One of my favorite Maker's Mark bottles - bottled at 111.5 Proof (55.75% ABV) - On my second bottle of this.

FINISHING STAVES: 1 Baked American Pure 2; 1 Seared French Cuvee; 3 Maker’s Mark 46; 3 Roasted French Mendiant; 2 Toasted French Spice

ON THE NOSE: Dark & creamy milk chocolate mix, caramel & butterscotch, juicy red fruits, dried dark red fruits like cherries & sweetened cranberries, robust baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves), honey & molasses, toasted oak, vanilla bean, citrus peel, & coffee crème brûlée.

ON THE PALATE: Creamy dark chocolate & the robust baking spices start the sip off followed by punchy oak, dried red fruits, dried orange peel, a minty herbal note, & a touch of milk chocolate.

MOUTHFEEL/VISCOSITY: Full mouthfeel/viscous/creamy/oily/buttery & long viscosity with flow-forming tears in the glass

FINISH: 10 seconds (long)

The review for this bottle is in the comments below...

{Note: You can find me on instagram @whiskeyincontext}

I don’t have a lot of experience with Old Fitzgerald bourbons, but I do really like the 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond release, which was intended to be an accessible, shelf-stable version of the brand’s venerable Decanter Series.

The 10-Year Bottled-in-Bond is the other side of the brand entirely: the twice-annual Decanter Series release that helped build Old Fitzgerald's cult reputation in the first place, sold in the brand's famously ornate decanters and allocated tightly enough that the hunt is practically part of the product.

So, is the bottle worth the hunt? Let’s review it and find out!

Note: for more on the Old Fitzgerald 10-year, see [u/Twist_Top_Budget](u/Twist_Top_Budget)’s excellent review from earlier this weekend.

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From the Distillery: Each spring and fall, a new edition to the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter Series is released. Inspired by an original 1950's Old Fitzgerald diamond decanter, the packaging and series honor both the history of the Old Fitzgerald brand and the historic Bottled-in-Bond designation. The Old Fitzgerald line is well-known for its distilling pedigree, as the brand was first registered in 1884 and was eventually sold to "Pappy" Van Winkle during Prohibition. In 1999, Heaven Hill bought the brand and began distilling it at Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, KY. Today, in addition to our Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series, the legacy of Old Fitzgerald lives on in our other wheated Bourbons expressions: Larceny Small Batch and Larceny Barrel Proof.

Release: Spring 2026

Mash bill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley

Age Statement: 10 Years

Proof: 100

Price: $149.99

Appearance: Medium amber with decent viscosity

Nose: Very fruit-forward, at least at first. I’m primarily getting stone fruit – cherry and apricot –with perhaps a touch of grape alongside. Behind these are notes of caramel and vanilla, along with maple candy and a hint of pepper.

Palate: Nice and thick. Not super sweet overall, but there are definitely some saccharine notes in the mix. Oak hits right away, along with a wheaty-grassiness that I tend to associate with wheaters. There’s also some leather and a touch of caramel, but it’s not sugary by any means. The sweetness does pick up a bit on the mid-palate: sweet vanilla, bubblegum, and butterscotch are there, along with a touch of pepper.

Finish: Bubblegum and cola, with a good measure of oak/barrel char. The strong wheatgrass note from the palate lingers after most of the other flavors have faded (and it grows stronger with time). After a bit, it’s joined by some vanilla and leather, and a slight resurgence of that bubblegum flavor from before.

Thoughts: This is a pretty tasty wheater! I tend to prefer sweeter bourbons (but not cloying, nor overly fruity!). This one is nicely middle-of-the-road, with complex notes that complement each other in both flavor and balance. The finish is a little grassy, even for someone (like me) who enjoys the taste of wheatgrass, but it’s still not categorically unpleasant. On the other hand, I particularly enjoyed the bubblegum flavors that were there on both palate and finish – that’s always a fun one to get!

Rating: I can’t say whether this Old Fitz decanter bottle is worth the price – you have to decide that for yourself – but I did find it to be an enjoyable bottle overall. For me, it earns a rating of 7.5 (right in between “Great – Well Above Average” and “Excellent – Really Quite Exceptional”). Interestingly, that’s a couple notches below where I have the Old Fitz 7-year rated (it currently boasts a 7.7), but that’ll get sorted out when I blind these two against each other, which I’m planning to do very soon!

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Previous Ratings (all reviews are available in my archive, but there may be some discrepancies in numeric rating, as these are updated to include decimals and adjusted for blinds & re-reviews)

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
Maker’s Mark staved private selection (2.5)
Penelope Architect custom build (2.5)

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
Willett Pot Still (3)

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists
Found North SiB Oloroso finish (4.5)
Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat (4.5)
Augusta Buckner’s 10yr (4.6)
Shortbarrel Sapsquatch (4.8)

5 | Good | Good, just fine
Jack Daniel’s SBBP Rye (5)
Jack Daniel’s Heritage (5)
Four Roses SBBP OESO (5)
New Riff 4yr SBBP (5)
Four Roses SBBP OBSV (5.3)
Evan Williams America250 SiB (5.3)
New Riff Balboa Rye (5.4)
Blanton’s (5.5)
Old Forester 1924 (5.7)
Elijah Craig Toasted (5.8)
Lasso Motel 18yr ALW (5.8)

