Spirits · Louisville, Kentucky
Old Fitzgerald Distillery
A storied wheated bourbon, now made by Heaven Hill in Louisville.
- Founded
- 1870
- Founded by
- Solomon Charles Herbst
- Based in
- Louisville, Kentucky
Making it since
1870
Their story
Old Fitzgerald began in 1870, when Milwaukee liquor merchant Solomon Charles Herbst produced it for railroads, steamship lines and private clubs. It reached the general public around 1900.
During Prohibition, Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle bought the brand, and it became a flagship of the Stitzel-Weller distillery in Louisville until that distillery closed in 1992. Production then moved to the Bernheim Distillery.
In 1999 Diageo sold Old Fitzgerald, along with Bernheim, to Heaven Hill, the family-owned Kentucky distiller that makes and markets it today.
How it's made
Old Fitzgerald is a wheated bourbon: wheat takes the place of some of the rye in the grain recipe, which gives a rounder, softer whiskey. It is distilled in Louisville and includes a bottled-in-bond expression.
Why we carry them
We like Old Fitzgerald for anyone who wants to taste how wheat softens a bourbon. It is a piece of Kentucky history that still drinks beautifully.
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