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For fans of National Distillers Old Grand Dad bourbon, there is one year that comes with a lot of stigma – 1991. Why? Because it is exactly four years after Jim Beam (Fortune Brands) acquired most of National Distillers distilled spirits brands. Back then, four years (old) was the magic number a producer needed in order to label their bourbon (or rye whiskey) as “Straight” without putting a minimum age statement on it. Unfortunately, that rule no longer applies today. The “so what?” about all of this is that it puts the origin of any Old Grand Dad bourbon produced from 1991 onward, up for debate.
If you’re still not sure what I’m talking about, I’ll lay it out for you more. Jim Beam acquired Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow, Old Taylor (which was later sold to Sazerac) and a few other brands from National Distillers in 1987. Old Grand-Dad was the most coveted bourbon brand among them and Beam took special care to obtain the recipe and yeast to continue production. As for the other brands, they relegated them to bottom-shelf duty and filled them with cheap swill.
The acquisition came with the entire Old Grand-Dad distillery (DSP-KY-14) located in Frankfort, Kentucky. Even though the distillery previously made OGD on site, its column stills went silent as early as 1986. There were still tens of thousands (possibly more) of barrels aging inside of the warehouses on campus. Beam would use these barrels to fill bottles of OGD for many years afterwards. The hope was that they would last until Beam had distilled and aged sufficient quantities of the OGD high-rye mash bill at their main distillery in Clermont, Kentucky.
The Old Grand-Dad conundrum
We can all assume that Jim Beam had enough barrels of National Distillers-produced Old Grand Dad to last for four years. What we don’t know is when those barrels ran out. The other looming question is whether or not Beam blended their own OGD bourbon with the OGD made by National Distillers immediately in 1991. Or did they wait a few more years to make sure it was just right? If you know you’re going to change the taste of a beloved product, it’s better to slowly change it rather than do it all at once.
Among enthusiasts of dusty bourbon and the secondary market, any Old Grand-Dad product produced from 1991 onward has a sharp decline in value compared to the ones that were produced before. If you need proof that there was a definitive change in the taste of the product, look no further than straightbourbon.com (the best source for information about bourbon from 1999 to roughly 2010). It is awash with comments from enthusiasts in the early 2000s who noted that OGD was once their favorite bourbon but not anymore. Something changed and it wasn’t for the better.
Old Grand-Dad 86 Proof Straight Kentucky Bourbon
The bottle I am reviewing today (thanks to my generous friend, Chris) is smack-dab in the middle of the controversial “is it ND or Beam?” debate because it’s bottled in 1991. By the way, I found a quick and simple trick on identifying when an OGD 80, 86 or 100 proof bottle was produced simply by looking at the bottom left corner of the front label. It will either have a C-XX or an F-XX designator. The two numbers denote the last two digits of the year it was produced. This one says F-91 for 1991.
For the record, Chris believes this bottle contains only bourbon distilled by National Distillers. I agree with him. For starters, the rear label still wears the UPC (bar code) that begins with “86259.” This UPC was used on all ND products. Beam’s UPC starts with 80686. I believe Beam continued to use the ND UPC on products that it knew still contained ND distillate inside.
How can a company get away with using another company’s UPC? It’s all due to a regulation that allows producers to continue using old labels if they had extra, unused ones leftover. The purpose was to not cause a large amount of waste (resources or money) – but sometimes it led to confusion over what’s in the bottle.
Chris also told me he purchased this bottle because of its excellent value. Since it’s not the 100 proof version and since the date causes confusion about the provenance of the liquid, obtaining these are relatively cheap on the secondary market. Now to answer the question that matters most: is it good? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Each sniff reveals a relatively simple nose, but I will say that it’s probably my favorite nose for an 86 proof bourbon. I can find scents of butterscotch, cacao nibs and white chocolate. There is an underlying floral note that belies its high-rye nature. I even find a good bit of vanilla each time I sniff. Everything is light-bodied but extremely refined.
Palate: I’m picking up on floral flavors as well as Twizzlers and candied citrus (orange and lemon). The rye continues to shine through on the palate with notes of mint, eucalyptus and herbal flavors. Sweetness comes from butterscotch, stone fruit and a hint of buttery rum balls. I can even detect that there is a good amount of maturity to the liquid by finding wood varnish and seasoned oak. I know this is older than just four years.
Finish: The varnish notes and dry oak begin to take over. A sort of astringency builds up, but it doesn’t ruin the experience. It’s held back by more vibrant flavors like candied fruit. Saigon cinnamon, black licorice and a little bit of ginger root are surely here because of the high rye. Vanilla and caramel leave my tongue on a sweet note, but surprisingly I find no more butterscotch.
Score: 8.1/10
Damn, I did not expect to find such delicious flavors in a bourbon with such low proof. I’m re-evaluating all of my preconceived notions about low-proof dusty bourbon (can I call it that?) not being as flavorful. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have a bottle of 100 proof OGD from 1991 instead, but all of the sudden the 86 proof doesn’t feel like such a consolation prize. I’m now a believer.
Final Thoughts
A decade before the big bourbon explosion happened, savvy drinkers and collectors scoured stores for these old, dusty bottles and bought up as many as they could. Initially they went looking for all the 100 proof bottles because they were the best value. When those were all gone, they went back to grab up the 86 proof ones. When they sell them on the secondary market, they do it in the exact opposite order – trying to sell their 86 proof bourbons before their 100 proof bottles in the hopes that they can make enough profit to justify keeping and drinking the higher proof ones. This is why you always see more 86 bottles like this up for sale.
My advice to you all now is to start considering the 86 proof versions – especially OGD. The liquid I experienced definitely didn’t taste like anything that rolled out of Beam’s distillery. Instead, it was a butterscotch and light fruit experience that was light years better than anything similar available today. I also would believe that there are older barrels dumped into the blend (likely ones that didn’t make the cut for OGD114). So what are you waiting for? Go find one and see for yourself!