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Photo libraries, in ascending order by bottling year
Wild Turkey 8yr, 4/5qt, Brooklyn, 1957
Wild Turkey 8 year, 101 proof was the staple of the line for decades. Unlike many brands, Wild Turkey kept the age statement and higher proof for a long time, which led to its perception of high quality. The ages started to drop in the 1990s, and the proofs have only recently started to go down.
Shortly after this bottling, the label changed from stating “Brooklyn – New York” to “New York, NY.”
Old Forester Bonded “Lamp” Decanter, 1953-1958
This decanter came with a mail-in envelope to order a kit that would convert the empty bottle into a lamp, similar to how some enterprising young bourbonites are making them today.
Posted in Old Forester
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, brown forman, decanter, lamp, old forester
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, brown forman, decanter, lamp, old forester
Old Grand Dad Bonded Decanter, w/Gift Box, 1954-1958
Posted in Old Grand Dad
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, gift box, national distillers, old grand dad
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, gift box, national distillers, old grand dad
Very Old Fitzgerald 8yr, 1950-1958, Half Pint
Shown in the last photo with its big brother from the same year
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Old Fitzgerald 8yr, 1950-1958
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1958, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Old Fitzgerald Bonded, Half Pint, 1953-1959
Posted in Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1957, bottled in bond, bourbon, half pint, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Tags: 1957, bottled in bond, bourbon, half pint, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Old Grand Dad Bonded Mini 1/10 pint, 1954-1959
Photos courtesy of Brad Pollard
Posted in Old Grand Dad
Tags: 1959, airplane, bottled in bond, bourbon, mini, national distillers, old grand dad
Tags: 1959, airplane, bottled in bond, bourbon, mini, national distillers, old grand dad
Very Old Fitzgerald 8yr, 1952-1960
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1960, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1960, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Old Fitzgerald 6yr Bonded Decanter, 4/5qt, 1954-1960
This is the same bottle featured in this great video on the design process of a decanter.
Photos courtesy of Jason Girard.
Old Fitzgerald Bonded 86pf Export, 1960
Although bottles sold in the US that were labeled as bonded had to be 100 proof, that wasn’t the case for bottles sold in other countries.
House of State 7yr 86pf, ~1960
This appears to be a private-label bourbon bottled by an unknown Kentucky distiller for “State Liquor Store” In Glendale, CA.
Very Old Fitzgerald 10yr, 1950-1960
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1960, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1960, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Old Fitzgerald 10yr, 1951-1961
Photos courtesy of Ted Doggett.
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1961, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1961, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 1949-1961
This is an early 12-year. At this point they hadn’t made the distinction between Very Old, Very Xtra Old, and Very Very old Fitzgerald. The earliest 12-year I’ve seen was a 1948-1960, one year before this bottle. Also, note the red tax strip. Even though this bottle is 100 proof, it couldn’t be marked as bonded because the bottled-in-bond period maxed out at 8 years until the law was changed in 1962.
Old Fitzgerald Fleur-de-Lis Bonded Decanter, 4/5qt, 1956-1962
Photos courtesy of Jason Girard
Posted in Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1962, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Tags: 1962, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Weller Antique Reserve 10yr 110pf, 1962 – Leo “Roundy” Coughlin
Labeled for “Roundy” Coughlin, a noted Wisconsin sports journalist from the 1940s-1960s.
Berkeley Hundred 10yr Bonded – 1952-1962
This was a private bottling by Stitzel-Weller, presumably for the Berkeley Hundred plantation. It appears to be essentially a Very Xtra Old Fitzgerald with a custom brand label.
Photos courtesy of George Jianos.
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1962, berkeley hundred, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller
Tags: 1962, berkeley hundred, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller
Old Overholt Bonded Pennsylvania Rye, 8yr, 1/2 Pint, 1951-1962
Posted in Old Overholt
Tags: 1962, bottled in bond, national distillers, old overholt, pennsylvania, rye
Tags: 1962, bottled in bond, national distillers, old overholt, pennsylvania, rye
Very Old Fitzgerald 8yr, 1955-1963
Photos courtesy of Ted Doggett.
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1963, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1963, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Old Fitzgerald Bonded 6yr, Half Gallon, ~1963
This bottle unfortunately has a torn tax strip, so the distillation and bottling dates are missing. The bottom of the bottle is 1963 so a fill date of ~1963-1965 is estimated. The Stitzel-Weller branded swing is a unique accessory.
Very Old Fitzgerald Bonded, Export, Half Pint, 100pf 1956-1964
Photos courtesy of Jack Daniels Expert
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, export, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, export, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Xtra Old Fitzgerald 10yr, 4/5qt, 1954-1964
Photos courtesy of Brian Lovejoy
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 1952-1964
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Old Grand Dad Bonded Decanter w/Gift Box, 1959-1964
Posted in Old Grand Dad
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, gift box, national distillers, old grand dad
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, gift box, national distillers, old grand dad
Old Fitzgerald Prime 8yr, 86.6pf, “First Edition” Book Box, 1/2 pint ~1964
When Pappy was alive and running Stitzel-Weller he wouldn’t allow any bourbon to be bottled under 100 proof because he didn’t like shipping water around the country, despite many other companies releasing lower-proof editions. Once he died, however, the accountants won out and the Prime line was introduced as a lower-tier offering. This is the first edition, in a neat faux-book box.
Old Fitzgerald “Tree of Life” Bonded Decanter, 1958-1964
Photos courtesy of Darren McGowen
Posted in Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Tags: 1964, bottled in bond, bourbon, decanter, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Weller Special Reserve 8yr Bonded, 1956-1964
An excellent example of a bottle that is rarely seen these days. Photos courtesy of Eli Spitzner.
Wild Turkey 8yr, 4/5qt, New York, 1965
Wild Turkey 8 year, 101 proof was the staple of the line for decades. Unlike many brands, Wild Turkey kept the age statement and higher proof for a long time, which led to its perception of high quality. The ages started to drop in the 1990s, and the proofs have only recently started to go down.
Very Xtra Old Fitzgerald 10yr, 4/5qt, 1955-1965
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Old Fitzgerald 8yr, 1957-1965
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 14yr, 1951-1965
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 1953-1965
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1965, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 1954-1966
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1966, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1966, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
