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Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
February 1, 2020 (edited January 29, 2021)
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.
22.0
USD
per
Bottle
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Some bottle in bonds are not the same as others, this one and EW's White Label BiB just never seem to deliver do they.
@Cornmuse thanks! I’ll definitely experiment with this bottle.
You are correct vis a vis the cube, but the real superpower of OGDBiB is its synergy with the highball serving. OGD is to ginger ale as JD is to coke; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. AFWIW, I completely agree with you on OGD114
Good to know, I've never had this so it's easy to skip when so many good things are a few dollars more.