Larceny and Old Fitzgerald

Type: Brand made at a named distillery

A diamond decanter and a skeleton key tell two sides of this bourbon story. Old Fitzgerald’s decanter arrived in 1951; Larceny launched in 2012 with a key and a name drawn from the disputed tale of John E. Fitzgerald. Behind both Heaven Hill brands is the wheated distillate known inside the company as “O.F.D.”, short for Old Fitzgerald Distillate. One carries the older name and decanter tradition; the other gives that shared production heritage a separate identity.[1][3][5]

What Larceny and Old Fitzgerald are known for

The strongest link between these brands is the whiskey itself. Heaven Hill calls its wheated mash bill O.F.D.; for Larceny Barrel Proof, the published recipe is 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley. The mash bill is simply the grain recipe used to make the whiskey.[5]

Shared distillate does not mean identical flavour. Whiskey writer Chuck Cowdery reports that Larceny uses the same distillate as Old Fitzgerald but has a different flavour profile. The production connection is clear; the brands and their individual expressions still have their own identities.[10]

Their presentation makes that distinction visible. Old Fitzgerald is particularly associated with its diamond decanter and “Your Key to Hospitality” slogan. Larceny uses a skeleton key and a name tied to the Fitzgerald barrel story. In one, the key promises a welcome; in the other, it suggests illicit access.[1][2][3]

For the wider producer story, see Heaven Hill. The story here follows the two names together: how their histories diverged, where their production connects and how to distinguish the expressions bottled today.

From Herbst to Heaven Hill

Old Fitzgerald’s history unfolds through several distinct milestones. Heaven Hill traces its commercial roots to S.C. Herbst, who established the Old Judge Distillery Company in 1867. The JNO. E. Fitzgerald trademark first appeared in the 1870s; the Old Fitzgerald name was registered in 1884, and the whiskey was on the market in 1889. Each date marks a different step in the brand’s development.[1][12]

The producer’s account records a Herbst bottling-in-bond plant in 1904, along with exports to Italy, Germany, France and England. During Prohibition, Old Fitzgerald was among the whiskeys permitted for medicinal sale. That documented medicinal trade belongs to the brand’s history, not to any present-day health claim.[1][2][12]

W.L. Weller bought the Old Fitzgerald name rights from Herbst. After W.L. Weller merged with A. Ph. Stitzel in 1933, the Stitzel-Weller Distillery at Shively began making Old Fitzgerald in 1935. Whisky Magazine places the opening on Derby Day that year and names Will McGill as the first distiller.[1][9]

Stitzel-Weller belongs to Old Fitzgerald’s production history; Bernheim is the later connection. That distinction matters when following a name across different eras: the historic Stitzel-Weller association does not place present production there. For more of that older network, continue with Pappy Van Winkle and W.L. Weller.[1][9]

The Fitzgerald story and its disputed identity

Who was John E. Fitzgerald? The accounts disagree on the central point: his occupation. Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald history calls him a US Treasury “gauger” who inspected distillery inventories and states that he “wasn’t a distiller at all”. Yet its 2012 Larceny announcement repeated “industry lore” that he founded a distillery in Frankfort. Tasting Table offers another version, describing him as a master distiller who obtained a spare key.[1][3][11]

Story box

story_title: The man behind the key

founding_story: According to the producer, S.C. Herbst established the Old Judge Distillery Company in 1867. The JNO. E. Fitzgerald trademark appeared in the 1870s, and the Old Fitzgerald name was registered in 1884. Producer history, producer retrospective.

turning_point: Heaven Hill bought Bernheim and Old Fitzgerald on 28 April 1999, bringing the brand into its present producer’s history. Producer timeline.

legend_or_tradition:

• claim: John E. Fitzgerald was a distiller who founded a distillery in Frankfort.
• verdict: Disputed.
• what_the_record_shows: The producer’s history identifies him as a Treasury gauger and describes “Fitzgerald barrels” as his favoured casks.
• evidence_against_or_gap: The producer’s 2012 launch announcement presents the distillery-founder version as industry lore; its history expressly rejects his being a distiller.
• earliest_known_source: Not reliably established. The Larceny launch announcement records the founder version as industry lore on 26 July 2012.
• sources: 2012 launch announcement; producer history.
• last_checked: The specific day is not reliably established; the sheet records November 2026.

documented_record: The sheet records Fitzgerald’s Treasury-gauger role as Documented, based on the producer’s account; the competing accounts of his occupation remain Disputed. Producer history.

claim_source_mapping: Trademark chronology maps to the producer history and retrospective; the acquisition maps to the company timeline; the conflicting occupational claims map to the launch announcement and producer history.

last_checked: The specific day is not reliably established; the sheet records November 2026.

