Bourbon Reviews:
| Bottling Name | Old Grand Dad | | Bottled By | James B. Beam Distilling Co. Clermont,KY | | Type | Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey | | Alcohol content | 114 Proof | | Availability | US: Available Japan: Unknown Duty Free: Not Available Europe: Unknown | | Mashbill Info | High Rye | | Views (since 20080612) | 64196 | | Bottling Info | |
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Review from MikeG (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 2164, Created:20130310124428) | Purchased at: | Spec's | | Purchased for: | $22.73 / 750ml | | Nose: | | | Taste: | | | Finish: | | | Overall: | Yesterday I picked this up along with Four Roses Single Barrel for $35.99 / 750ml, Noah's Mill 15y 114 for $48.99 / 750ml and Balcones True Blue 122 at $64.99 / 750ml. I haven't opened the Balcones yet, but the Old Grand Dad 114 seems to me to be as good as or better than the Four Roses , the Noah's Mill and my Woodford Reserve. This was the only bottle left on the shelf yesterday. Seems like maybe other folks are finding this to be a superb bargain. I believe I may replace my WR standard with this if I can find enough of it. |
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Review from Chipblood (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1701, Created:20090926141714, Updated:20091207175105) | Purchased at: | Spec's Liquor | | Purchased for: | 21.99 | | Info on this bottle: | Lot 1 | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Sweet, Woody, Light hay scent...some spice | | Taste: | Sugar, Rye, Heavy wood tones...More hay in the flavor. This bourbon has a deeper flavor that keeps me coming back to the glass... | | Finish: | Nice warm finish that lingers for about 10 seconds...A short finish for this proof...Distinguishable grains with slight rye hints... | | Overall: | I really enjoyed this for such an inexpensive bottle. It's not very complex but it really stands out from other inexpensive bourbons. With three nice sized ice cubes this came alive after a few minutes and I'm very pleased with it. If you're on a budget pick this one up...Take it for the proof at least...(I had to come back to this review a few months later to add that this has become my favorite bourbon. It's inexpensive and still satisfying. I love this stuff...) |
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Review from TBoner (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1626, Created:20090711221218) | Purchased at: | Dallas, TX | | Purchased for: | $21 | | Info on this bottle: | Standard current Beam-produced bottling | | Nose: | Leather, cracked grains, dash of vanilla, vague candy sweetness | | Taste: | Candy sweetness gets specific: candy corn. Gives way quickly, though, to a bit of orange and a pepper-and-wood thwack. Rounded out by vanilla and light leather, with a bit of Burley pipe tobacco along for the ride. Big, bold flavor. | | Finish: | Heat lingers, and a bit of sweetness. A whipcrack, and then the long last lingering lashing of leather. | | Overall: | Not as good as the old ND product. Some days, it hits me just right and I must pour more. Other days, it is just good. I always enjoy it, but the ND OGD 114 was transcendent stuff. What's missing? Fruit, mostly, and a stronger candy corn note. Still one of the best values in the market, though. |
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Review from azoth_melusina (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1376, Created:20081201175829, Updated:20081201180414) View discussion on this review.
| Purchased at: | Yetter's (Claymont, DE) | | Purchased for: | 20.99 | | Info on this bottle: | the eternal 'Lot No.1' | | Nose: | spicey orange-berry tobacco | | Taste: | red hots and butterscotch; rye-ish rye-ishness...! | | Finish: | delightful high burn that is more of a horseradish hot rather than a jalapeno hot...no sense of wood or oak like i get from alot of other pours...almighty hot, but not too much so...this is sacred heat | | Overall: | this is fresh from the bottle...i want to come back and see how it mellows...all these finer bourbons change for the better (often) after sitting awhile...this is already too yummy, but i hope i can save enough to revisit! this is only my second bottle in a month-plus...after plowing through a few other varieties, this is a really unique mashbill. maybe my map is small, but i've had little that compares...maybe the newer Michter's Bourbon, but this and OGDBIB are the real thing and stand out like nothing else. one last sip....damn, who sprinkled cayenne on my butterscotch candy? i want to shake your hand! |
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Review from BuffaloBill (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1355, Created:20081117115953, Updated:20090517205736) View discussion on this review.
