Copyright: Beam Suntory

Owner → Beam Suntory ◊ Chicago, Illinois

Distillery → Jim Beam American Stillhouse ◊ Clermont, Kentucky

80 Proof ⇔ Aged 3 years

$17.99/ 750 mL

—From The Olds: Whiskeys—

Old Grand-Dad was a real person, which should not surprise you if you’ve read any of the words on this page. He 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 Thyme (Just pulling your leg. We don’t know his name) 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®.”

During Prohibition, Old Grand-Dad® was produced by a pharmaceutical company, the American Medicinal Sprits Co., and was one of the few distilled spirits permitted to be prescribed as medicine. It was a popular time to be sick.

*Research Notes*

  • Was named after Basil Hayden, a famous distiller in the 19th century.  Not to be confused with this bourbon, that bears his actual name.
  • There was a time when Old Crow, Old Grand Dad, Old Taylor, and Old Overholt were all owned by the same company, National Distilleries.  Now, Beam Suntory owns three-out-of-four:  Old Taylor is owned by Sazerac.
  • During prohibition, this bourbon was NOT produced.  The company that owned it, American Medicinal Spirits Co, was owned by National Distilleries, and did produce whiskey.  But not with this mash bill.
  • Until 2013, was 86 proof.  Rumor is that Beam wanted to get more out of a barrel!
  • Old Grand Dad also comes in bottled-in-bond and 114  barrel-proof.
  • Beam Suntory  also owns and distills our #4 seed Jim Beam and our #8 seed Old Crow.

Mashbill

Corn-  63%

Rye-     27%

Wheat–  0%

Malted Barley– 10%

*Tasting Notes*

via The Whiskey Jug

  • Eye: Rusted Tang.
  • Nose: The aroma starts off with big notes of raw corn, vanilla and caramel which expand and fill the nose – leaving little room for the more subtle notes of citrus, dusty spice, watery fruit and strawberry Necco Wafers to appear. There is a vague woody underpinning that feels water logged.
  • Palate: Dusty raw corn, vanilla and a watery caramel again dominate, but this time the bring a bit of spice with them. Some light notes of astringent wood, yeast and and a waxy citrus make a minimal impact.
  • Finish: Medium and corn driven with light notes of vanilla, spice and wet wood.
  • Overall:  Old Grand-Dad 80 proof is a light, airy and boring whiskey. Does it work as a sipper? Sure, but it’s not a very interesting one and only a few bucks more will get you the Old Grand-Dad BiB which is a much better whiskey. In a cocktail it’s not bad, but again OGD BiB works even better with the higher proof giving it a bolder presence in the drink. My honest opinion is that Beam should only put out the BiB, 114 and Basil Hayden when it comes to their OGD mashbill.