Review: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 11 Years Old VVS 2025

Old Fitzgerald’s VVS (Very Very Special) bonded bourbon series gets its fourth release to date with 2025’s new offering: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 11-Year-Old VVS 2025 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Like all Old Fitzgerald releases, the VVS offerings are wheated bourbon (68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley) released under the rules of the Bottled-in-Bond Act, but these are chosen by Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll for their particularly rich and enticing flavor profile. VVS releases are easily spotted thanks to their maroon labels, in contrast to the green labels used on the seasonal releases that Heaven Hill puts out in its Decanter Series twice each year.

At 11 years of age, this is the youngest of the four VVS offerings to hit the shelves to date. O’Driscoll says it’s perfect this way, though, so let’s dive in and check his math.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 11 Years Old VVS 2025 Review

O’Driscoll may just be right. This is a dazzling little whiskey that is full of excitement from the jump. The nose cues you in immediately: Aromas of sweetened cinnamon toast fill the glass, gently balanced by some barrel char, a little anise, and cigar box. It definitely feels like a much different animal than last year’s VVS release — clearly quite a bit sweeter — with its spice cabinet aromatics wholly dominant, almost overwhelming.

The palate takes all that and runs with it. The body is quite buttery, gently browned, with layers of cinnamon and nutmeg providing an almost confectionary quality with tons of brown sugar dissolved into the mix. The whiskey develops further from there, the spice tempering just a bit to make room for notes of fresh orange peel, giving the whiskey a bit of a bottled Old Fashioned vibe. Those bold brown butter notes never give up though, and the whole affair quickly slides into an unctuous, silky quality that feels like a decadent dessert, with finishing flavors finally propping up notes of banana, coconut cream, and milk chocolate. Nothing here ever feels out of place.

As an avowed lover of sweeter bourbons, VVS 2025 immediately stands out as not just one of the best Old Fitz releases in recent memory, but one of the best bourbons I’ve tasted to date this year. I shudder to think what this is going to cost you in the “real world,” but at the MSRP of $170 it’s a solid buy.

100 proof.

A / $170

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