, you can shove a baby through one whereas the male counterpart can be injured by a sharp look…

Anyway back to the tattoo. I don’t like pain, but I’ve always been a fan of tattoos. I have a fine arts education and love art of all kinds and this seems to be one of the most personal expressions of art appreciation that is possible. So if I was going to put up with the pain, I wanted to be sure it was something that I would never end up regretting. And so my first tattoo was the paw prints of my first two dogs. I wished I could have them with me forever, and now I kind of can. I’ll probably put my current two there with them once they pass on as well.

So what sort of special, heartwarming thing am I getting tomorrow. Well, honestly, it’s kind of a charity thing. The artist gives 40% of the proceeds of these predesigned dog-themed ones to a local animal rescue. And since I really like dogs, I’m willing to once again put up with something that feels like I’m being cut with an X-Acto knife (the story for how I know how that feels is a story for another day).

So how does that have anything at all to do with tonight’s Bourbon? It doesn’t. Not really. I mean, the editions of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof could usually be considered works of the distiller and blender’s art. I appreciate them the same way I do a piece of fine art. I just get to put these works of art in my mouth and I’m pretty sure most traditional artists would not look kindly upon me tasting their works.

But, hey! Would you look at that, it’s time for the tasting notes. I’m going to leave the uncomfortable intro behind and get on to talking about the second of Heaven Hill’s three annual barrel proof releases of 12-year-old Elijah Craig.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B521

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. I have found previous editions locally for as low as $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine.

Price per Drink (50mL): $4.67

Details: 59.1%. 12-years-old

Nose: Cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, mint.

Mouth: Oak, chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, and muted caramel, followed by a juicy apple note as you swallow.

Finish: Long and warm with the juicy apple, cinnamon and oak notes.

Thoughts: This is just a damn fine bourbon. I really like it. It's almost completely a stereotypical Heaven Hill bourbon. Rich, caramel notes paired with baking spice and oak. There is more oak influence on this batch than I remember from previous batches. If I hadn't known, I would have guessed this was older than 12 years. It is very nicely done though. This doesn't taste like an old stick you found in the yard. The oak expresses itself as a wonderful chocolate note.

Comparison to last batch: B521 is more refined on the nose than A121 was. A121 was a bit of a toffee bomb on the nose by way of comparison. This follows on the mouth as B521 is more refined there as well. B521 is just a damn fine, well-aged bourbon. A121 was very hot and quite sweet by comparison.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Spring 2021 edition

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A sample bottle of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond sitting on a wooden bench. Words say: Spring 20201 Edition, Made: Spring 2013, Bottled: Spring 2021. Proof: 100. Age: 8 yr

It’s that time of year. Apple has finally made an update to its Mac lineup* that has me ready to pull the trigger on replacing my old 2015 MacBook Pro. The thing still runs like a champ, but it is starting to show its age. I never use the laptop anywhere other than my desk so I don’t really need it as a laptop. Which means I’m free to completely reimagine my current office setup. Everything from storage to backups to displays and sound is on the table. For a gadget person like me, it’s a fun time. And one that only comes around every half decade or so.

And while I’m perusing spec sheets and pricing to help me decide between a colorful new iMac or a tiny Mac Mini, I’ll be sipping on a little something that comes out much more often. Tonight I am looking at the Spring 2021 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, the half yearly special release from Heaven Hill. This edition clocks in at “only” 8 years old, which is nice because the suggested price reflects that lower age.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, Spring 2021

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $85 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.67

Details: 8 years old. 50% ABV.

Nose: Strong cinnamon notes, mint, oak, and almond.

Mouth: Nice, thick mouthfeel. Sweet, but not overly so. Notes of almond, cinnamon, oak, mint, and caramel.

Finish: Medium length and warm. Lingering notes of Cinnamon, caramel, and cocoa.

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Thoughts: This is very good, as usual. I am really enjoying the thick, rich mouthfeel. The sweet notes of caramel and cocoa are well balanced by the spicy cinnamon. If you see this anywhere near the retail price, and can swing it, I'd recommend grabbing it. It's quite good. And don’t be scared off by the lower age statement. I tried it next to the Fall 2020 edition and I think I like this one better. Both were very caramel forward, but Spring 2021 had more spice to it. Which I tend to like more than the well-integrated oak notes that the previous edition had.

Ok. Off to play IT planning guy. Wish me luck!

*I’m a Designer/Photographer/Artist who got rid of his last PC in 2001 and has been happily using Macs since before I graduated college 20 years ago. I’m too old to relearn Windows and I like MacOS so no wise guy comments. Lol.