Old Grand-Dad Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 43% ABV/86 Proof $13 to $15 Widely Available What the Distillery Says: Old Grand-Dad was a distiller named Basil Hayden who made his name by distilling a bourbon whiskey made with a higher percentage of rye. Basil Hayden passed along the art of distilling to his son and then, in turn, to his grandson. It was the third generation distiller, Colonel R.B. Hayden, who honored his grandfather by naming his justly famed whiskey “Old Grand-Dad.
What Richard Says: Nose: Caramel, wildflowers, corn, and black tea. Palate: Sweet and mellow at first, then you run into a distinct rye spiciness. Finish: Heavy on the spicy rye. Comments: Old Grand Dad isn’t your typical bottom shelf old bourbon brand. It’s quite a bit better than Old Crow, Rebel Yell, and all those other “old redneck” bourbons you might sneer at when picking up the latest “master distiller’s” whatever. If you want to know what “rye spiciness” is in a bourbon when you see it written then pick up a bottle of this and you’ll find out. In cocktail, on the rocks, or straight up…I’ll take an Old Grand Dad whenever it’s offered. Rating: Average
I recall a few years ago how surprised I was to find out that Jim Beam only makes two bourbons. Yes they sell quite a few bottlings but unlike Buffalo Trace and Four Roses they only use two recipes for there regular line of products. Like many distillers they have been experimenting in recent years but aside from rare one time experiments bottled for travel retail like Jim Beam Signature, they only use two recipes for all their bourbon products. Most of their products use the standard Jim Beam recipe. It shows up in Jim Beam White Label, Jim Beam 7 Year old, Jim Beam Black, Knob Creek, Knob Creek Reserve, Bookers, and Bakers. The less known “other” recipe is the Old Grand Dad recipe. All the different bottlings from the Jim Beam recipe vary only in barrel, age, bottling strength, and location. As it goes in the barrel they are all the same. Old Grand Dad is a little different.
The Old Grand Dad brand was purchased by Jim Beam in 1987. Prior to that it was owned by National Distillers Group, their predecessor the American Medicinal Spirits Company, the Wathen family, and all the way back to 1840 when the original owners, the Hayden family, first started commercially distilling. The brand was started by Raymond Hayden and named after his grandfather. The grandfather’s name was Basil Hayden. You may have noticed that I didn’t include Basil Hayden in the roll call of Jim Beam recipe brands above. That’s because it’s the only Small Batch Collection bourbon not made from the the Jim Beam recipe. It’s Old Grand Dad through and through. It’s just aged 8 years and watered down to 80 proof.
I thought it would be fun to focus on this “lesser” side of the Jim Beam bourbon empire. The Old Grand Dad recipe shows up in Old Grand Dad, Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond, Old Grand Dad 114, and of course Basil Hayden. We will be focusing our reviews on these four bourbons for the month of June. I personally find Old Grand Dad’s iterations a little smoother and easier to drink than Jim Beam. I hope you venture out and give them a try.
We’ve also still got some various samples rolling in to the Whisk(e)y Apostle Fortress of Solitude so look for our thoughts on Big Bottom Whiskey and Balblair too. And! We may even see Matt getting back in the saddle this month.
All the news in May seemed to focus on American whiskey. That’s never a bad thing. We’ve got some interesting news from Buffalo Trace and a bunch of craft distillers and bottlers rounding out the mix.
Kinnickinnic Blended American Whiskey Timeframe: Summer 2011 ABV: 43% Price: TBD This is an interesting offering from The Great Lake Distillery. They are sourcing Kentucky straight bourbon and blending it with stuff they are making in house. Binny’s has it on the way but I don’t have a hard date on availability yet.
Griff’s Cowboy Whiskey Timeframe: TBD ABV: TBD Price: TBD I have very little information on this one. I know it’s coming out of Iowa and they were pouring it at WhiskyFest Chicago. That’s about it.
Breckenridge Bourbon Timeframe: Now ABV: 43% Price: TBD This is a sourced bottling around two years old. The Breckenridge Distillery owns the brand. There seems to be a lot of sourced 2 to 3 year old bourbon and rye hitting the market lately. I’m all for independent bottlers but most of what’s coming out is pretty young and rough. Maybe some of these guys should follow the lead set overseas and lay some of these barrels down for a while before bottling them. Just a thought.
Bainbridge Battle Point Organic Wheat Whiskey Timeframe: Summer 2011 ABV: 43% Price: $47 Small batch wheat whiskey made by Bainbridge Organic Distillers in Washington State. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on some of this!