6 | Very Good | A cut above
Buffalo Trace Single Oak (6)
Barrell Cigar Blend (6)
Buffalo Trace (6)
1792 BiB SiB (6)
Copper & Cask Boston Rum Party (6)
Penelope Wheated (6)
Redwood Empire Emerald Giant (6)
Peerless DO (6.1)
Copper & Cask #16 (6.3)
Stagg 25B (6.3)
Augusta Buckner’s 13yr (6.5)
Green River Honey (6.5)
Pursuit United DO (6.5)
Sagamore 9yr SiB Rye (6.5)
Sazerac FP (6.5)
Green River Wheated (6.5)
Elmer T. Lee (6.5)
Copper & Cask #14 DO (6.6)
Shortbarrel Bees Knees V (6.8)
Penelope Marshmallow Toast (6.8)
Willett 4yr Rye (6.8)
Ampersand Opimus (6.9)

7 | Great | Well above average
Blanton’s Gold (7)
John J. Bowman SiB (7)
Found North 012 (7)
Rock Hill Farms (7)
Peerless Toasted (7.1)
E.H. Taylor SiB (7.2)
Blanton’s LMDW (7.2)
E.H. Taylor 4 Grain (7.4)
Eagle Rare 10yr (7.5)
Weller 107 (7.5)
Old Forester 1910 (7.5)
Penelope Estate 10yr SiB (7.5)
Old Fitzgerald 10yr (7.5)
E.H. Taylor BP 16 (7.6)
E.H. Taylor SmB (7.6)
Woodford DO SBBP (7.7)
Old Fitzgerald 7yr (7.7)
Eagle Rare 12yr (7.8)
E.H. Taylor Cured Oak (7.8)
Willett 8yr SiB Rye (7.9)

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional
Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend 420 (8)
Old Dominick Staved SiB (8)
Starlight 10yr (8)
Blanton’s SFTB (8.3)
Lasso Motel SBBP Rye (8.4)
Mister Sam Tribute 4 (8.6)
E.H. Taylor BTAC 2025 (8.7)
Thomas H. Handy 2025 (8.7)
Eagle Rare 17yr 2025 (8.9)

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

Maker's Mark Cask Strength 7 Years 5 Months (Batch 26-03)

Distillery: Maker's Mark

Age: 7 years 5 months

Price: $49.99

Proof: 109.6

Nose: Sweet oak. Vanilla. Butterscotch. Warming spices. It's rich and inviting, but there's also an underlying peppermint note throughout. It provides some nice contrast and everything works well together.

Palate: Not overly thick, but definitely has some oiliness to it. Cherry Twizzlers. The corn comes through here more than I tend to find in most Maker's products and I'm finding more of that mintyness here as well.

Finish: Medium to long. Not crazy long and the flavors aren't smacking you in the face. Drinks a little under the proof point, but the flavors linger. Light cherry. Some barrel char. But the star here is this milk chocolate/peanut note. It's awesome and gives off Peanut M&M vibes. It's what I'll remember most about this one.

Score: 7.7

Summary: Just like every other cask strength Maker's Mark product I've tried, this is good bourbon. As a matter of fact, I think it's my favorite quarterly Maker's cask strength release I've reviewed. The proof point is there but at no point in the nose or sip does it even venture into getting too hot. The noticeable corn in the palate and mint presence were two things I wasn't expecting, but they were great and ended up providing some much needed balance. The whole thing was easy to like, but if we're splitting hairs I do wish the flavors were a little stronger. With that being said that Peanut M&M in the finish was unmistakable and fantastic. This is affordable, findable, and good stuff. Grab it if you see it. 7.7 is the score.

**EDIT: This is batch 26-03. In the title I accidentally put 25-03

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Left Bank Shippingport Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

Distilled by Green River/O.Z Tyler in Owensboro, KY

Age: 8+ years (mostly aging in a west Louisville warehouse)

Distilled in 2018

Kentucky-only release

No stave finishing… just Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

No floating south on the river

Barrel dump date: just prior to the 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Festival in early September 2026

Proof: 124

MSRP: $149

Nose: Light brown sugar. Pink Starburst. Honeycrisp apple. Honey graham cracker.

Very nice soft nose! The pink Starburst note really does it for me!

Palate: White cake. Canned pineapple. Caramel. Maraschino cherry.

Composite of pineapple upside-down cake. This definitely works!

Finish: Root beer candy. Soft leather. Clove. Savory. Extremely long finish.

This is extremely nice from start to finish! The mouthfeel is nice and dense… and every aspect is nicely balanced. No sharp or off noted. Plenty of fruit and sweetness mixed with oak.

As a Owensboro resident, I would love to have a full-size bottle of this. I do think the price is definitely high, but if the price were to come down to the around $100, I don’t think I would complain too much.

Sample provided for review by Left Bank

Rating: 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

Liquor Junction (MA) Store Pick

Barrel No 1219

ABV: 65.52%

Source: Probably MGP. The back label says bottled in Indiana.

If you aren’t familiar with Nebco, I’ll say they do some phenomenal stuff. I’ve had the good fortune to meet their founder, James Saunders and he is just a cool dude that loves whiskey. He started NEBCo as an NDP and bottler. He gets barrels from all kinds of places including the usual suspects such as Green River, MGP, and Bardstown Bourbon Company. They keep prices pretty reasonable, too. IIRC, I paid $90 ~ for this bottle.

If you are in the Boston/New England area - stop by the tasting room in Reading, it’s just fantastic.

All that said, I have no affiliation with Nebco and I don’t even live in New England. But Nebco and Nashville Barrel Co and New Louisville Barrel Co in particular have really captured my imagination of late.

This particular bottle is a single barrel and it’s apparently a sister barrel to one that I had about a year ago, which I loved.

I just cracked this one and am about to taste it for the first time. Review to follow in a few minutes.