Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon Review

Old Grand-Dad Bonded
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
At least 4 years old
“High Rye Mash Bill”
Distilled and Bottled by the Old Grand-Dad Distilling Company
DSP KY-230
100 Proof
MSRP: $20-$22
Review

Please enjoy my Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon Review!

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Tell me more about Old Grand-Dad!

You may or may not know that Old Grand-Dad was Basil Hayden, Sr., and the whiskeys that carry his name and moniker are characteristically high rye bourbons. According to Basil Hayden’s website, Basil Hayden, Sr., who was a rye farmer* in Maryland, headed to Kentucky sometime in the late 18th century. He apparently began distilling bourbon with a high rye mashbill, a tradition which continues to this day. His grandson, Colonel R.B. Hayden, named Old Grand-Dad bourbon after him. Both brands are now owned by Beam Suntory, and coincidentally, the Jim Beam Clermont facility just happens to also be DSP KY-230.?

Mash bill

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

Let’s taste Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon:

🛌 Rested for 20 minutes in a Glencairn

👉Nose: Caramel, rye spices, pine, dried apricot, cherry, mild to moderate alcohol
👉Taste: Caramel, light oak & honey; peanuts develop towards the finish
👉Finish: Caramel, peanuts and light honey sweetness continue into the finish, which is fairly soft with just a mild burn. Some char and dryness develop, but they are fairly mild compared with some of the other value BiB’s.

Conclusion

Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon is an excellent bourbon at a reasonable price, and another great value BiB. For $20-22 a bottle, it’s always worth keeping around. And of course, who doesn’t want their Old Grand-Dad around?? Are you an Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon fan? If not, maybe you should be! Cheers!🥃

But wait, there’s more!

I hope you enjoyed my Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon Review! If you would like to learn more, check out my Old Grand-Dad 114 Bourbon Review!

Buy at Bourbon at Frootbat!

*Previously, the Basil Hayden website said that Meredith Basil Hayden Sr. was a Master Distiller in Maryland prior to moving to Kentucky. However, as of November 2024, the website now states that he was a rye farmer.

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