750 mL bottle - $26.99
- Purchased at Chattanooga Wine & Spirits
Background
When I made my list of “cheap bourbons to try” one of the ones that made it was Old Grand-Dad 80 proof, which is supposed to run about $17. I still haven’t been able to find that, but I have run across 114 Proof Old Grand-Dad and Bottled-in-Bond Old Grand-Dad. I plan on getting a bottle of the 114 at a later date to do a comparison with this one (that should be an interesting day) and I will keep a lookout for the 80 proof version.
What I did get locally was Old Grand-Dad Bonded. The first thing I thought of when I saw the name was my own grandfather, who I always called “grand-dad.” He wasn’t a drinker, although he was a Baptist minister, so he could have gone there at some point…it’s reputed that Elijah Craig was a Baptist minister AND distiller. Anyway, this Old Grand-Dad is named for Mr. Basil Hayden after being created by his grandson Raymond B. Hayden. The family’s first commercial product was created in 1840, though the brand has been sold several times since then, most recently ending up with Beam Suntory (who also own Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, Old Crow, and the modern Basil Hayden, named after the same person). (Wikipedia)
The Old Grand-Dad and Basil Hayden Bourbons share the same high-rye mash bill, according to liquor.com, 63% corn, 27% rye and 10% malted barley. This specific whiskey stretches the definition of “Bourbon on a Budget” just a bit, but mostly because this “Bonded” version is just a little out of the norm for this brand. Looking at Total Wine’s website, the 80 proof version is $15 per bottle, and 114 proof is $24.49, a fully $2.50 less than I paid locally for the Bonded whiskey. This seems to be an aberration on Bonded whiskies costing less than most others in a line. Still, it should give me a pretty good indication of what to expect from the Bourbon.
Notes
In the bottle, the Old Grand-Dad Bonded seemed a slightly darker amber-orange color than a couple of other similar whiskies I had on hand. That could just be down to the shape and size of the bottle, though, so there’s really nothing to it except to say it is appealing the way it is presented.
I poured the Bourbon into a snifter glass and held it a couple inches away from my nose. I got notes of vanilla and honey, with a slight oak aroma, but surprisingly little in the way of alcohol vapors. Sticking my nose into the glass brought that on really quick, though…there’s no mistaking that this is a 100 proof dram.
Taking a sip, at first it’s again surprising that this is such a high proof Bourbon. The first taste is sweet, almost syrupy, with a heavy vanilla flavor. A couple seconds later, the spice of the rye and heat of the alcohol started to burn, leaving a numbing tingle all over my lips and tongue. The finish is smooth with a lingering sweetness.
I paired this whiskey with an Eiroa 20 Years Colorado in the 46 x 6 size. This has been one of my top Honduran cigars since it came out, but I can’t recall if I’ve had it with Bourbon in the past. The cigar opened up with cedar, baking spice, and a little bit of pepper, while a subtle molasses sweetness followed behind. Taking a sip of Old Grand-Dad Bonded after it enhanced the sweetness and added a great deal more pepper to the proceedings.
What impressed me about Old Grand-Dad Bonded was its drinkability. I tend to drink my Bourbon neat…no ice, no water, room temp…and it was smooth enough and never overpowering. I suspect it’s also stout enough to stand up to many Bourbon-based cocktails without losing a lot of its character, though.
This particular Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon isn’t especially “cheap,” but it was a step or two above most other BIBs I’ve had in terms of overall experience.
Next up in this series, I get to try a Bonded version of a very familiar name in the Bourbon world…
