Along with bargains, hidden gems remain a scarcity in the bourbon hunting world. But while many cult favorites have seen their prices double and even quadruple in recent years, one brand has remained firmly rooted to the bottom shelf at the liquor store. This, despite the fact it is revered by both bartenders and whiskey collectors, and uses the exact same mash bill as a more expensive, better-known bourbon. The Old Grand-Dad brand was created by Raymond B. Hayden and named after his grandfather Meredith Basil Hayden, Sr. The bourbon has been in production since the 1800’s, including during Prohibition when it was produced by American Medicinal Spirits Co., a pharmaceutical company. The brand has changed ownership numerous times since it was originally created and is now owned by Beam Suntory and marketed as part of their “The Olds” Collection which also includes Old Overholt. Old Grand-Dad is currently released in three different bottling proofs: 80 (changed from 86 in 2013), 100, and 114. The nose is a bit un balanced, but the flavor and finish both have a nice symmetry to them. A full round body and a heavy warm mouthfeel compliment the rich character.

Of all “The Olds” Old Grand-Dad is my favorite and also happens to be one of the whiskeys I believe doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. Next time you’re hosting a blind bourbon tasting add this to your line up. You’ll be surprised how many of your fellow whiskey snobs will tell you they like it but might have turned their nose up if they had known what it was. Just goes to show that you can’t judge a whiskey by it’s bright orange label. In the episode "The Mihn Who Knew Too Much," of the show King of the Hill, Hank references this drink when someone deposits their garbage in his trashcan, remarking "We don't use canned milk, or drink Old Grand-Dad." What comes to mind when thinking of gift ideas for grandad, slippers, whiskey, golf tees? Put the stereotypes to bed when shopping for grandad’s gifts – the present ideas don’t need to be as old as him! No matter what grandad’s interests are, you can sort through our categories to narrow down your present search. Personalised Gifts for Grandad Because it is made from an entirely different mash bill than other products from the two distilleries, one or both facilities likely switch over to production runs of the ‘Old Grand-Dad’ recipe for several weeks or months of each distilling season based on the company’s production and sales goals. While this is certainly not required by law, it would help the company capitalize on efficiencies within the system. Old Grand-Dad is one of the oldest and most storied brands on store shelves, but despite this, the brand seems to receive little fanfare among bourbon enthusiasts and very little marketing effort from current owner Beam Suntory. The higher 114 proof version was even rumored to be discontinued in 2017, though it still exists today and pops up in discussions from time to time.Australian producers Vanda & Young recorded an album titled "Tales of Old Grand-Dad" with future AC/DC guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young under the alias "Marcus Hook Roll Band". Old Grand-Dad 114 is the best bourbon in the Old Grand-Dad lineup. It tastes better than any of the others, it smells better than any of the others, it has a better finish than the others, has a higher proof than the rest so you can dialing it in to your liking and it’s 1/2 the cost of Basil Hayden’s. In fact, it’s everything that Basil Hayden’s should be but isn’t. One interesting note from this period: For a few years during Prohibition, Old Grand-Dad was distilled and distributed as a Canadian whiskey. Federal standards of identity require all bourbons to be made from a mash bill — or list of grain ingredients — containing at least 51 percent corn.

According to modernthirst.com, Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon uses a mash bill of 63% corn, 27% rye and 10% malted barley. That mash bill is identical to Basil Hayden’s bourbon’s mash bill. 27% is a lot of rye! For a frame of reference, Jim Beam’s line of bourbons and their offspring (Knob Creek, Booker’s, Baker’s) use only 13% rye (and 75% corn, 12% malted barley, if you were wondering?). Being a bottled-in-bond bourbon, Old Grand-Dad Bonded has to be at least 4 years old, and 100 proof. Other bourbons in the Old Grand-Dad line include 80 and 114 proof versions. Tasting Notes Hayden began as one of the area’s many small-scale regional farmer-distillers. He made whiskey in the ‘new style’ that would become bourbon on the family’s land near Bardstown. By the time his grandson, Raymond B. Hayden, built a professional distillery in 1840 with business partner F. L. Ferriell, the family’s reputation for distilling a delicious high-rye bourbon was already well known throughout the Ohio Valley and beyond. Raymond named the new distillery — and the bourbon brand produced there — Old Grand-Dad after his grandfather Basil Hayden. Oh man this is nice. Rich and full the aroma is layered with notes of dark fruit, caramel heavy dark sweets, vanilla, bold spice, hay, oak and a syrupy sweet undertone. It needs a bit more of those rustic earthy notes to fully balance it out, but it’s nice nonetheless. It’s a little strong and numbing. I’ve had 100 proof whiskey that is a bit smoother ( Wild Turkey 101), but it’s still incredibly drinkable. A splash of water will calm things down a bit without sacrificing any flavor so if you’re finding it a bit unruly give that a go. Is your grandad quite the foodie? Does he clean his plate and go for seconds every time? If so, then you can’t beat foodie gift ideas for grandad. Think a giant Toblerone with his name on it, barbecue sauce selections or an espresso maker. Or if he fancies himself the next Gordon Ramsay, we have a selection of cooking gifts he’ll be sure to love. How about a maki master for a sushi chef, a MasterChef apron for when he’s cooking up a storm, or a pie maker if he loves a good pie? Drinking Gifts