Buffalo Trace Single Oak Timeframe: May 2011 ABV%: Price: $46.35 for 375ml bottles This is something really exciting from Buffalo Trace. In their quest to make the perfect bourbon they have launch a massive endeavor to try and isolate what makes the best bourbon. The project goes back more than 10 years and the output is more than 1,396 different bourbon combinations. The first batch came out in May. The whole thing is more than I can put in this post. You really should check it out at http://www.singleoakproject.com.
Early Times 354 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky 40% ABV/80 Proof $15 to $17 Widely Available
What the Distillery Says: Experience where bourbon begins.
A little bourbon history: Early Times started out as a bourbon back in 1860, and remained so until the early 1980s.
It all started with our founder, Jack Beam (Jim’s uncle), who began working at his family’s distillery at the tender age of 15. In short order, he was running the operation and in 1860 built his own distillery at Early Times Station, Kentucky.
Beam named his whisky Early Times, both as a tribute to its place of origin and as a nod to the old-world craftsmanship that goes into making it. He believed in the early times method of whisky-making: mashing grain in small tubs, boiling the beer and whisky in copper stills over open fires. It’s an abiding belief that has stayed with the Early Times brand ever since.
By 1953 Early Times was the best-selling bourbon in the world. As the vintage advertising from that era proclaimed, Early Times is “the whisky that made Kentucky whiskies famous.” Steeped in bourbon history, Early Times Distillery’s federal permit, No. 354, is the longest held in Kentucky.
Today Early Times pays homage to its rich bourbon heritage with Early Times 354 Bourbon.
This classic, full-bodied bourbon honors that philosophy – delivering superior taste and exceptional value. In fact, Early Times 354 Bourbon was preferred by Jim Beam drinkers in a national, independent taste test.*
Crafted with pure water, select grains and proprietary yeast, carefully distilled, matured for four years in select oak barrels and bottled at 80 proof, it’s the newest (and in a way, the oldest) member of the Early Times family.
Tasting Notes
Color: Deep amber
Aroma: Spicy with sweet fruit, fresh oak and delicate corn notes underscored by a layer of vanilla and caramel
Taste: A lively entry with spice, caramel and vanilla that melt into a mixture of fresh and dried fruit notes
Finish: Warm with subtle hints of apple and corn
What Richard Says: Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak, a hint of pipe smoke, and fruit. Palate: A little vanilla, and fruit but it’s pretty bland, yet harsh. More than anything it tastes young. Finish: Oak and a little tart. Comments: This is much better than regular Early Times. Even still, this is still a little too young. I think it makes a fine mixer or on the rocks but I’d pass on drinking this straight. Rating: Probably Pass We want to thank Brown Forman for providing us with a bottle for review.
Early Times Kentucky Whisky 40% ABV $13 to $15 Available damn near everywhere What the Distillery Says: Early Times Kentucky Whisky is distilled, aged a minimum of three years and barreled in used oak barrels at the Early Times Distillery in Shively, Kentucky. We are the only company to own its own cooperage and make its own barrels, which allows us to control how the barrel contributes to the taste characteristics of Early Times. Early Times Kentucky Whisky is known for being a high-quality whisky that delivers a consistently smooth taste and flavor profile while still being offered at a value to our consumers.
Color: Light, bright honey
Nose: A fresh, sharp oak note ripens into a dry clove spice and hay, hints of leather, dill spice and fruit add complexity to a subtle foundation of white chocolate.
Taste: Smooth and creamy malt character with a light oak sweetness and herbal grass notes.
Finish: Mild and clean, and fulfilling with a very pleasant, soft, apple peel character.
What Richard Says: Nose: Woody, vanilla, peaches, and a light caramel sweetness. Palate: Very smooth and lightly sweet. It’s almost like it’s not there. Finish: The finish is a little short and bland. There’s just a bit of oak. Blink and you’ll miss it. Comments: Brown-Forman sent us a bottle of this with their new 354 Bourbon so that we could compare and contrast. For those that don’t know, the reason why it’s “Kentucky Whisky” and not bourbon is because there’s some aging in used barrels going on. More likely than not, when you order a well drink containing whiskey you’re likely getting Early Times. It’s cheap, plain, and unoffensive. There’s nothing wrong with drinking this straight it just doesn’t bring a lot to the party. Rating: Probably Pass
We want to thank Brown-Forman for providing us with a bottle for review.
