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Photo libraries, in ascending order by bottling year
Old Rip Van Winkle 11yr 94.4pf, 4/5qt, 1978
Note that the bottle was manufactured in 1974 but not filled until 1978. This was common with older-generation Van Winkle bottles. Presumably they would place a large minimum order for bottles and it would take several years to sell through them.
Kentucky Bonded Bourbon, 4/5qt, 1959-1978
This was distilled by Willett, and although it’s marked as 16 year it was actually aged 19 years.
David Nicholson Bonded Triangle Decanter, 1970-1978
Stitzel-Weller often recycled decanter designs for use among their different brands. This one is interesting in that it was used for the David Nicholson brand, which was then owned by the Van Winkle and McClure families but produced and bottled by Stitzel-Weller.
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 1965-1978
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1978, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1978, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Old Fitzgerald Prime 86pf, 200ml – 6.8oz, late 1970s
Old Fitzgerald Prime 86 proof 200 ml – 6.8 fl.oz., circa late 1970’s. This bottle is sealed by a numbered red tax strip and stamp from the State of Wisconsin which establish the bottle as pre-July 1, 1985 or earlier. Dual-measure (standard/metric) date the bottle to the transition era, and absence of a UPC code more precisely date the bottle to 1980 or earlier. No apparent date reference can be found among the embossed text on the bottom of this bottle.
Old Rip Van Winkle 11yr 94.4pf, 1978
This bottle was distilled in 1967, before the sale of Stitzel Weller by the Van Winkle Family, and bottled in 1978 by Julian Van Winkle II.
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 1967-1979
Photos courtesy of Eli Spitzner
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1979, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1979, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Old Taylor Bonded, 500ml, 1971-1979
Note the sticker on the label intending to spin the change to metric as a postive. 5.6% larger than a pint!
Jim Beam 8yr Bonded Decanter, 1968-1979
We don’t usually post Beam decanters since there are so many and they’re well documented elsewhere, but this one is interesting in that it’s bottled in bond. Also of note, this is a perfect example of a glut-era bourbon, labeled as an 8 year product but aged for 11 years.
Photos courtesy of Steve C.
Wild Turkey 8yr, liter, 1979
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.
Old Fitzgerald Bonded, 750ml, 1974-1980
Posted in Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1980, 750ml, bottled in bond, bourbon, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Tags: 1980, 750ml, bottled in bond, bourbon, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 750ml, 1968-1980
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1980, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1980, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Berghoff 8yr Bonded Bourbon, 1969-1980
Although age stated at 8 years, this is actually 11 years old.
Posted in Miscellaneous, Old Rip Van Winkle
Tags: 1980, berghoff, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller
Tags: 1980, berghoff, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller
Wild Turkey 8yr, liter, 1980s
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.
Great Grand Dad 114pf, 750ml, ~1980
This bottle was most certainly the predecessor to the Old Grand Dad 114, though I had never seen it before. Although the bottle is stamped 77, I suspect this was from about 1980 due to the lack of UPC and both metric and ounces present.
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, 750ml, 1981
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1981, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1981, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Very Old Fitzgerald 8yr, 750ml ~1981
Photos courtesy of Alexander Chiu
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1981, bottled in bond, bourbon, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerad
Tags: 1981, bottled in bond, bourbon, old fitzgerald, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerad
Berghoff 14yr Bourbon, 90pf, 750ml ~1981
One of several special bottlings done for the Berghoff restraurant in Chicago. Some were bottled by Stitzel Weller, others by Van Winkle.
Eagle Rare 10/101, Lawrenceburg, 200ml Sample Bottle ~1982
Note the verbiage on the box indicating this was a “sampler,” and the unique numbering style on the tax strip.
Photos courtesy of Eric Washington
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12yr, ~1982
This bottle shows the plastic box that the Very Old Fitzgeralds were sold in starting in the 1970s.
Photos courtesy of Steve Pendergast.
Posted in Very Old Fitzgerald
Tags: 1982, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Tags: 1982, bottled in bond, bourbon, stitzel weller, very old fitzgerald
Wild Turkey 12yr “Beyond Duplication” 750ml, 1982
The 12 year is many people’s favorite in the Wild Turkey lineup. It started with the “Beyond Duplication” bottles in the early 1980s, which was replaced by the “cheesy gold foil” label bottle in the mid-80s, then the split-label in the mid-90s. The export market got the Beyond Duplication and gold foil labels longer than the US market. Finally, the export-only version persisted in a few markets. All are top quality pours.
The original US-version Beyond Duplication bottles had a tax strip like on this bottle. The later versions with a gold capsule top are exports, generally to Japan.
Old Rip Van Winkle 10yr 107pf Lawrenceburg, ~1983+
Although the bottle date says 1980, Van Winkle was bottled at Stitzel Weller in Louisville until 1983 when Julian bought the old Hoffman distillery and started bottling in Lawrenceburg.
Rebel Yell 86.8pf, 750ml, 1983
Rebel Yell was a Stitzel Weller brand that was marketed to the South. It was generally one of the lower-shelf brands offered, but can still be a very good find.
Old Rip Van Winkle 10yr 90pf, ~1983
This was a Japanese export bottle; the wooden box was made and added by the importer.
Photos courtesy of ‘The Old Barrelhouse’ Australia
Maker’s Mark Limited Edition Gold Wax 101pf, ~1984
This bottle differs from the “gold label” version in that the label is the standard paper and it doesn’t have the plastic “S IV” mark, although it is still a limited edition 101 proof version. It’s possible the back label has fallen off, as there’s no bar code, or perhaps it was sold without one at the gift shop.
Van Winkle Family Reserve 14yr, 90.4pf, 1984
Distilled 1970, bottled at Lawrenceburg in 1984. Two different batches are shown here.
Berghoff 14yr Bourbon, 90pf, 750ml ~1984
One of several special bottlings done for the Berghoff restraurant in Chicago. Some were bottled by Stitzel Weller, others by Van Winkle.
Rebel Yell 10yr, 101pf Decanter ~1985
This same bottle design (and same whiskey inside) seems to have been re-badged for virtually all of Stitzel-Weller’s brands in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, including Old Fitzgerald, Weller, and Rebel Yell. Decorative decanters were generally marketed around the holidays to be purchased as gifts.
Photos courtesy of Terry Traw
Weller 10yr 101pf Decanter, ~1985
This bottle appears to be the Weller-branded equivalent to this Old Fitzgerald decanter from a similar era.
Photos courtesy of Dirk Roberts.
Old Fitzgerald Prime 80pf, 200ml, 1986
Old Fitzgerald Prime 80 proof 200 ml, circa 1986. What appears to be an ’86’ embossed on the bottom of the glass dates the bottle to 1986 or shortly thereafter. This bottle is sealed by what appears to be a numbered red tax strip, which is curious given that the red stamp requirement on all non-bonded liquor was repealed by the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984. ‘Faux’ unnumbered tax strip paper was used to tamper-seal some bottles into the 1990’s – in the case of Old Fitzgerald, at least until 1993.
