Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 90 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 50% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $194.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Reviewed | 2024-11-21 |
Old Grand-Dad 16 Year Bourbon Review
In the history of bourbon, few brands have as rich a backstory — and as dedicated a fanbase — as Old Grand-Dad. First bottled in 1882 by Colonel R.B. Hayden to honor his grandfather Basil Hayden, the brand changed hands numerous times before falling under the National Distillers Group banner. In 1987, it was sold to Fortune Brands, which would later become Beam before the eventual merger into Beam Suntory (now called Suntory Global Spirits).
Along the way, Old Grand-Dad built a steady reputation as an accessible (a.k.a. cheap) high-rye drinker, a bourbon for the everyman and everywoman. Under Beam’s ownership, the core “OGD” lineup currently consists of three expressions:
- 80 proof bourbon (formerly 86 proof)
- Bottled-in-Bond
- 114 proof (an affordable, punchy favorite for bourbon fans and mixologists alike)
It’s long believed the current Old Grand-Dad and Basil Hayden recipes contain around 27 percent rye, more than twice the standard Beam mash bill of 13 percent. But it wasn’t until recently that Beam hinted there might be some extra-aged OGD in the pipeline. On a December 2021 episode of the Bourbon Pursuit podcast, master distiller Freddie Noe mentioned using a barrel of 16 year Old Grand-Dad for that year’s Bardstown Collection blend.
That was a first clue that Beam was sitting on more highly-aged, high-rye bourbon. Several subsequent releases confirmed it, and multiple 15+ year bottlings have featured at least some of this high-rye bourbon: Jacob’s Well, Little Book Chapter 8, and the aforementioned Bardstown Collection bottling.
But unlike those expressions, this newest release isn’t blended with Beam’s traditional, low-rye mash bill. This is pure high-rye bourbon, or at least Beam’s interpretation of such a thing.
Today, we’re looking at this limited Old Grand-Dad offering, aged 16 years and bottled at 100 proof. Let’s dive in.
Old Grand-Dad 16 Year Bourbon: Stats and Availability
According to Beam, Old Grand-Dad 16 Year Bourbon is a limited, one-time expression. That said, in cases of success and consumer demand, we’ve seen brands graduate one-time releases to core lineup all stars. Time will tell with OGD 16, but this current release carries an MSRP of $195, with limited allocation nationwide. That makes it one of Beam’s more expensive offerings to date, eclipsing even the Hardin’s Creek expressions that carried higher age statements and 10 more proof points.
I first saw this new Old Grand-Dad on shelves in Kentucky, and it started popping up in other markets even before I received the official press release. Currently, I’m seeing it listed on shelves and the secondary market for anywhere from $170 (a discount!) to $220.
Old Grand-Dad 16 Year Bourbon Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
We’re starting off old, sweet, and oaky on the nose. Early aromas carry a telltale mix of old barrels and earthy dampness one can only get in a bourbon warehouse on a cold winter day; there’s ethanol heat here, but it’s layered well below the wood tannins and dark caramel.
It’s a wood-forward nose, but not to the exclusion of other components. There’s fruit here, too, specifically orchard fruit akin to baked apples, pears, and dried apricots. Wait a couple extra minutes, and a sweet-and-savory interplay develops, somewhere at the intersection of stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and brown-sugar sweetened barbeque sauce. Savory aromas never quite tip over into a meaty, burnt-ends quality like some Beam products can, but what I smelled here at least pointed a bit in that direction.
And like many a high-rye bourbon (there are exceptions, of course), pronounced spice and herbs hit toward the back of the nostrils: cinnamon, cracked black pepper, anise, and fennel.
Perhaps I’m predisposed to certain notes, having recently reviewed the new Baker’s High Rye Bourbon, presumably from the same mash bill. But where the new, 7 year old Baker’s got a little bogged in sour mash and sawgrass, on the nose, this much-older Old Grand-Dad carries its herbaceousness with greater poise. The herb scents here are dry and balanced, pairing well with the hefty undercurrent of oak that runs throughout.
Taste
Like the nose, Old Grand-Dad 16’s palate starts sweet, with table sugar and green apple candy rings starting at the tip of the tongue and developing further back. It’s remarkably light for a 16 year old whiskey. While I’m always curious to try such releases at cask strength, a more civil 100 proof pays off early. Sometimes, elegance is as simple as not walloping the taste buds first thing.
But let’s dig deeper for specific notes. Dried apricot ports over from the nose, as do baked red apples. By the midpalate, sweetness darkens to pralines and cream ice cream, rich in caramel and natural vanilla. There are some characteristic Beam elements here, but not the familiar nuttiness or borderline mesquite like on some batches of Booker’s.
Instead, a light cherry cola builds over time, with a trifecta of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove that keep flavors grounded in both spice and oak instead of simply the latter. (I noted similar findings on Baker’s High Rye, though so far, this ultra-aged Old Grand-Dad flies higher in almost every way.)
Finish
That cherry cola bridges the back palate and finish quite handedly. But the cherry-forward sweetness falls away quickly, leaving behind tanned leather, barrel char, and lots of dried cinnamon. The lower proof means relatively little lingering ethanol, but the tradeoff is a bourbon that drinks thinner than what is probably ideal. That’s certainly not a dealbreaker on a pleasant-enough finish, but I also can’t help but wonder what just a little more “oomph” could impart.
Old Grand-Dad 16 Year Bourbon Rating
90/100
Recap
Ever since Freddie mentioned extra-aged Old Grand-Dad in 2021, I’ve wondered what it would taste like on its own, without blending in other mash bills. Bourbon fans across the nation can now get a taste, provided they’re willing to shell out for the premium price tag. The resulting liquid carries age incredibly well on the nose, and there’s both familiarity and novelty on a balanced, spice-forward palate. It’s really the thinner-than-anticipated palate that keeps this bourbon from soaring higher.
I truly believe that if Beam continues pushing the envelope of the OGD mash bill, great things will eventually result. And OGD 16 is a good step in that direction.
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