I’ve reviewed a decent amount of Old Grand-Dad here on The Whiskey Jug. Eight expressions to be exact, and this is by far the oldest of them. Distilled in 1945 and bottled in 1949, this OGD BiB was distilled the same year World War 2 ended and distilleries were getting back into the swing of things, which was a tough time for the whiskey industry. Not to put put too fine a point on it, this is a small piece of whiskey history.
Old Grand-Dad is a brand that has been around for 175 years, has survived two World Wars, Prohibition, The Great Depression, being sold off multiple times (the death of many brands) and is currently under the stewardship of Beam Suntory. It’s a brand that deserves respect in the whiskey world and getting to taste an expression this old is an honor not many get these days and I’m grateful I got to. If you ever get the opportunity yourself to try some old OGD I highly recommend you do.
Old Grand-Dad Bottled In Bond 1949 Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: National Distillers
Cask: New charred oak
Age: 4 years
ABV: 50%
Distilled: 1945
Bottled: 1949
Price: Na – Dusty
Old Grand-Dad Bottled In Bond 1949 Review
EYE
Polished oak
NOSE
Stale caramel, wood, vanilla, citrus and spice create a decent aroma, but not one I’m wild about. Looking at what the guys who tasted it right when it was opened had to say about it leads me to believe it’s lost a step or two since being opened, even though it has been fastidiously gassed after every opening.
PALATE
Stale caramel, wood, pickles, vanilla, spice and a wee bit of citrus zest make for an interesting sipping experience but, again, the fresh bottle notes paint a different picture. Still, not terrible and I’d happily sip on it again.
FINISH
Medium meander of wood, pickles, caramel and vanilla.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
An ok balance, medium body and soft simple feel.
OVERALL
Old Grand-Dad Bottled In Bond 1949 is an experience. It’s something that was made at a distillery that no longer exists by a company that has also ceased to exist. It’s an echo of bourbon’s past and that brings with it a certain level of respect when consuming it. Despite the fact that it wasn’t a killer bourbon experience there’s still something grin-inducing about drinking a whiskey that’s been on this planet 2x longer than I have.
Grins and feel-goods aside, it’s a fairly basic bourbon and even though I registered “stale caramel” as a note I couldn’t peg it as a true off note. Think of it a “barely stale” or dried out caramel note, it just wasn’t a rich and supple caramel note. The pickles note was like the dill in MGP ryes and made me think of them immediately. So even thought there were some notes that might appear to be “off notes”, it really did end up working fairly well together and if you ever get an opportunity to taste old Old Grand-Dad I definitely recommend you do.
SCORE: 83-86/100 (consumed at a tasting, not at home)
