Photo libraries, in ascending order by bottling year

This bottle was very likely distilled during the very first year (or 1.5 years) after Stitzel Weller opened on Derby Day, May 5, 1935. It does not have a foil wrapper under the tax strip similar to most of the early Stitzel Weller bottlings. This bottle is taller and thinner than the years that came after. It is an Extremely Rare bottle, and thought to be one of less than 10 still in existence. This bottle is a beautiful marker of history when Julian Van Winkle Sr, Alex Farnsley, and A. Ph Stitzel joined forces to resurrect and build a brand that would change the bourbon world by producing it at a new world class facility.

Photos and commentary courtesy of Bourbon Benevolence.

Very similar bottle used by Stitzel Weller for the WL Weller SR line for 20+ years. Since Stitzel Weller opened in 1935, this was whiskey from only their fifth year of production making it very rare. Much of the popularity of Stitzel Weller seems to have come from the Old Fitzgerald brands that didn’t start until 1941 (and didn’t gain mass popularity until several years later). Anything bottled in these first six or seven years of production is extremely rare.

Photos and commentary courtesy of Bourbon Benevolence.

Photos courtesy of Bourbon Benevolence.

An excellent example of a bottle that is rarely seen these days. Photos courtesy of Eli Spitzner.