Barleywine ale aged in Old Fitzgerald bourbon barrels for two years.

After 5 years away, we couldn’t think of a better way to welcome our Barleywine back into the Bourbon County Brand family than with a 2-year reserve. We were fortunate to be able to age this year’s expression in three exceptional sets of barrels from varying releases of the Old Fitzgerald’s Bottled In -Bond Decanter Series: 14, 16 and 17-year-old barrels. These exclusive barrels and the subtle nature within them further showcase the complexities found in our barleywine—a tapestry woven of rich malt, entwined with notes of toffee, vanilla and warming spices.

John E. Fitzgerald was a bonded US Treasury agent who had access to the rickhouses where bourbon barrels were aged. Using his keys, Fitzgerald let himself into the rickhouses, thieve bourbon from the best barrels, and take jugs home for himself—thus committing larceny. When it came time to dump the barrels, some were found to be unusually light and exceptionally smooth. These barrels became known as “Fitzgerald barrels.” Registered in 1884, and later sold to “Pappy” Van Winkle, the historic Old Fitzgerald brand carried on the legacy.

Today, john E. Fitzgerald lives on in award-winning bourbons: Larceny Small
Batch, Larceny Barrel Proof, and the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter Series. Unlike other bourbons, these are made with wheat, resulting in a smooth profile that showcases extraordinary distilling pedigree at work.

For this Reserve, we worked with our friends at Old Fitzgerald to obtain three exceptional sets of barrels of varying ages from the distillery's Old Fitzgerald’s Bottled-In-Bond Decanter Series. This Reserve offers us a rare opportunity to highlight the distinct characteristics of our rich Barleywine aged in 14-year, 16-year, and 17-year-old barrels of an amazing bourbon pedigree. Bringing back our classic English-style Barleywine for the first time since 2018, we knew this was going to be something special. Our Two-Year Barleywine Reserve evokes the rich intricacies from that of Old Fitzgerald’s Bottled-In-Bond Series for a velvety taste of rich malt, entwined with notes of toffee, cherry, vanilla, fig, and almond.