Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Have an old/rare bottle you'd like some more info on?

Moderator: Squire

Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby mtbauer » Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:32 am

Hey Guys,

I just posted this bottle on eBay because I know you guys will appreciate this alcohol more than I could. I do not drink much and I received this bottle from a recently deceased family member. Due to financial constraints I am forced to sell this bottle and I am sure that my grandfather would be a lot more pleased with someone who could appreciate this alcohol drinking it.

Check out the link. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160370699019#ht_500wt_1182

The sale starts at 9 am! sorry for the previous bad link.
Last edited by mtbauer on Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
mtbauer
Registered User
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:28 am

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby silverfish » Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:34 am

Hmm. Nice try.
John Q.
Visit the Silverfish Gallery!
User avatar
silverfish
Registered User
 
Posts: 116
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:45 pm
Location: Western NY

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby jburlowski » Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:56 pm

I want one of these recently deceased family members / grandfathers / kindly, old sweet neighborly gentlemen who leave behind these rare, old, (breathlessly) "oh my god, what can they possibly be worth" bottles.

Go back to E-bay, vermin!
John B.
User avatar
jburlowski
Registered User
 
Posts: 100
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:52 pm
Location: Kentucky

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby bourbonv » Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:48 am

Thank you posting this. I have never seen a bottle of the 15yo outside of the quality control lab at United Distillers Stitzel-Weller facility. I never bid on ebay, but I might have to do so on this bottle. The 15yo at Stitzel-Weller was the best bourbon I ever tasted.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
User avatar
bourbonv
Registered User
 
Posts: 4086
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 7:17 pm
Location: Louisville, Ky.

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby gillmang » Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:11 pm

My taste may (?) have been different then, but I recall distinctly in the 1970's trying all the iterations available in Plattsburgh, New York of Old Fitzgerald. The Supreme 80 and 86, the 1849, Very Old Fitzgerald and quite possibly Very Very Old Fitzgerald, the 12 year at least I am sure. And every time I came away convinced the Supreme was the best one.

Gary
User avatar
gillmang
Vatman
 
Posts: 2173
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2005 4:44 pm

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby gillmang » Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:49 pm

Sorry, yes, Jeff, I always make that error, I meant Prime, not Supreme. I don't recall that highest proof but seem to recall a 90 proof possibly - I think I liked the 80 or 86 best though.

This is not to say those others aren't good, of course they are. And one has to like a well-aged whiskey to taste anything much over 8 years old. But this was my impression at the time, probably the older ones seemed too tannic to me.

By the way I intend to revisit soon the Fitzgerald products made by Heaven Hill. Everything they make is so good lately that I have a feeling Fitzgerald is probably better than I recall it from a few years ago.

Gary
User avatar
gillmang
Vatman
 
Posts: 2173
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2005 4:44 pm

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby cowdery » Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:41 pm

Looking at the picture, the fill level would concern me. It looks like there has been some evaporation. If whiskey can get out, oxygen can get in.
- Chuck Cowdery

Author of Bourbon, Straight
User avatar
cowdery
Registered User
 
Posts: 1586
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 1:07 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby Dump Bucket » Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:46 pm

cowdery wrote:Looking at the picture, the fill level would concern me. It looks like there has been some evaporation. If whiskey can get out, oxygen can get in.



After looking at the bottle, I had the same concern. When you have whiskey and air exchanging places, this is usually the result of some cork rot.

From my tasting, the wheaters pick up the cork taste far more than the other bourbons. I think the ryes have a tendency to cover the cork flavor or do not absorb the odors as much...
"What I do I do because I like to do." Alex DeLarge ACWO
User avatar
Dump Bucket
Bourbon Head
Bourbon Head
 
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:42 pm
Location: Vail, AZ

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby mtbauer » Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:45 pm

Hey Guys,

If you would like I could definitely post a few more pictures. I have researched other old bottles such as this one and I believe that they are all filled (approx) the same height. Here is a link to just one example. Let me know if you want more pictures. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_V6-vWiF7TQU/R0zS_GA-UFI/AAAAAAAAAFw/InpaU26YSi8/VOF81956_64_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VPBynthfdbPrrADED0QG3A&usg=__fEQ1DmQjx8ZiKOB7_janXT3cgGY=&h=1200&w=900&sz=16&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=Zb6nOoKKmCHZPM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvery%2Bvery%2Bold%2Bfitzgerald%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Dump if you would like to view the bottle, I am also in AZ (tempe/scottsdale) area. Send me a PM.