| Purchased at: | Cape Cod, MA | | Purchased for: | $24 | | Info on this bottle: | Old Grad Dad Lot A | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | The most vanilla I've ever experienced upon opening a bottle of bourbon. As in French Vanilla ice cream... balanced with good oak. | | Taste: | Wow... and more vanilla and oak. Smooth, rich, round, and a lovely bourbon. Commands your attention. Good heat. Almost dessert-like. | | Finish: | Lingers into the minutes sparking the palette throughout. | | Overall: | Impressive quality. I'll buy it again. The best Old Grand Dad ever produced. BB |
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Review from spun_cookie (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1144, Created:20080614022314) | Purchased at: | Gregs new OGD 114 | | Nose: | Same old rye, off nose to me | | Taste: | there is a lot of metallic taste to me in this. | | Finish: | Sweet rye and metal | | Overall: | I just do not care for this. The old version was great. Wonderful balance, the new version lacks character. I do not think that this is watered down to make Basil Hayden - Basil Tastes too good to come from this swill |
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Review from bourbonguyjapan (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 969, Created:20080109020156) | Purchased at: | Handa, Japan | | Purchased for: | 30/$27 | | Info on this bottle: | back label obsturacted by Japanese white label | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Isopropyl alcohol | | Taste: | Citrus, caramel, spicy. | | Finish: | A bit dry, a little fierce. | | Overall: | A good alternative to Booker's. Interesting. Not an everyday bourbon, but something to remember the moment by.
I liked it! |
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Review from spun_cookie (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 910, Created:20071118170217) | Purchased at: | Online Wally's Wine | | Purchased for: | 18 | | Info on this bottle: | On sale online... | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Rocks:
Light cherries on oak. Slight caramel and some citrus on the end of the nose. Some spice as the ice melts a little -
| | Taste: | Rocks:
Strong up front with the alcohol. Need to let the ice melt a little more to tame the strength. Oak, spice, a little ponderosa pine like vanilla (woody vanilla).
| | Finish: | 0-15 seconds gives a sharp alcohol transition and then heavy oak. After the ice has melted some I get a leather and tobacco hit....
15-30 seconds oak is he predominate flavor, but the woody vanilla begins to appear. Very interesting transition from the oak to a sort of pine (ponderosa pine) vanilla... after the ice has melted it is ore leather and oak, with little to no vanilla
30-45 seconds my mouth still feels of oak and alcohol... almost a second coming of the oak as it pushes the vanilla back aside ... after the ice has melted some I get more leather and tobacco.... but the oak is still there, just not as strong this time
45-60 seconds I can now taste some leather ... the melting of the ice has accelerated the flavor transitions leaving the second time through with softer finishing than the first.
| | Overall: | Strong and definitely needs to have a splash of water of some ice. For the price, I will take it over the Booker everyday of the week. It tastes better, finishes better and cost under half.
