Old Grand Dad 114

Nose: Pure bourbon. Caramel, vanilla, a bit of cinnamon and a nice sweetness overall. Palate: This guy is rich at first and then the heat hits you. It isn’t harsh, but it does have a little burn to it (as you might expect for its proof). It stays with you into the decently long finish and for a while afterwards. It has nice rye spiciness and lots of pepper. Luckily, as usual, on the second sip, your palate seems to be prepared for the heat, so it is more warming than burning. I got flavors of raisins, pepper, a little licorice, and some woodiness (somewhere between oaky and toasty). This has a nice, thick-ish mouthfeel, but because of the heat, I tended not to let it sit in my mouth as longer as usual. A third sip brought out an interesting hint of maple syrup, which kinda surprised me. Comments: This is the stronger, older brother of the Old Grand Dad. It is a nice, simple, old-school bourbon. Like its brother, it has been around for a while…..because it is what it is…..nothing fancy or too overly complex, but perfectly enjoyable. One thing I’ll say for the higher proof version is that I tended to take much longer to finish this one. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Even after a few sips, though, it still has bite to it, so if you aren’t a fan of higher proof whiskey, this may not be your cup of tea. If you don’t mind it though, this is one you can pour for yourself when you are in no hurry to finish the glass. This is a Jim Beam product. I’ve never been a HUGE fan of Beam, but I like both this and the other Old Grand Dad. The mash bill on this is 63% corn, 27% rye and 10% malted barley. You should be able to find it in a lot of stores and for under $30.