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Old Grand Dad 114

Back in my day !!!

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@OdysseusUnboundReview by @OdysseusUnbound

15th Dec 2017

0

Old Grand Dad 114
  • Nose
    23
  • Taste
    22
  • Finish
    21
  • Balance
    21
  • Overall
    87

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

This is a review of a sample generously provided to me by @Nozinan

The bottle was opened Nov 8/2017 and the sample was poured the same day.

Coming to Connosr has been an amazing journey of discovery for me. I’ve always liked bourbon/American Whiskey, but I used to rotate between Jim Beam White Label, Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 and Bulleit without really giving it much thought. Times have changed. I don’t know anything about OGD 114 other than the fact that @Nozinan told me to try it and gifted me a sample. So this is about as close to a blind tasting as it gets for me.

  • Nose (undiluted): very fruity at first, cherry blossoms, a bit of vanilla and brown sugar (though much less than I expect from a bourbon) developing to oak tannins and rye spice in the background, maybe just a hint of mint at the tail end. There is very little alcohol prickle on the nose. I would never have guessed this was bottled at 57% ABV. As this sits in the glass, a slightly vegetal note appears in the background. Dried leaves, perhaps. This is a terrific nose.
  • Palate (undiluted): WOW !!! There’s that 57% ABV ! Very hot arrival, though not unpleasant at all. It isn’t “spiky” (like a hoppy beer) as much as it delivers a big, bold and warming wallop. Lots more cherries. Sour cherries, with a bit of vanilla frosting. The rye spice is present, but it isn’t the star of this show at all.
  • Finish: medium-long with some toffee notes popping through and the Oak tannins returning. There’s a slight tobacco/leather note peeking through at the very end of the finish.

Adding water pushed the fruity notes way back. Fresh corn (still a little green) pops out of the glass. The nose actually seems to be “hotter” with the addition of water. Oak and tobacco notes next. The cherries are still there, but they’ve been pushed way back. Given some time to rest (5 minutes or so), the fruit comes back, but doesn’t dominate the way it did at full strength. The arrival on the palate is more typically bourbon-esque with water. Toffee, vanilla and oak notes dominate with the fresh corn next and that lovely fruity note pushed way back. After some resting time, the fruity flavours really feel like they’re getting muted, relatively speaking. With water, the finish becomes far more vegetal (fresh tobacco and Corn stalks?) though not much shorter. I still prefer this one at full strength.

This is a surprise for me. I have no idea what this costs, but it is excellent. I would not hesitate to purchase a bottle of OGD 114.

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12 comments

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

That bottle cost me $24.95 US including shipping ($19.95 on its own). It is the best price I have paid for any full size bottle of whisky (well, I paid $3.50 for a Lag 12 but I traded something else in...).

Would I buy it if it cost $50? Certainly (though not if I could get it elsewhere cheaper). Regardless of price, this is simply an excellent bourbon.

Great review.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@OdysseusUnbound, thank you for your review. I am always glad when people like Old Grand-Dad 114. I liked it so much I made it my very first Connosr review.

The Old Grand-Dad was Basil Hayden, who was famous for adding rye to Kentucky corn whiskey, creating bourbon. Basil Hayden distilled starting in 1792. His grandson, distiller Raymond Hayden, named his Old Grand-Dad line of bourbons after his grandfather, starting in 1840. Old Grand-Dad was acquired by Fortune Brands/Beam Inc. in 1987.

I have never yet tasted any Old Grand-Dad bourbon from before the Beam era. I would like to. Beam never seems to do any advertising of the Old Grand-Dad line, but it keeps chugging away. The Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond 100 proof is a staple and a consistently good seller. The 114 proof was threatened with discontinuation about a year ago, but was given a reprieve.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@OdysseusUnbound, thank you for the candid and enjoyable review. You were wondering about the price of a bottle. On the right day, at the right store, you could get change back from a twenty.

6 years ago 2Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@Nozinan That’s crazy! But that’s part of the fun of these blind tastings; no preconceived notions. I’d have this on hand all the time if I could get it for $25 (or less, as @paddockjudge mentioned). And in the future, I would never add water to this. But I had to, because science!

6 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@OdysseusUnbound You'll have to bring back your empty sample bottle soon, because after this one is gone there won't be any bottles opened for a while. I have 3 bottles "stuck" in Seattle (cost me $28 each) and no idea when they will come to their new home...

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

Old Grand-Dad 114 is sold very inexpensively for what it is. There is no other near-barrel-strength whisk(e)y in the world sold for this price. The price range for this in the US is typically $ 20 to 32 with $ 25 plus tax being typical. I do not expect those prices to last, absent global financial depression. I hope that the prices do last, but I do not expect it.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@Victor I just wish there was a way to coax some into the LCBO... or better, Alberta, where the price might be reasonable.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

Wine-searcher.com reports current average US price for Old Grand-Dad 114 as $ 28 plus tax.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

Taco commented

I agree that the price is very good for what you get. I paid $14 for a bottle 2 years ago, and it's now $22 a bottle. However, it's taste profile is not one that I would buy again. Not that it's bad, I just wasn't impressed. Pretty much anything from Wild Turkey and Heaven Hill fits my taste, but (so far) only Booker's from Beam. And nothing from Jack (horse piss) Daniel's! I even enjoy Evan Williams BIB ($11 a bottle) more than OGD 114. Keep in mind I'm also indifferent to all Four Roses, which almost everyone adores. Unlike with scotch, where I like to really like nearly all distilleries, my bourbon tastes seem to generally run to a 75-13-12 mash bill and those two distilleries. However, the good news is my indifference will help keep the price down!

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@Taco I’ve yet to find a whisky I actually dislike. Some I like more than others, some have disappointed me as far as price vs taste (e.g. Macallan Gold) but none has made me go “EW”. Then again, I’ve yet to experience @Nozinan ‘ s famous Lambertus....

6 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@OdysseusUnbound all in (not so) good time...

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@KRB80
KRB80 commented

Best value bourbon on the market, this. All the stores in my area just recently got stocked back up with OGD 114 after being dry for the past year+. Average price in MA/RI, USA is $28 as well.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?