Sincerely,

mtbauer
mtbauer
Registered User
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:28 am

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby cowdery » Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:57 pm

I'm not as concerned about cork rot, though that's certainly a possibility, as I am about simple oxidation. I have a very similar Weller, with about the same fill level, about which I have a similar concern.
Attachments
Weller Antique Reserve.jpg
Weller Antique Reserve.jpg (99.49 KiB) Viewed 9352 times
- Chuck Cowdery

Author of Bourbon, Straight
User avatar
cowdery
Registered User
 
Posts: 1586
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 1:07 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby silverfish » Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:53 am

All this and the seller cancels all bids and ends the auction early.
John Q.
Visit the Silverfish Gallery!
User avatar
silverfish
Registered User
 
Posts: 116
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:45 pm
Location: Western NY

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby p_elliott » Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:46 am

Chuck

Have you considered sealing the top with wax?
If you don't stand behind our troops then feel free to stand in front of them.
User avatar
p_elliott
Registered User
 
Posts: 450
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 2:21 am
Location: SW Iowa

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby doubleblank » Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:11 pm

This seems as good a place as any to post about the low fill bottles. Like many have stated here, low fill levels in older bottles results in air getting into the bottle and can result in the whiskey picking up "off" flavors. But I have also noted a lower level of alcohol when I've tasted these types of bottles. So I had a friend who runs a comercial testing lab analyze a couple of older bottles for alcohol concentration. One was a VOF from the '60's that had a bottom of the shoulder fill and a Ky Gentleman BIB 6yo from the '50's with a similar fill level. Both showed significant alcohol loss relative to the water loss from evaporation. IIRC, the alcohol content dropped from 50% to between 40 to 42%. So when you drink one of these low filled dusties, at best you're not drinking what was put in the bottle and at worst, something very foul. I don't purchase any low fill dusties anymore based on my experience.

Randy
doubleblank
Registered User
 
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 12:23 pm
Location: Houston

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby Dump Bucket » Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:55 pm

doubleblank wrote:This seems as good a place as any to post about the low fill bottles. Like many have stated here, low fill levels in older bottles results in air getting into the bottle and can result in the whiskey picking up "off" flavors. But I have also noted a lower level of alcohol when I've tasted these types of bottles. So I had a friend who runs a commercial testing lab analyze a couple of older bottles for alcohol concentration. One was a VOF from the '60's that had a bottom of the shoulder fill and a Ky Gentleman BIB 6yo from the '50's with a similar fill level. Both showed significant alcohol loss relative to the water loss from evaporation. IIRC, the alcohol content dropped from 50% to between 40 to 42%. So when you drink one of these low filled dusties, at best you're not drinking what was put in the bottle and at worst, something very foul. I don't purchase any low fill dusties anymore based on my experience.

Randy


Nice experiment Randy.. I dig it.

I did talk to the gentleman that is selling the VVOF. He did find some of that dark sediment you see when corks go bad.

I have seen this more in Old Fitz bottle more than other, but that may be due to me buying more Fittz that other brands, though I have purchased the most Turkeys and those almost never show cork...

In any case, there is a good chance this bottle saw some time in its side or elevated temps that would enhance cork rot...

I think it is still a cool collectors peice, but not a great, non corked drinker...
"What I do I do because I like to do." Alex DeLarge ACWO
User avatar
Dump Bucket
Bourbon Head
Bourbon Head
 
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:42 pm
Location: Vail, AZ

Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)

Unread postby loose proton » Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:16 pm

Rather than wax, try parafilm. It's a wax type product that's easy to use once you know the technique. Stretch it as much as you can as you wrap the bottle top. It's available on ebay and a big box will last forever. I use the 4" wide.
loose proton
Registered User
 
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 7:58 pm

Next

Return to Collector's Corner

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests