Stitzel Weller

Stitzel-Weller is a historic Louisville, Kentucky distillery founded by Pappy Van Winkle that operated from 1935 until its closure in 1992, producing wheated bourbon - substituting wheat for rye in the mashbill - that became the definitive expression of the style. The distillery's output centered on two flagship families: Old Fitzgerald, a bottled-in-bond and high-proof line represented here by bottlings from 1955 and 1959, and W.L. Weller, a softer, lower-proof expression found in the paper-label 7 Year releases from 1978. Age and proof differentiate entries sharply, with the Very Xtra Old Fitzgerald 1955 10 Year representing mature, cellar-rested production while the Old Fitzgerald Prime 6 Year offers a leaner, earlier iteration of the same wheated character.