Review #409 - Old Grand-Dad Bonded

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Another entry from the Old Grand-Dad brand from Jim Beam - this is their 'bonded' bourbon. Bottled-in-bond means that this whisky is bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof), and it must be aged for a least 4 years.

Old Grand-Dad uses Jim Beam's high-rye mashbill: 63% corn, 27% rye, and 10% malted barley. That should give us some spice, while the maturation in the oak could balance the flavor profile with some sweetness. This bourbon also has a very reasonable price tag, so if the flavors match up, it could be a good value pick.

Old Grand-Dad Bonded

USA - Bourbon

Current Locally Available Price: USD 22 (2024)

Age Statement: 4 Years

Strength: 50% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 20%, 40% (blind tasting), and 90% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Mellow caramel and nutty character - peanut brittle. There's just a hint of alcohol and spice to the nose, adding a sharp side, but then more interesting flavors: strawberries, milk chocolate, tropical orange, corn mash. The oak takes on a dusty character as well, and we get a hint of baked goods - waffles.

Palate: A medium thickness mouthfeel; a nice mix of fruit, baking notes, and oak. Cherries, orange cream soda, and banana are balanced by spices like clove, black pepper, and tannins; we get flavors of almond and pecan, as well as a soft grain note. At the end of the palate, it becomes sweeter - syrupy stroopwafel.

Finish: Soft fruit and mellow oak, generally balanced, but maybe leaning just a sweet later. Red fruit jams, syrup, vanilla, some soft spice like cinnamon, banana bread, cola... this just keeps giving. It's a medium length finish.

Final Note: Consider us impressed - this is a very solid bourbon. It has a surprisingly wide array of tasting notes considering that it falls into the budget category, and while the strength isn't too punchy, it does deliver plenty of flavor. Great mix of fruit, spice, oak, and nut flavors - tasty stuff.

This bottle isn't just a good value pick - this is amazing value, one of the highest that we've ever rated when taking the price into consideration. In the budget category, this is pretty hard to beat.

Our Average Rating: 6.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 8.92

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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