Pull up a chair, and we’ll tell you a story about one of the oldest and most prominent names in the long chronicles of bourbon history: Old Grand-Dad Bourbon. History

In Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel, The Long Goodbye, the main protagonist, detective Philip Marlowe, offers Old Grand-Dad to his friend Terry Lennox after he arrives at Marlowe's apartment despondent and with a gun. Imagine an ecosystem where the cooker is continually grinding in new grain, heating it according to recipe specs before it cools, yeast is pitched and the liquid transferred to fermenters for about five days. Then, terminal beer is alternately pumped into the beer still, then the spirit still and clear new make or white dog bourbon is collected out of the spout. As of December2015 [update], Old Grand-Dad and Old Overholt – both of which are Beam Suntory brands – are marketed together as "The Olds". [1] History [ edit ]Former President Harry S. Truman drank his fair share of bourbon while in the White House. Truman’s biographer, David McCullough, wrote that the former president started his mornings with a 5 a.m. shot of Old Grand-Dad bourbon that — in Truman’s words — “got the engine running.” He accompanied his morning whiskey fix with toast, eggs, bacon, and milk. First produced in 1882, Old Grand-Dad was founded by Raymond B. Hayden, who named the brand after his grandfather, Basil Hayden Sr. A well-known distiller in his own right. Hayden Sr.’s name now adorns the label of another famous bourbon brand, but his portrait continues to look on from the label of OGD with a friendly smile. Contrast this scenario with shutting down production for an evening to swap out between Jim Beam and Old Grand-Dad runs. Cookers, fermenters, stills and lines can all run clean, and the production team can look for the subtle flavor characteristics distinct to each brand as the spirit comes off the still. In Robert P. Davis's 1976 novel The Pilot, Mike Hagen, the alcoholic airline pilot, keeps his (hidden) hip flask filled with Old Grand-Dad.

Old Grand-Dad and Basil Hayden’s are considered high-rye bourbons, where Jim Beam is often thought of as a traditional bourbon. This is in line with the historical perception of Old Grand-Dad, which was often written about as having contained a higher percentage of rye grain than whiskeys made at surrounding distilleries. It is also mentioned in the Hank Williams, Jr. song "Women I've Never Had": "I like sweet young things and Old Grand-Dad, and I like to have women I've never had". The flavor contains more facets than the aroma and, like the nose, is nice and rich. Oak, caramel heavy dark sweets and dark fruit give way to, and mix with, notes of leather, hay, pepper and baking spices. A feathery light bit of vanilla comes and goes like a flash in the distance.

History

For example, the Jim beam Distillery has a 10,000-gallon cooker — or mash tun — and nearly 20 large-scale fermenters. The large column stills are fed through a continuous distillation system, where beer is fed to a beer still, collected and then fed into the spirit still or thumper. This type of system could ideally run indefinitely, although, in reality, it will shut down from time to time for maintenance and cleaning. This is significant when considering these two brands are the only bourbons that diverge from the Jim Beam mash bill of 75 percent corn, 13 percent rye and 12 percent malted barley 1. The fictional character Morgan Kane, from the book series of the same name, always drank Old Grand-Dad if it was available and took a bottle or three with him most of the times he had to venture too far from a liquor store or a bar to his liking. The author Charles Bukowski frequently mentioned Old Grand-Dad in his stories. For example, in Post Office, the protagonist Chinaski buys Grandad for breakfast. [7] Like a rising tide, we’ve watched bourbon’s prices climb with many new releases, but less so with existing brands. This is true of Old Grand-Dad, which has maintained low prices across the brand.