Old Grandad 114

[TimmyBoston]

I saw a bottle of Old Grandad 114 in a liquor store the other day. I've never had it. What do you guys think about it? Worth buying? Any tasting notes?

Thanks for any help.

TK

[DrinkyBanjo]

You'll find that most people here are very fond of it. I had purchased a bottle when it was BOTM a few months back and hate it. I tried it on serveral occasions and I just don't get it. I don't know if I have a bum bottle or not but I'd never buy it again.

That being said my buddy also has a bottle and I'm looking forward to trying it to see if I get the same results.

[tachyonshuggy]

In my opinion OGD114 is very good, especially for the price. It's probably the lowest proof-to-burn ratio of any whiskey I've ever had save for Stagg.

Or is that highest proof-to-burn? Math were never my strong suits.

[BobA]

Well, this is about my favorite, certainly has no challenger until you get into the $40's. A search of past posts will reveal that it's in a lot of people's top ten. I think it has the best price/quality ratio around, may have the best price/proof ratio, and despite the proof, has never given me any particular burn that I can get with Booker's or Stagg. In fact I would rate it "smoother" than several in the 100 proof range. Which is what I think Tachyonshuggy was getting at.

As OGD has about the highest rye mashbill of any bourbon, and as the 114 is particularly well regarded, I'd say it's a must for any exploration. The BIB is good as well, but I get a definite quality increase on the 114 that is easily worth it. It may not work for you, but that's the way it goes. There are several well regarded bourbons that don't work for me, but you just gotta find out.

Bob

[elkdoggydog]

From your previous posts, TimmyBoston, it's obvious that you like good bourbon, and that high-proof is fine with you. That makes this a no-brainer. One of my Top 5 bourbons for sure. Go get it.

[T47]

OGD 114 has become my go to Bourbon day to day. I think it's a great price and a great flavor. If you have not tried it, do. I have said in several different post's I have yet to try a Bourbon I would not drink again, and still being relatively new, I am amazed at the variety of flavors I have found. There are still many I have not tried, but I hope to have lots of time left to get to them!

[Virus_Of_Life]

I cannot explain just how surprised and impressed I was with the OGD 114, I've only had it over a weekend while visiting friends, but will be buying another bottle as soon as I settle into a new apartment. Like mentioned above I also found it to be better than many more expensive and lower proof bourbons, can anyone say Basil Haydens :slappin: ....

[Whiskey River]

I always have OGD 114 on hand, and enjoy a pour at least two or three times week.

If you like rye like I do, you'll love this one!

[cowdery]

To me, OGD 114 is, like Old Forester BIB and some others, an old-line product that deserves to be considered in the ranks of the super premiums but isn't because it's an "Old."

It isn't to everybody's taste. I like it, I think it's a very good value, and also a good example of a style of bourbon you don't find that much anymore. Kudos to Jim Beam for continued to make it and continuing to make it authentically, even though it is not a huge seller.

[CrispyCritter]

OGD 114 is one of my favorites, too - I notice a bit of burn, but it's a cinnamon burn, not a paint-thinner burn. For me at least, it's an outstanding value.

[OscarV]

When did Jim Beam get the Old Grand Dad label?

I have seen several posts say that Beam has done right and still uses the original recipe

But there still has to be some difference.

Anyone out there that used to drink OGD prior to the Beam ownership?

Oscar

[cowdery]

When did Jim Beam get the Old Grand Dad label?

I have seen several posts say that Beam has done right and still uses the original recipe

But there still has to be some difference.

Anyone out there that used to drink OGD prior to the Beam ownership?

Oscar

OGD came to Beam along with Old Crow, Old Taylor and several others in the merger (really an acquisition) with National Distillers in 1987. Beam kept the OGD distillery in Frankfort for aging and bottling, but moved distillation to its plant in Boston, Kentucky.

My understanding is that Beam retained the yeast and mash bill but, obviously, it's being made in different stills.

OGD started out in Nelson County, roughly between Beam's Clermont plant and the T.W. Samuels plant. You can still see the warehouse footers and ruins of the spring house there, or at least you could a few years ago. It was made there until Prohibition. After Prohibition, National acquired and refurbished the distillery at Elkhorn Forks, just outside of Frankfort, where Grand-Dad was made until 1987.

