This bird has fight in it, and Old Grand-Dad has a few tricks still up its sleeve

I don't like old Grand-Dad. No honestly, I tried the 86 and found it weak and pointless, the 100 was marginally better but had a taste of cigarettes and ashes mostly. Looking in to Old Grand-Dad hadn't been fun.

However, many bourbon fans seemed to point out that the 114 (the last of the OGDs) was the best one and worth trying. Worth trying? I was skeptical. This whiskey nevertheless has been around for a long time. It had been taken over from National Distillers in 1987 by Jim Beam and the Old Grand-Dad has had a long history. When I thought back about it... it didn't seem right trying only 2 of the 3 and not all of them, so why not!

I had to make a comparison of course and the perfect one I though of was Fighting Cock brand made by Heaven Hill. It's a slightly lower proof bourbon at 103, and I always wanted to have it but couldn't find a reason. Now I had a perfect pairing to compare.

Both these bourbons tasted better when cut slightly to 95 proof. Their noses opened up and certain tastes came up. Fighting Cock I think is a perfect cigar bourbon, and the Old Grand-Dad when cut to 95, while being a bit too wet and not much body brings out a surprising honey finish.

To see more about it, watch the video reviews below:



Conclusion: