Old Grand Dad (43%) 1970s

Old Grand-Dad is an old brand of bourbon, begun in 1840 by Raymond B. Hayden and named after his grandfather Basil Hayden, Sr. Jim Beam has been making the whiskey since 1987. The reviewed bottle is a mini with a tax stamp which was disconinued in 1977. This is quite a treat for me to look for differences in the Pre-Beam vs Post-Beam OGD

Nose: this nose is pretty close to the Beam OGD nose, pretty non-descript, muffled rye spice, with plenty of wood. Nothing to excite

Taste: now this is different...something tasting like a combination of honey and lacquer. I have never tasted this in any Jim Beam produced OGD product. Not much correspondence to the nose, and I cannot say that I like it. Mid-palate this turns sour, and adds dilute lemon juice to the honey and lacquer

Finish: sour finish with some tannic wood tones

Balance: poor; just goes sour and bitter

Was this bottle ruined by time or storage conditions? It is hard to say. In any case what is here to drink today is not something I'd care to repeat

The moral of the story: stay away from the products under 50% abv. If you are considering trying Old Grand-Dad, be sure to buy either the Old Grand-Dad 114 or the Old Grand-Dad Bottled-In-Bond. Those two are solid products and American whiskey best buys

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