I have always thought that Old Grand Dad Bourbon was the best thing that Jim Beam makes. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jim Beam whiskeys, but I really like the Old Grand Dad Bourbons. I have been a huge fan of the Bottled-in-Bond version for years, so I was very excited to see Jim Beam release a seven years old expression of the line. We went out and purchased a bottle to review. It does not disappoint in any way. It is reasonably priced at a little over $40.00 and I consider that a decent price for an age stated bonded whiskey. Matt and I sat down and tasted the whiskey the other day and here are our tasting notes.
Old Grand Dad Bottled-in-Bond Seven Years Old
Proof: 100
Age: Seven Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, cherries, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, brown sugar, molasses, cayenne pepper and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, cherries, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the cherries and cinnamon are enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a rich buttered caramel with lots of sweet oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, molasses, oak wood and a bit of an earthy flavor. The dried cranberry brought out chili spices. The pecan brought out chocolate and rich caramel.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak and cinnamon and nutmeg spice. The dried cranberry added lingering cherry notes. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, cinnamon and a hint of chocolate.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood, caramel and lingering spices. The dried cranberry made the finish longer with oak wood and cinnamon. The pecan made the finish long and spicy with oak wood, chili spices and lingering caramel.
I would pair this Bourbon with a cigar that has a lot of vanilla and dried fruit notes in the smoke. I would reach for a Don Pepin Garcia Original Maduro cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller