The year 1999 is a special place in time for Heaven Hill Distillery, as it’s the year when it acquired the giant Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Bernheim came into the fold, along with the Old FItzgerald brand, after Heaven Hill’s own distillery in Bardstown was destroyed by fire, and it has been the production home for the Heaven Hill portfolio ever since. Now the company is paying tribute to that move to Bernheim with a vintage 1999 Old Fitzgerald expression.
Unusually, this release, called Old Fitzgerald VVS 2024, carries a 13 year old age statement, even though it was indeed distilled in 1999. The story goes that then-master distiller Parker Beam tasted the whiskey back in 2013 and declared it to be just right. He directed the liquid be disgorged and transferred from oak barrels into steel drums to prevent further aging. It was to be kept in the warehouse for a special occasion, and with Heaven Hill celebrating the 25th anniversary of moving into Bernheim, the moment has arrived.
The whiskey is made from Heaven Hill’s classic wheater recipe: 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley, and like the other Old Fitzgerald releases, this one also carries a bottled in bond designation. While the Old Fitzgerald labels on its annual spring and summer releases are green, this label is a dark red, denoting a special release, which is stated as Very Very Special (VVS). This has only happened twice before—in 2018 and in 2020.
Old Fitzgerald VVS 2024 is a Kentucky exclusive, and bottles can be found at retailers in the Bluegrass State as well as the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience in Bardstown. Some 5,000 bottles were produced, with a suggested retail price of $230. Old Fitz fans will still be getting the two regularly scheduled releases this year, for a total of three in 2024.
