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Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:32 amby mtbauer
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_1182The sale starts at 9 am! sorry for the previous bad link.
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:34 amby silverfish
Hmm. Nice try.
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:56 pmby jburlowski
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!
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:48 amby bourbonv
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.
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:11 pmby gillmang
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
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:49 pmby gillmang
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
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:41 pmby cowdery
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.
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:46 pmby Dump Bucket
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...
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:45 pmby mtbauer
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:57 pmby cowdery
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.
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:53 amby silverfish
All this and the seller cancels all bids and ends the auction early.
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:46 amby p_elliott
Chuck
Have you considered sealing the top with wax?
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:11 pmby doubleblank
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
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:55 pmby Dump Bucket
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...
Re: Very Very (very) Old Fitzgerald (15 Year)
Posted:
Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:16 pmby loose proton
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.