I will have to come back to this on another night. The pizza I had 30 min ago may be toying with my tastes (bacon, pepperoni, and mushroom)
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Review from whiskeyhatch (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 852, Created:20071011190254, Updated:20071206203138) | Purchased at: | Majestic Fine Wine & Spirits | | Purchased for: | Can't Remember | | Info on this bottle: | Lot No. 1 (Standard bottling) | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Tingly but soft, honeyed and yeasty with a bit of dried orange peel. | | Taste: | Spicy and grainy. Not much sweetness. Easy, pleasant and steady burn. Solid mouthfeel with a very good balance of corn and oak. Adding water brings out a very nice char flavor in mid-palate. | | Finish: | A long, spicy/buttery-grain finish that brightens the mouth with a warm, happy aftershave-like tingle. With water, the char crescendos before it relaxes giving a nice and fairly long finish. | | Overall: | Seems almost too elegant to be a standard everyday but this bourbon has some wonderful qualities that make it one of my benchmarks, and one of my all time favorites. |
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Review from Mike (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 766, Created:20070509185704, Updated:20090928114419) | Purchased at: | Sigman Bottle Shop, Conyers, GA | | Purchased for: | $22 | | Nose: | Corn, leather, citrus fruit, oak wood, pecans, all come together in a wonderous aromatic symphony. Very well coordinated, complex, interesting, just a magnificant nose. P.S. I put a splash of water in to tame the alcohol a wee bit, something I suggest you do too. -- A rich and complex nose with lots of layers. The predominant character in this little play is the corn, but he no more than starts to strut before the other players demand their time. Out comes the rye spiciness, the vanilla, the citrus, the wild flowers, the clover, the oak, the leather, and lastly, a bit of brown sugar. A nice nose indeed....... rich, interesting, complex. | | Taste: | An upfront sweetness that lulls you into complacency before...........Zowee! The spice screams in at mid-palate and heats up your mouth with a zesty zing that will liven things up for a while yet. If you had any cooties in yo mouth, don't fret........they dead now, OGD 114 done stomped 'em good. Yo mouth is clean and refreshed with the remnants of some creamy sweetness. | | Finish: | A long lasting finish to top off a tip-top bourbon. -- The finish is long, with the spicy components and the alcohol waltzing down the throat into the gullet. Still lingering at the front of the mouth is the creamy citrus sweetness that started the action. | | Overall: | Old Grand Dad 114 is not delicate and not refined, but give him a splash of water and he will tell a wonderful story. He has been there, seen it all, lived through it, come out on the other side and is still standing. It is my opinion that anyone who says they know and love bourbon who doesn't give OGD(s) his due is sadly mistaken...........ladies and gentlemen, we are talking Bourbon 101 here, this fellow belongs in every bourbon lovers cabinet. It is elemental and a suitable replacement for the defunct Russel's Reserve 101, just add a touch of water to tame OGD's temper a bit. Say Amen, bourbon brothers and sisters!! |
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Review from kystraightbourbon (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 667, Created:20061206184939) View discussion on this review.
| Purchased at: | Red Wagon Wine Shoppe | | Purchased for: | $24 | | Info on this bottle: | Lot 1 | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Rye, leather, vanilla, and oak. A hint of stale tobacco smoke and maple syrup. | | Taste: | Sweet and spicy. Caramelized sugar and oak char. Some bitterness around the edges. | | Finish: | Impressive and long-lasting warmth. Still sweet with that bitter oak char undercurrent. | | Overall: | Great bourbon for a cold winter's night. Always a favorite. I will buy this in favor of Knob Creek. |
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Review from Mike (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 595, Created:20060926123636, Updated:20061002135611) | Purchased at: | Sigman Bottle Shop, Conyers, GA | | Purchased for: | $22 | | Nose: | Give OGD 114 time in the glass to open up and he will oblige you. He morphs with glass aging. He gives up some alcohol vapor and offers corn, vanilla, leather, caramel, clover, rye, dried peaches, orange, nuts, and some organics. He boldly proclaims his bourbon ancestry and struts like the bourbon veteran he is. | | Taste: | He gives nothing away promised by his aroma. If this Grand Dad has reached his dotage, no one told him, cause he still thinks he is the cock of the walk. And, by golly, I must give him his due, he can still shoot straight! He is gentle in his sweetness, robust in his spiciness, and assertive in his alcohol endgame. This Old Grand Dad packs a punch. | | Finish: | Don't look back, OGD is gaining on you, he has a jab that, while it doesn't come out of nowhere, is still potent. He stays around cause he ain't ready for 'lights out', but mess with him and he will put yo 'lights out'! | | Overall: | OGD 114 has backbone, character, interesting tastes and aromas, and offers his own brand of 'bourbon-ness'. No respectable bourbon bar should be without him or his brother, OGD Bottled in Bond (100 proof). IMO they both deserve a prominent place in the 'Bourbon Portrait'. I like 'em all both!! |
