{"product_id":"old-fitzegerald-1917-1929-pre-prohibition-bourbon","title":"Old Fitzegerald 1917-1929 - Pre-Prohibition Bourbon","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenuine pre-Prohibition era whiskey. Old Fitzgerald produced between 1917 and 1929 — distilled at the original Stitzel distillery in Louisville before the Volstead Act and the decade-long gap in American whiskey production it created. One of the rarest surviving examples of authentic American whiskey from this foundational era.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eProhibition ran from January 1920 to December 1933. The Volstead Act effectively ended commercial American whiskey production for over a decade, destroying most distillery infrastructure and consuming the vast majority of pre-Prohibition stocks through attrition, seizure, and the limited \"medicinal whiskey\" exemptions that allowed a handful of warehoused barrels to be sold under physician prescription. What survived is finite, unrepeatable, and diminishing with every passing year.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eOld Fitzgerald was produced by the Stitzel Distillery — the operation founded by the Stitzel family in Louisville that would later merge with W.L. Weller \u0026amp; Sons in 1933 to form the legendary Stitzel-Weller Distillery, which produced the Van Winkle family bourbons and Old Fitzgerald until 1992. This pre-Prohibition Old Fitzgerald predates even that merger — it is whiskey from the original Stitzel operation, before Prohibition, before Stitzel-Weller, before the modern bourbon era. The production equipment, the grain sourcing, the barrel-making practices, and the distillation methods of 1917–1929 have no modern equivalent.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003ch3\u003eHistorical Context\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cul\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eDistilled:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1917–1929 (pre-Prohibition and early Prohibition era)\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eProducer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Stitzel Distillery, Louisville, Kentucky\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eHistorical significance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pre-dates the Stitzel-Weller merger (1933) and the entire post-Prohibition bourbon era\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 750ml\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e  \u003cp\u003eBrowse all \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodencork.com\/collections\/bourbon\"\u003ebourbon at Wooden Cork\u003c\/a\u003e or explore our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodencork.com\/collections\/rare\"\u003erare spirits collection\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003ch3\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cul\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the significance of pre-Prohibition American whiskey?\u003c\/strong\u003e Prohibition (1920–1933) destroyed the vast majority of America's existing whiskey infrastructure and consumed nearly all pre-existing stocks. What survived did so through a combination of warehoused medical exemption stocks and private cellaring. Pre-Prohibition whiskey represents a completely different production era — different equipment, different grain varieties, different barrel practices — that cannot be replicated. Every surviving bottle from this era is one of a finite number that will never be replenished.\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eWhat was the original Stitzel Distillery?\u003c\/strong\u003e The Stitzel Distillery was founded by the Stitzel family in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1933 — the year Prohibition ended — it merged with W.L. Weller \u0026amp; Sons to form Stitzel-Weller, the legendary Louisville distillery that produced Pappy Van Winkle, Old Fitzgerald, W.L. Weller, and Rebel Yell until closing in 1992. This Old Fitzgerald predates even the Stitzel-Weller era — it is from the original pre-merger Stitzel operation.\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eHow is provenance verified for pre-Prohibition whiskey?\u003c\/strong\u003e Pre-Prohibition whiskey bottles are identified through original labels, tax stamps, bottle glass characteristics, and documented provenance chains. The original label, capsule, and tax strip information provide the primary authentication indicators.\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCan pre-Prohibition bourbon still be drunk?\u003c\/strong\u003e Properly stored whiskey does not go bad — the ethanol preserves the liquid essentially indefinitely. Pre-Prohibition bourbon in original sealed bottles from documented sources is fully drinkable, though most serious collectors treat surviving bottles as historical artifacts rather than consumables.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e  \u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e {   \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",   \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",   \"mainEntity\": [     { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is the significance of pre-Prohibition American whiskey?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of America's whiskey infrastructure and nearly all pre-existing stocks. Pre-Prohibition whiskey represents a completely different production era that cannot be replicated. Every surviving bottle is one of a finite number that will never be replenished.\" } },     { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What was the original Stitzel Distillery?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Founded by the Stitzel family in Louisville. In 1933 it merged with W.L. Weller \u0026 Sons to form Stitzel-Weller \\u2014 which produced Pappy Van Winkle and Old Fitzgerald until 1992. This Old Fitzgerald predates even the Stitzel-Weller era.\" } },     { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How is provenance verified for pre-Prohibition whiskey?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Original labels, tax stamps, bottle glass characteristics, and documented provenance chains provide the primary authentication indicators.\" } },     { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Can pre-Prohibition bourbon still be drunk?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Properly stored whiskey does not go bad \\u2014 ethanol preserves the liquid essentially indefinitely. Most serious collectors treat surviving bottles as historical artifacts rather than consumables.\" } }   ] } \u003c\/script\u003e","brand":"Old Fitzgerald","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42900686471239,"sku":"old-fitz-1917-1929","price":19999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/0640\/2375\/files\/IMG_2007BackgroundRemoved.png?v=1782409325","url":"https:\/\/bourbonnest.com\/products\/old-fitzegerald-1917-1929-pre-prohibition-bourbon","provider":"Bourbon Nest","version":"1.0","type":"link"}