The Story
8 years. Stitzel-Weller production. Old Fitzgerald 1849 — from the original Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Shively, Kentucky, the production home of the Pappy Van Winkle era and one of the most historically significant American whiskey sites of the 20th century.
The Stitzel-Weller Distillery was built by Pappy Van Winkle in 1935 following Prohibition's repeal and operated under Van Winkle family ownership until 1972. It was home to Old Fitzgerald, W.L. Weller, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still — all wheated bourbons produced from the same distinctive wheated mashbill that Pappy Van Winkle championed. After the Van Winkle family sold the distillery, production continued under subsequent ownership before the distillery closed in 1992. Heaven Hill later acquired the Old Fitzgerald brand and revived it under their own production.
This bottle predates that transition — produced at the original Stitzel-Weller facility, it is a document of the Van Winkle-era wheated bourbon tradition at its source.
Specs
- Distillery: Stitzel-Weller Distillery, Shively, Kentucky
- Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Wheated
- Age: 8 years
- Production era: Stitzel-Weller (pre-Heaven Hill)
- Size: 750ml
Browse all bourbon at Wooden Cork or all rare spirits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes Stitzel-Weller production historically significant? Stitzel-Weller was Pappy Van Winkle's distillery, built in 1935 and home to Old Fitzgerald, W.L. Weller, and Cabin Still — all wheated bourbons. The wheated mashbill tradition Pappy championed there is directly ancestral to the Van Winkle bourbons that command the highest premiums in American whiskey today.
- Is the Stitzel-Weller Old Fitzgerald 1849 8 Year still available? Yes — available now.
Description
8 years. Stitzel-Weller production. Old Fitzgerald 1849 — from the original Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Shively, Kentucky, the production home of the Pappy Van Winkle era and one of the most historically significant American whiskey sites of the 20th century.
The Stitzel-Weller Distillery was built by Pappy Van Winkle in 1935 following Prohibition's repeal and operated under Van Winkle family ownership until 1972. It was home to Old Fitzgerald, W.L. Weller, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still — all wheated bourbons produced from the same distinctive wheated mashbill that Pappy Van Winkle championed. After the Van Winkle family sold the distillery, production continued under subsequent ownership before the distillery closed in 1992. Heaven Hill later acquired the Old Fitzgerald brand and revived it under their own production.
This bottle predates that transition — produced at the original Stitzel-Weller facility, it is a document of the Van Winkle-era wheated bourbon tradition at its source.
Specs
- Distillery: Stitzel-Weller Distillery, Shively, Kentucky
- Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Wheated
- Age: 8 years
- Production era: Stitzel-Weller (pre-Heaven Hill)
- Size: 750ml
Browse all bourbon at Wooden Cork or all rare spirits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes Stitzel-Weller production historically significant? Stitzel-Weller was Pappy Van Winkle's distillery, built in 1935 and home to Old Fitzgerald, W.L. Weller, and Cabin Still — all wheated bourbons. The wheated mashbill tradition Pappy championed there is directly ancestral to the Van Winkle bourbons that command the highest premiums in American whiskey today.
- Is the Stitzel-Weller Old Fitzgerald 1849 8 Year still available? Yes — available now.
