Very Old Fitzgerald 8 Year Old

[monk]

Came across a half pint of Stitzel-Weller Very Old Fitzgerald 8 year old, Barreled in 1964, bottled 1972. Original box, tissue paper, hang tag, real clean and unopened. Made expressly for The Greenbrier. What do you think... Keeper, Drinker, or Seller? Trade works well too . Value?

[Deactivated Member]

Either drink it, or sell it to someone who'll drink it. That's fine wheated bourbon! It was made to drink, man!
This would have been distilled and bottled while Stitzel-Weller Distillery was still independently owned by the Van Winkles (it went corporate in 1973, defunct because of asbestos -- still standing, though -- in 1992). Nowhere has better wheated bourbon (pace, Maker's Mark, who's founder 'borrowed' his original recipe from Pappy Van Winkle; don't believe Bill Samuels Jr.'s bread-baking story!) been distilled.
An Old Fitz Bottled In Bond half-pint from 1958 (6yo) is currently at $88 near the end of its Ebay auction.
Is yours Bottled In Bond (100 proof) or 86 proof? The former is better, either sublime.

[monk]

Hey Tim, thanks for the quick history and additional info. We're talking 100 proof on this little half pint. Don't know if I have the heart to break the seal yet, but you never know when friends might show up for a taste of history. Any significance as to The Greenbrier (WV maybe) exclusivity? -Monk
p.s. asbestos in the building I hope?

[Deactivated Member]

Stitzel-Weller was something of a boutique operation when still independent, much smaller than some competing distilleries (which is why it eventually was easy pickings for corporate takeover), and custom bottling was not unusual. For example, I have a customed-labeled and -packaged 4/5-quart (alas, empty) Old Fitz bottle done for a private individual. The whiskey, however, in all of them was the same, aside from age and proof differences -- S-W distilled only one (sans asbestos ) mashbill.