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Review from MikeK (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 512, Created:20060522165225) | Purchased at: | Federal Wine and Spirits, Boston MA | | Purchased for: | $25.00 | | Nose: | Sweet and smooth with lots of rye. Little or no alcohol burn for the proof. Vanilla, cotton candy, root beer, grass. | | Taste: | Sweet and smooth, without much caramel. Good rich body. Surprisingly smooth and light for 114 proof, but if I may contradict myself, with a ton of flavor as well. A real enigma. Root beer, juicy fruit, cocoa powder, banana, circus peanuts candy, buttery smooth and rich. | | Finish: | Medium to long finish. Very subtle sweetness with a touch of tannin. | | Overall: | |
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Review from bourbonv (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 432, Created:20060318084138) | Purchased at: | Bourbon's Bistro Bar | | Purchased for: | 6.00 | | Info on this bottle: | Standard Bottle | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Rich citrus fruits - orange peel and apricots, with caramel and spice - nutmeg and allspice, with oak wood. | | Taste: | Fruity and spicy - Apricots and orange peel with oak smoke and fine leather. | | Finish: | Long and sweet with spice and oak. | | Overall: | Very nice neat. |
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Review from Squire (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 242, Created:20050811183144) | Purchased at: | Jackson, MS | | Purchased for: | $15.59 | | Info on this bottle: | recent exprssion | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Alcohol first followed by rye, a sturdy scent that is of itself a whole, barrel present but rye dominat. Rye in the sense of a fully developed fruit yet wholly a grain. Vanilla evident yet subdued, prehaps some barrel in the background but covered by the alcohol. | | Taste: | Hot if taken straight. Enought to cover taste sensations and numb the palate. Reduced by an equal amount of water still too strong to taste. Reduced two to one with water the whiskey grows into a good dram that reveals a very full body displaying honey, char and a very rich flavor | | Finish: | Very short, this whiskey gives its best up front and in the midpalate where its marvelous flavor shines forth. | | Overall: | The Granddad whiskies are broad shouldered and this is the brawniness of the bunch. An excellent whiskey by any standard. I plan to cellar some while its still available before the current makers realize they'll make more money by lowering the proof and slaping on a fancier label. |
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Review from abcgroup (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 229, Created:20050729154500) | Purchased at: | Minks (Marietta, GA) | | Purchased for: | $21.99 | | Info on this bottle: | Lot No. 1 | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | At first, this just gave off a fierce alchohol odor. Nose above the glass though the second time around the it was sweet caramel with lots of spice. | | Taste: | Nice and spicey. I agree with bouronv, the burn is slight on this one, for a 114 proof. It settles in after a minute, from the throat. This is sweet but dry. | | Finish: | The oak becomes most apparent at the finish. The spice really opens up in the finish too. This is spicey but not in the vein of Knob Creek or Bulleit. | | Overall: | This is worth every bit of 21.99. It's great b/c a lot people write this off as a low rent bourbon, which it is from an economic standpoint, but it stands out on the quality factor, especially for the price. Don't be intimidated by the 114 proof. It's not too much, it's just right. |
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Review from bourbonv (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 147) | Purchased at: | Farnsley-Kaufamn House Auction | | Info on this bottle: | Autographed by Jerry Dalton, 2003 | | Proof Of this Bottle: | 114 | | Nose: | Fine leather and tobacco with some vanilla and spice - nutmeg. | | Taste: | Sweet caramel apple with lots of spice - nutmeg and cinnamon with a little oak on the end. Even at 114 proof, there is no real alcohol burn, but enough heat to cause the tongue to tingle. | | Finish: | Sweet caramel and oak lingering into an nice wood dryness. | | Overall: | A great product for an after dinner drink to cleanse the palate. Would go well with a fine cigar - something with a dark wrapper and smooth to counter the Old Grand Dad's spices. |
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