There are warehouses there and a bottling line, both of which Beam uses, but I know Old Grand-Dad was also bottled at National's facility in Louisville, which is now a multi-use facility called Distillery Commons. I don't believe any distillation was done there post-Prohibition, but it was a large warehousing and bottling facility where Grand-Dad was also bottled.

[ratcheer]

OGD 114 is one of my favorites, too. I highly recommend trying it, as it is quite distinctively different from most any other bourbon.

Tim

[OscarV]

, National acquired and refurbished the distillery at Elkhorn Forks, just outside of Frankfort, where Grand-Dad was made until 1987.

Thanks for the info Chuck.

Old Grand Dad was my first bourbon at 16 years old. I really hurt myself and was sick for two days. I have not had any since until recentley (OGD, not bourbon) I picked up a bottle of 86 proof. It was OK,... I tried it again a week later and I really liked it, it is my low proof favorite.

I have seen alot of posts highly touting OGD114. I just bought a bottle of OGD114 on ebay, (yeah I know people don't like ebay). It was bottled in 1981. I have a current bottle of OGD114 that I haven't tried yet. So when the 1981 version comes I will definatley compare.

Oscar

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

How much does OGD 114 cost in the States? Everyone goes on about what a great deal it is, but here it is on the pricy side. 3,600 yen (maybe a little more) for OGD 114 as compared to 2,600 for ETL or 2,080 for WT 101 8 year old, about the same for Elijah Craig 12 year old and AAA 10 year old. Then there is Evan Williams 12 year old 100 proof for 1,750, though that is a sales price. Still, it has been on sale for months on end at my favorite discount shop. BTW, I think in yen, not dollars. The exchange rate is around 110 yen to the American dollar right now. Usually it is around 120. To me, 100 yen feels like a buck and a buck feels like 100 yen.

Ed

[BourbonJoe]

It's 22 bucks here in PA. It's probably cheaper in other states.

Joe :usflag:

[ratcheer]

I believe I paid around $22-24 for mine (in Atlanta), as well. About the same price as ETL or EWSB.

Tim

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

At those prices I would have OGD 114 in the regular line up. I would buy more EWSB, too. As it is I like the EW 12 better and it is about half the price of the EWSB.

[nor02lei]

as it is quite distinctively different from most any other bourbon.

Tim

Tim,

I will defiantly agree to that! If I would have been served this blind I am sure I would have taken it for a straight rye. Actually it reminds me quit a bit of Rittenhouse10 in the sense that the rye character itself is very alike. I prefer it lightly diluted to about 105 with in my opinion take away the alcohol burn from the nose and finish still the excellent middle part is not destroyed. A real cracker in the taste per buck division!

Leif

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

After reading this thread over the last few days I had to have a pour of OGD 114 last night. Sadly, it was the last pour in the bottle.

The rye character really does predominate. I would say, brown sugar with cinnamon with a bit of cloves. There was a taste I can only call fresh air.

I hadn't been intending to replace it right away because of the relatively high price here, but now I think I will.

Ed

[Chaz7]

I don't define myself as a "wheater". While most of my favorite pours fall in that camp, OGD 114 is outstanding. At first I did not know what to think. The vast majority of the time, I drink it neat. At 114, it isn't without a little mouth burn, but I like it best that way. The only reason I add a little water from time to time, is the concerns Chuck Cowdry relayed in other posts about the higher proof bourbons and the toll they could take. At $22.00, it's an every day super premium, without the cost. I'm on about my 5th or 6th bottle. As far as an everyday pour, well, I don't. It's far too much fun to mix it up, with a different pour each day. Speaking of which, did anyone see the Danish study on how the more often a week a man (however, not a woman) drinks, the LOWER the risk for heart disease? Exerpt:"In contrast, men who drank alcohol every day had a 41 percent reduced risk of heart disease compared to a seven-percent reduction for those who drank only once a week". You know, I think that warrants a new thread. And a glass. Cheers!