Larceny at launch and today

Larceny’s launch announcement offered a precise picture of barrel selection. Announced on 26 July 2012 and launched that September in 12 markets, it credited Parker Beam and Craig Beam with choosing barrels aged six to 12 years. Those barrels came from the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of Nelson County warehouses, assembled in dumps of 100 barrels or fewer.[3]

The Larceny age account is Disputed. That launch description gives a barrel age range of six to 12 years; Heaven Hill’s current page instead describes a six year old taste profile. The historical selection details should not be read as the current age range.[3][4]

Standard Larceny is bottled at 46% ABV (92 US proof). Its original pinched-waist flask carried a skeleton key and the phrase “a taste made famous by an infamous act”. New packaging announced in July 2024 added another layer to that storytelling: a legend printed in UV ink on the label.[3][4][7]

Larceny Barrel Proof has a separate, published specification. It is six to eight years old and non-chill filtered, with three releases a year in January, May and September. These are Barrel Proof’s particulars, not specifications for the whole Larceny range.[5]

Larceny is a Heaven Hill brand, not a Pappy Van Winkle whiskey. Launched in 2012, it draws on the O.F.D. production connection. Old Fitzgerald’s historical links to the Van Winkle story explain part of the background, but do not change the identity of the whiskey carrying the Larceny name.[3][5]

Old Fitzgerald’s decanter tradition

The diamond decanter has been part of Old Fitzgerald’s identity since 1951, according to the producer’s history. In 2018, the Bottled in Bond Decanter Series carried that tradition into a new series, opening with an 11-year-old edition. Heaven Hill describes green labels for spring-distilled editions and black labels for fall-distilled editions.[1][12]

A separate, year-round expression followed in 2025: Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Old Bottled in Bond. The producer specifies 50% ABV (100 US proof), Level 3 char and a neck label identifying the spring or fall distilling season. The presentation revives both the diamond decanter and the “Your Key to Hospitality” slogan.[6][12]

Read the full name and age statement to distinguish these releases. The seven-year expression is separate from the Decanter Series: the series began in 2018, while the year-round introduction came in 2025. “Old Fitzgerald” supplies the shared brand name; the expression and age statement tell the reader which whiskey is under discussion.[6][12]

Where to go next

• Heaven Hill: Evan Williams and Elijah Craig: follow the producer behind both brands.
• W.L. Weller: explore another name in Old Fitzgerald’s historical connections.
• Pappy Van Winkle: follow the Van Winkle branch of the story.

Sources

1. Heaven Hill Distillery. Old Fitzgerald History. Producer’s account, undated web history, checked November 2026. https://heavenhilldistillery.com/oldfitzgerald-history.php
2. Old Fitzgerald. Our Story. Producer’s account, undated web page, checked November 2026. https://oldfitzgeraldbourbon.com/our-story.php
3. Heaven Hill. Heaven Hill Distilleries Announces the Launch of Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Producer’s announcement, 26 July 2012. https://heavenhill.com/news-and-notes/heaven-hill-distilleries-announces-the-launch-of-larceny-kentucky-straight-bourbon-whiskey/
4. Heaven Hill Distillery. Larceny Bourbon. Producer’s account, undated product page, checked November 2026. https://heavenhilldistillery.com/larceny-bourbon.php
5. Heaven Hill Distillery. Larceny Barrel Proof. Producer’s account, undated product page, checked November 2026. https://heavenhilldistillery.com/larceny-barrel-proof.php
6. Heaven Hill. Your Key to Hospitality: Old Fitzgerald Bourbon Unveils 7-Year-Old Bottled-in-Bond. Producer’s announcement, 2025. https://heavenhill.com/news-and-notes/your-key-to-hospitality-old-fitzgerald-bourbon-unveils-7-year-old-bottled-in-bond/
7. Heaven Hill. Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Launches New Packaging, Seize Tonight Campaign. Producer’s announcement, July 2024. https://heavenhill.com/news-and-notes/larceny-kentucky-straight-bourbon-whiskey-launches-new-packaging-seize-tonight-campaign/
8. Heaven Hill. Through the Years. Producer’s company timeline, checked November 2026. https://heavenhill.com/through-the-years/
9. Whisky Magazine. A Short History of Stitzel-Weller. Trade history, checked November 2026. https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/short-history-of-stitzel-weller/
10. Chuck Cowdery, The Whiskey Wash. That Old Story About Pappy, Maker’s Mark and Old Fitzgerald. Trade commentary, checked November 2026. https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/that-old-story-about-pappy-makers-mark-and-old-fitzgerald/
11. Tasting Table. History of Larceny Bourbon. Trade account, checked November 2026. https://www.tastingtable.com/1570833/history-larceny-bourbon/
12. Heaven Hill. Old Fitzgerald: A Legacy That Never Goes Out of Style. Producer’s retrospective, checked November 2026. https://heavenhill.com/news-and-notes/old-fitzgerald-a-legacy-that-never-goes-out-of-style/

This desk-researched article uses the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing producer histories from trade accounts and retaining its disputed-story classification.

Last checked: November 2026