Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon

Yickish whack rye spice, I should have known better. Even with ice still blergh

OGDBIB NOSE: Dry. Corn Dust, Peanut Shells, Rye, Old Wood. There is a Light Vanilla Sweetness and Orange Peel. Just the slightest agitation of the Glencairn (not even a swirl) unleashes harsh stinging Alcohol. NEAT: Lots of Orange and Vanilla up front. Mid-palate gets Cinnamon, White Pepper and Lightly Astringent Oak. The Backend is all Cinnamon, Rye Spice and a Big Kentucky Hug. Warms all the way down. Leaves a Peppery tingling coating of Light Vanilla and Orange and Cinnamon Oils. The Warming Tingle accumulates with each sip and produces a Hot Drying Astringent effect. Surprisingly, not much Oak at all. This one is begging for water, so lets see... SPLASH: Water doesn't seem to help much. Brings out more of the Citrus notes. Maybe some Mint? Gives it an overall sweeter character, but still too harsh. VERDICT: No matter how much I want to like this one, I just don't after multiple tries over several years. OGD114 is one of my favorite whiskeys on the planet. It is 14 proof points higher and I have zero issues with harshness/heat with it. While they share mash bills, the OGD114 (as well as the Basil Hayden) go in the barrel at a lower proof. This must make a huge difference in the final product. A large cube of ice in a rocks glass did make this a tad more enjoyable. Who knows, maybe it will shine in an Old Fashioned or with a good cigar, but as a sipper? No. I'll add a couple bucks and get the WT101 over this one every time.

Very good.

Great with a dark cigar!