The Old Fitzgerald Colonial Decanter is a Bottled-in-Bond special edition of Old Fitzgerald that featured a nifty looking decanter and a glass stopper that could pour you a shot. I wonder what Christopher Moltisanti would think if he knew that Old Fitzgerald did it about 40 years before his bottle of 1800 Tequila did? Would he be a little less cocksure in his deliver of his lines or would he not care since he was just there to collect a paycheck? I’m thinking the latter.
Being an Old Fitzgerald from the 60s means that the whiskey in the Old Fitzgerald Colonial Decanter was made at the famous Stitzel-Weller which means that every drop was lovingly tended to by Pappy himself. Or not, and who cares. Good whiskey is good whiskey no matter who makes it and bad whiskey is bad whiskey no matter who makes it. So lets take a look at the reasons this one falls into the category it’s in and get on with the review.
Old Fitzgerald Colonial Decanter Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Stitzel-Weller
Cask: New charred oak
Age: 6 years
ABV: 50%
Distilled: 1963
Bottled: 1969
Price: NA – Dusty
Old Fitzgerald Colonial Decanter Review
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Pleasant aroma of cherry heavy dark fruit, oak, caramel, toasted nuts and a light bit of soap.
PALATE
Oak, toffee, caramel and cola spice start strong but are quickly replaced by heavy soap and lighter notes of cherry heavy dark fruit and sweet herbs as it fades to the finish. The palate is less pleasant than the nose.
FINISH
Long and soapy pocked with notes of cherry cola, caramel syrup and oak.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
The amount of soap in the palate knocks this one off balance. A medium body and thin light feel don’t exactly work in its favor.
OVERALL
I’m not a huge fan of the Old Fitzgerald Colonial Decanter. The amount of soap in the whiskey starts out light and manageable, but the more it breathes and opens up the soapier it gets. After about 15 minutes it’s soap city on the palate and goes from an interesting dimension to a full on distraction and knocks the whiskey off balance. I would love the chance to revisit it in the future to peg in a solid score, but I’m not in a huge rush to do that anytime soon.
SCORE: 77-79/100 (consumed at a tasting, not at home)