🥃Review #77: Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Old Fitzgerald 7-Year on a wood wheel next to a glass

Introduced in 2026, Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond is an attempt by Heaven Hill to make use of expanded Larceny/Wheated stocks and get consumers access to the Old Fitzgerald brand at a lower price point and wider distribution. The Old Fitzgerald Decanter series is a bi-annual premium release featuring higher age stated bourbon in a beautiful bottle. They retail for more than $100 and are quite hard to find. On the other hand, this 7-year edition is intended to be a year-round, permanent flagship for the brand. With the tagline "Your Key to Hospitality", Old Fitzgerald 7-Year features a quite lovely bottle that harkens back to the decanter styling albeit at 700mls and a more slender footprint for behind-the-bar or sidebar use in cocktails. The Old Fitzgerald brand was previously the flagship offering of the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery before it's closure in 1992 and purchase of the offering by Heaven Hill in 1999. Fitzgerald himself was actually a Treasury Agent (bonded warehouse inspector) who used his keys to "inspect" the best barrels, with workers eventually calling these mysteriously light barrels "Fitzgerald barrels." Heaven Hill now leans into this "theft" narrative in their marketing for the entry level Larceny brand. This new bottle provides a relief valve for aging wheated stocks at Heaven Hill which may not meet the requirements for the more exclusive decanter series release. If you missed our leak analysis, you'll quickly come to see this is a solidly designed product.

🛒Sourced: $64.99 at Smyrna World of Beverage, GA - 700ml - this is a bit of a markup but it was the first time I've seen it in the wild and I didn't mind too much. SRP is around $60 and I have seen pictures of it for as low as $55.99 at a Walmart. Heaven Hill is probably doing quite well on this bottle margin-wise. Even if wheat is more expensive than rye, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond (also 7 years old) sells for $45.99 regularly, meaning that Fitz is a decent markup.

🧪Proof: 100 proof, 50% ABV - per Bottled-in-Bond Act requirements.

🎨Color: R4 - A little russet towards orange brown, around where most 6-7 year whiskies end up.

🥔Mash Bill & Production: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley - also used for Larceny but referred to internally as OFD for "Old Fitzgerald Distillate". This iteration was distilled in Fall of 2018 (noted on the bottle wrap right below the stopper). Barrel is Heaven Hill's standard char at Level 3 (40 seconds). Entry proof is 125.

👃Nose: A little unexpectedly boozy, bursts of orange peel, lemon zest, and a little young wood.

😜Palate: Graham cracker with honey, spiced cider, and loads of baking spice accompany a decent bit of heat. It is on the more proofy side but not beyond reason. Medium thickness but very strong of flavor.

💦Finish: Medium for flavor, but there is an enduring chest warmth that is spectacular, probably the longest I've had around this proof. I find gobs of tangerine and a nice O'Charley's-roll honey butter breadiness.

🏆 Overall: 6.75/10 - Very Good - This is one that gets better over the course of a glass. It's not quite rounded off to the same extent of the mainstay Old Fitz relates, understandable given the age difference, but does show off a good deal more fruitiness than standard Larceny batches and the few barrel proofs that I've had. The finish is truly fantastic and I'd imagine is driving much of the competition hype this bottle received. Others mention dark fruit, but I could only find citrus and a nice sweet wheat bakery-full and my overall takeaway is that the bottle runs a tad hot. I think it's a nice addition to the lineup but would love to see an extra year or some more high floor barrels in the mix.

💵Would buy again? Probably, especially around the actual SRP when it's more available. Would I pay what I paid again? No.

🙈Blind Tastings:

2/17/26 - Pepper Decanter Barrel Proof, Mckenna 10, EHT Small Batch, Old Fitzgerald 7-yr
2/15/26 - Ben Holladay Soft Red Wheat, Old Fitzgerald 7-yr, EHT Small Batch
2/13/26 - Ben Holladay Soft Red Wheat, EHT Small Batch, Old Fitzgerald 7-yr

⚖️Rating Scale:

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