Tastes

Frankly, I don’t get this one. It’s crazy expensive for the low proof (80) and definitely soft—and it should be since it’s 60% water! Other 80 proof bottlings (Heaven Hill’s “Henry McKenna” @ $10 comes to mind) are just as smooth, with more character at 1/3 the price. Don’t let the fancy packaging from Beam Suntory fool you—there’s nothing to see here—PASS.

The over-hyped, glossy packaging and tepid “remarks” of the creators in the ad campaign really illustrate the “shotgun wedding” that is Beam-Suntory. Congrats on taking the Beam mashbill and making it taste like a soft, unfocused Japanese whiskey. Did they really need to create the “first new brand” in umpteen years to do that? The packaging is sexy, the marketing is sexy, and the story tries to be compelling. In the end, though, this comes across as kind of forced—contrived, even. I searched for weeks to find this only to discover that, over a month of tasting and re-tasting, I just don’t get much from this. It’s not offensive, or even badly made and blended. However, just not exciting and doesn’t live up to its considerable, if ad agency-conceived hype. It is always on the shelves, so they either have produced a ton of it…or it isn’t selling.

Gotta say (although it pains me because I know the good reviews emerging on this one will quickly make it scarce): I love rye whiskey and I REALLY like this one. An amazing new mashbill from the much revived Old Forester brand, this is one of the most interesting, flavorful whiskeys you’ll find at this pricepoint—the 1L bottling being an exceptional value in the market with great character relative to the price—hell, at any price.

Seems like there’s an fair amount of very green oak tannins up front, drying the finish. Those do fade after the bottle is open a few days, and are much less pronounced with a good dose of water or a couple of ice cubes. Then the more “corny” caramel tones start to emerge, along with the typical Beam peanut flavors. Seriously, it’s hard to fault it at this proof and price. Be aware, however, that this is anything but subtle. Frankly, it’s a bit too much straight—but at the same time it’s really almost too good to use in a cocktail. Pour it over a cube or two and it mellows a lot and comes alive. OGD 114 is GREAT BUY at $21 locally. Sure, it’s “rough and tumble”—but that’s fun sometimes! I say buy it where you find it. And even though I’ve graduated to higher-end bourbons (especially for drinking “neat”) I always keep a bottle of this on hand...

My bottling shows 86 proof, not 80, as indicated by many here. I’d think this would really shine at 90+ proof. The lovely fruity barley mash predominates with a floral, green apple character others have mentioned. I get a guava-fruit nose and flavor as well. In all, the 12 year bourbon barrel ageing provides as much complexity as you’ll find in Irish Whiskey and at a relatively bargain pricepoint. I love this neat or with a cube at night as a final dram. at the $36 USD paid it’s a steal! My new go-to Irish.

Higher Rye content, proof and age make this a far superior Bourbon to the standard McKenna. Only problem is after being named “Whiskey of The Year” in 2018 it virtually disappeared from the shelves. My local store said I was the only one buying it at $26.99, then it went to $28.99, then $31.99, and then GONE!! Grab it if you find it.

As a Heaven Hill product, there’s not a damn thing wrong with this simple “mixing Bourbon.” Long on sweet corn and light caramel overtones, for $10 I’d put this up against Beam, Jack Green, or other more expensive base offerings. Its not the equal of their 10 year old Bond, but other than the comparatively light proof (80), it is better than most in this super cheap pricepoint.