Old Grand-Dad 114 Bourbon Review
By Father John Rayls
Rating: B+
(Credit: Beam Suntory)
In continuing my exploration of “bottom shelf” whiskeys, I stumbled upon another winner: Old Grand Dad 114 from Beam Suntory. This is not a refined whiskey with a soft, smooth, delicate style, but is instead a very direct and to the point bourbon that takes the “punch to the throat” approach. It drinks a little hot and raises the bar on spiciness with its high rye mashbill (27%). Many musical groups (Lynyrd Skynyrd for instance) make reference to the Old Grand-Dad brand, and even movies and books (including James Bond and Bad Santa) single it out for recognition.
Basil Hayden, Sr was a well known distiller in the late 1700s, and passed his recipe to his son and grandson. His grandson, Raymond Hayden, named his bourbon after his grand-dad, Basil Hayden, Old Grand-Dad. The company that became Jim Beam acquired ownership in 1987, and now variants include the standard 80 proof (lowered from 86), 100 proof and 114 proof (barrel strength). You might still find some 86 proof, but it’s no longer being produced.
The Old Grand-Dad 114 covered here is a NAS (no age statement) bourbon, but ad a Kentucky Straight Bourbon which makes it at least two years old.
The Bourbon
The color of Old Grand-Dad 114 is a light brown with dark orange tints. The bottle is substantial with a heavy cork and adorned with a likeness of Basil Hayden on every label. The legs are very thin, but very visible.
The aroma is very yeasty with strong notes of caramel which brings up images of biscuits and honey. The nose is neither aggressive or subtle, and, surprisingly, there isn’t any burn on the nose, so the scent is very pleasant and inviting.
As hinted at above, the taste experience is definitely on the aggressive side. It drinks hot, but remains a joy to consume and it’s a full mouth experience. This begins with a very slight coating of the mouth as every part of the mouth is activated at the same time. This might be a little overwhelming if you’re not expecting it. The mouth is immediately filled with sweet caramels, but that quickly gives way to a subtle peppery/spicey experience. The finish is long and very enjoyable. The spiciness continues to grow and form in the mouth into a large crescendo of flavor and spice and only reluctantly recedes.
The Price
I love finding the gems in the under $40 category, but I’m finding cutting into the under $30 and even under $20 categories produces some very surprising results. Old Grand-Dad 114, for example, is a bottle I picked up for just under $20.
This one always has a place on my shelf. Sometimes a man needs a good stiff belt…and this one
is what the doctor ordered.
I had a couple of bottles of the 86 proof that i got for $15 a bottle! Best buy I ever had.
Great review!
Hang on to one of them. They don’t make it at 86 proof anymore.
This just became available in NC this year at $30. I consider it a good value even at that price. Alas, it looks as if the powers that be at Beam have decided they have a better use for this juice (more Basil Hayden, perhaps) and what’s on the shelf and in the warehouses is it. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Enjoy it while you can.
Love Old Grand Dad 114. One of my favorite value bourbons.
But just to clear something up: Yes a “Straight” bourbon has to be at least 2 years old. But ANY bourbon that doesn’t have an age statement, BY LAW, has to be at least 4 years old. That is, the YOUNGEST whiskey in the bottle has to be at least 4 years old. It’s true not all small/”craft” releases adhere to this law, but I’m going to trust Beam to know the procedures.
I’m guessing the whiskey in OGD 114 is between 4-6 years old.
The first Lot #1 was aged 4 years. was smooth to the taste and was not hot as you have stated. Old Grand Dad aged their Bourbon in controlled warehouses unlike Jim Beam. Everything changed when Beam took over. I was the Still Operator at Old Crow Distillers when the first three runs of 114 were taken from the warehouse there and transported to Old Grand Dad for Bottling. 114 was an accident of mine and the plant mgr. and the new production supervisor kept it quite for four years to see if my mistake was major or minor. Turns out it was the best sippin whiskey for the money you could buy.