Dusty Hunters, Are These Treasures or Trash

[sku]

Here are my purchases from a cache of dusties I found at a local liquor store. Please help me out in terms of what these are and whether they are any good. All of them have tax stamps on the bottle caps. I'll try to give relevant information. All have proof but not abv listed.

1. Old Forester, 86 Proof, 4 years old, 1 quart (no metric). Numbers on the bottom of the bottle include 78, 2, 5036 (cost to me $16.99).

2. Old Overholt, 86 proof, bottled at Cincinnati Ohio by A Overholt, distilled in KY, 4 yo, 750 ml. Bottom of bottle says 76 (underlined), 30D, 582, 9, D-1, 84. Cost to me: $9.99. Is this Beam stuff or earlier?

3. Old Crow, W.A. Gaines, Division of the Old Crow Distillery Co, Frankfort, 4yo, 80 proof, 375 ml, Bottom of bottle: 353, 2, 24, 85. Cost to me $9.99Is this pre-Beam? Any good?

4. Old Charter, 7 years old, Distilled by Old Charter Distillery, Louisville, 86 proof, no size on label, but bottle is marked as 375 ml. Bottom of bottle: 12(underlined), 3. Cost to me $9.99. I don't know much about the history of Old Charter. Was it an Ancient Age brand?

There's more of all of these on the shelf, so if one is particularly good, I can return. Also some old blended whiskies including Fleischman's and a few I'd never heard of, but I figure it's not worth buying blendeds.

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Josh]

Old Charter has a long history but in the era in question it was a product of United Distillers. It was made at the Bernheim plant in Louisville along with its sister brand IW Harper. I've never had an OC from that era (that wasn't tainted) but the Harpers I've had were pretty dull.

The Old Forester BiBs are more sought after, but if you like Old Forester, that one shouldn't disappoint.

[sku]

Thanks Josh. They also had an old looking Ancient Age.

Also, all of the tax stamps were broken or ripped. I assume that happens over time, but should that be a warning sign?

[nor02lei]

The Overholt should be distilled at the old Granddad plant in Frankfurt and probably bottled 1984 or early 1985. I have had one of those and it was excellent Stu!

I dont know about the taste of the Crow, but 80 proof was probably to low even in those days.

Leif

[theDon]

I have an Old Charter 7yr 86p liter open from the same time frame and I am having trouble choking it down. The bottle looks really cool on the bar so I just leave it.

I also have a 1987 Old Crow Nt'l Distillers liter and it is a great little 80 proofer. Lot's of flavor.

[Josh]

I have an Old Charter 7yr 86p liter open from the same time frame and I am having trouble choking it down. The bottle looks really cool on the bar so I just leave it.

I had one of those, in a 350 I think. Oscar gave it to me. Em gave it to him. I tasted it and gave up my supper.:puke: It got left at the gazebo. It was so terrible, it had to be tainted. Usually that musky "dusty" aroma dissapates in the first few sips. This bitch got worse and worse and worse.

[sku]

Went back today to see what else they had. Here's what I found:

Old Taylor, 6yo, 86 proof, Frankfort, 82 on Bottle (Ancient Age distilled?) as well as an older Old Taylor 80 proof (78 on bottle).

Hiram Walker Straight Bourbon 80 proof

Bourbon de Luxe, 80 proof (Is that a Beam product)

Lots of other old crap, blended whiskey (including Barton), blended Scotch, brandy...I swear nothing in this store has moved for 20 years.

[Rughi]

Went back today to see what else they had. Here's what I found:

Old Taylor, 6yo, 86 proof, Frankfort, 82 on Bottle (Ancient Age distilled?) as well as an older Old Taylor 80 proof (78 on bottle).

Hiram Walker Straight Bourbon 80 proof

Bourbon de Luxe, 80 proof (Is that a Beam product)

Lots of other old crap, blended whiskey (including Barton), blended Scotch, brandy...I swear nothing in this store has moved for 20 years.

Your Old Taylor is the class of this bunch. National Distillers had Crow, Grand Dad and Taylor distilleries in Frankfort. AA need not enter into this one.

I wouldn't get my hopes up on the Bourbon deLuxe; before it was a bottom tier Beam product it was a bottom tier ND product. The glut caused it to have some older whiskies mixed in in the '80s, but make no mistake that it was whatever ND had on hand.

Hiram Walker? Well, noone exactly goes misty eyed over finding it that I know of. Good with ginger ale.

