The first sip pops with a kiss of saccharine sweetness that quickly fades and gives way to light baking spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and — surprisingly — saffron. The midpalate builds with subsequent sips, culminating in gradually more intense baked green apple, which maintains some tartness.

At first, this Old Fitzgerald isn’t terribly complex on the palate, but the notes it carries stay true to form. But a few more sips bring additional lightness and unexpected flavors, specifically whipped cream and lime zest (which sounds fantastic on top of that baked green apple pie).

Again, it’s clear from the palate we’re sampling a bourbon on the youngest end of the Old Fitzgerald spectrum. The mouthfeel is medium to thin, and the oak influence isn’t particularly strong. Yet there’s a luster here that, for my money, is certainly more appealing than the 10-year Old Fitzgerald expression from earlier in 2023. Compared to that release, this eight-year version also shows more harmony between the nose and palate; what you smell and what you taste are simply more in sync.