1980s Old Grand-Dad Bonded comes to us from National Distillers who, at one point in time, owned a bevy of brands which included Bourbon deLuxe, Old Taylor, Old Crow, and Old Grand-Dad to name a few. They also dabbled in blended whiskies, vodkas and other spirits. Pretty much anything distilled they could make money from they were involved in. Then Jim Beam bought them in 1987 and shut down the distilleries, but kept the brand names they wanted alive using Jim Beam recipes.
Old ND stocks were still being put out for a bit after the ’87 acquisition and you can tell if it was old ND stock or if it was Jim Beam stock by looking at the bar code on the back of the bottle. If it starts with 86259 then the whiskey came from National Distillers. If it starts with 80686 then it came from Jim Beam. The bottle in this review has the 86259, an ’83 bottle stamp and a bonded tax strip which places it about 4 years before the acquisition; giving us some solid ND bourbon to review.
1980s Old Grand-Dad Bonded Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: National Distillers
Mashbill: High rye bourbon
Cask: New charred oak
Age: At least 4 years
ABV: 50%
Price: NA – Dusty
1980s Old Grand-Dad Bonded Review
EYE
Old Leather
NOSE
Rich firm notes of caramel, wood, vanilla, spice, raspberry-like dark fruit and Werther’s-like butterscotch. There is an undertone of more complex dark sweets accompanied by an almost dill like character.
PALATE
Mimics the nose but with a more complex baking spice and additional notes of red licorice and mint towards the end. Like the nose it’s not wildly complex, but it has a solid rustic quality to it.
FINISH
Long fade of butterscotch heavy dark sweets, spice, wood and mint.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced with a full body and smooth coating feel.
OVERALL
1980s Old Grand-Dad Bonded is a good solid bourbon. It’s a bit lacking in complexity, but what’s there is solid and filling. The nose is full and rich, the palate follows suite as it coats the mouth and the finish serves as a strong final tribute to what’s in the glass. It’s a fun, full and tasty whiskey that perfectly shows off the core flavors and aromas of a good ol’ bourbon. Definitely want to find a couple more of these for the collection.
SCORE: 88/100