Roger

[tommyboy38]

My vote goes to Old Taylor. I've enjoyed my dusty bottles from 82 or 83.

[jinenjo]

Hey Sku, never heard back from you on this thread. Ya crack open that Old Taylor yet? I'm holding onto any ND era OT I have at this point. I wanna make this stuff last 'til my dying day.

Did you try the Crow? I find it to be tasty for 80 proof. The '70s era 80 proof OTs I've had were also quite good.

On a side note/request: Do you keep your empty bottles? I'm in the market for a smaller (less than 750ml) ND Old Crow.

[ggilbertva]

All those bottles are just fine. The Old Forester and Old Overholt should be simply great. I have a bottle of OH open right now and really enjoy it.

[Ruby K]

Hey Sku, never heard back from you on this thread. Ya crack open that Old Taylor yet? I'm holding onto any ND era OT I have at this point. I wanna make this stuff last 'til my dying day.

Did you try the Crow? I find it to be tasty for 80 proof. The '70s era 80 proof OTs I've had were also quite good.

On a side note/request: Do you keep your empty bottles? I'm in the market for a smaller (less than 750ml) ND Old Crow.

Hey Jinenjo, curious, when did Old Taylor stop being ND?

[sku]

Hey Sku, never heard back from you on this thread. Ya crack open that Old Taylor yet? I'm holding onto any ND era OT I have at this point. I wanna make this stuff last 'til my dying day.

Did you try the Crow? I find it to be tasty for 80 proof. The '70s era 80 proof OTs I've had were also quite good.

On a side note/request: Do you keep your empty bottles? I'm in the market for a smaller (less than 750ml) ND Old Crow.

Thanks for following up with me. I got two Crows, both of which I liked...good solid Bourbon. The Taylor I didn't care for as much, though I tried an earlier one from the '70s over the weekend and it was very good.

The Crows are 375 ml and I haven't polished them yet, but you are welcome to my empty bottles if that is what you like, though the labels are faded and not in great condition.

[sku]

...and the Overholt was very nice. It had absolutely nothing in common with the current Overholt, totally different whiskey.

[TNbourbon]

...when did Old Taylor stop being ND?

National Distillers was purchased by Beam in 1987, but the brands came with some aging whiskey. It's pretty widely believed -- and confirmed by many discriminating palates -- that Old Taylor continued to contain ND distillate till c. 1992.

[cowdery]

Beam bought National Distillers in 1987 and immediately closed the Old Crow and Old Grand-Dad distilleries. There was an over supply of whiskey back then, so while you might assume that the existing stock would be depleted within 4 years, i.e., by 1991 or 92, it's likely that it lasted a bit longer than that. It's also likely that they were mixing ND juice with Beam juice for the ND brands well into the 90s, but it was certainly all gone by the end of that decade. Beam continued to make Old Grand-Dad the same way National did, same high-rye mash bill and the same yeast. Old Crow, Old Taylor and the other ND brands were supplied with the same whiskey made for Jim Beam white label, and most likely got the barrels rejected as not quite good enough for Jim Beam white label. Likewise Old Overholt is the same whiskey as Jim Beam Rye, though perhaps selected for a slightly different flavor profile.

[spun_cookie]

Beam bought National Distillers in 1987 and immediately closed the Old Crow and Old Grand-Dad distilleries. There was an over supply of whiskey back then, so while you might assume that the existing stock would be depleted within 4 years, i.e., by 1991 or 92, it's likely that it lasted a bit longer than that. It's also likely that they were mixing ND juice with Beam juice for the ND brands well into the 90s, but it was certainly all gone by the end of that decade. Beam continued to make Old Grand-Dad the same way National did, same high-rye mash bill and the same yeast. Old Crow, Old Taylor and the other ND brands were supplied with the same whiskey made for Jim Beam white label, and most likely got the barrels rejected as not quite good enough for Jim Beam white label. Likewise Old Overholt is the same whiskey as Jim Beam Rye, though perhaps selected for a slightly different flavor profile.

Chuck,

How was ND at the end of their ruin. Did they begin changes prior to the sell off?

[jinenjo]

Hey Jinenjo, curious, when did Old Taylor stop being ND?

1987, around these parts, is a date which will live in infamy.

(With apologies to any veterans).

[cowdery]

Chuck,

How was ND at the end of their ruin. Did they begin changes prior to the sell off?

I really can't say. Although bourbon was my drink by 1987, I was not fully bourbon-aware.