Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2025 11-Year Bourbon Review

Old Fitzgerald
Bottled in Bond
Fall 2025 11-Year-Old
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
100 Proof
Heaven Hill Distillery
SRP: $159.99
Review

Please enjoy our Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2025 11-Year Bourbon Review!

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2025 11-Year-Old Bourbon is The 16th National Release

This latest expression in the current Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond series is the 16th national release. It is an 11-year-old bourbon, bottled in the signature ornate decanter and released on an allocated basis. As with all expressions in the series, it adheres to the strict Bottled-in-Bond requirements. Interestingly, 11 years old is a popular age for the Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series. This is the second 11-year-old release of 2025 (the first being a VVS (Very Very Special) release this past summer) and the fifth overall since the modern series began in Spring 2018.

As with all of the recent Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Decanter Series bourbons, packaging was inspired by an original 1950s Old Fitzgerald diamond decanter and pays homage to the history of the brand being traditionally bottled in artistic decanters of all shapes and sizes. The black label, which adorns all of the Fall releases, features the time-honored graphic of a key, commemorating an important element in original labels and the brand’s slogan since the 1940’s, “Your key to hospitality”.

Details – Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2025 11-Year Bourbon Review

• Producer: Heaven Hill Distillery
• Series: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter Series
• Release: Fall 2025 Edition
• Age: 11 years
• Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
• Distilling Season: Fall 2014
• Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery
• Bottle Size: 750mL 1950s style decanter
• Availability: Allocated
• SRP: $159.99

Tasting Notes – Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2025 11-Year Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested: 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻 Nose: Mildly sweet with simple syrup, light toffee, sweet dark cherries and tart orange peel; mild dry oak becomes increasingly noticeable with each sip; alcohol vapor is appropriate for the proof
👉🏻 Taste: Mild simple syrup sweetness; sweet caramel, hints of dark cherries, tart orange peel and mild dry oak; fairly thin mouthfeel
👉🏻 Finish: Increasingly dry and spicy with white pepper spice that reaches a moderate intensity; mild tannins; mild lingering tart citrus; spice lasts for quite a while then fades, revealing mild barrel char

Summary

The nose of Fall 2025 Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond 11-Year-Old Bourbon has complexity with a nice mix of sweet and tart flavors, along with increasingly noticeable mild dry oak. Frankly, the nose is the best part. On the palate, the mouthfeel is fairly thin, with the expected notes of caramel and dark cherries being quite subtle, and mixed with mild oak and tart orange peel. This expression lacks the richer body that I usually expect from an Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon from this series. The finish is fairly one-dimensional, being relatively dry with noticeable white pepper spice and mild char.

Comparison To Prior Releases

In general, I am a big fan of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond decanters. In fact, I have tried every one since the first 11-year-old release back in the Spring of 2018, when Denny Potter was master distiller. To me, this release is a bit out of character for the series, and lacks some of the sweeter fruits and confectionary notes that I have come to expect. In addition, it also has more tart and tannic overtones than other prior releases. As it so happens, I had the Fall 2024 11-Year release nearby, so figured it was time for a comparison. That expression has more of the sweeter fruits and confectionary notes that I have grown to expect from the line in this age range. It also has more body on the palate, with a moderately full mouthfeel.

Conclusion

For me, the Fall 2025 Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon falls short of my expectations. That’s not to say that I won’t be buying a bottle if I have the opportunity. But I would say that if this is the first Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon in this age range that you are trying, you should realize that it is a bit of an outlier and, in my mind, not representative of the line. Have you tried the Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2025 11-Year Bourbon? What did you think? I am interested to know! Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Fall 2025 11-Year Bourbon Review! Next, you’ll probably want to read these related reviews: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon 11 Year Fall 2024 Review and Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Spring 2025 9-Year-Old Bourbon Review.

Note: This sample was graciously provided by the Brand for my review. I appreciate it!

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