Review: Old Grand Dad Bottled-in-Bond

Appearance: 1.4, Tawny

Nose: Yup, that’s a bourbon! Vanilla and caramel. I also get a nice dose of rye spices, fresh rye bread (light, not dark), some floral notes as well. Quite nice; I am a sucker for a rye heavy whisky though.

Taste: Sweet and spicy, salted caramel ice cream, very peppery (as in, “holy s**t, who unscrewed the top off of the pepper shaker while I was in the bathroom, causing me to dump a metric crap-ton of pepper onto this lovely salted caramel ice cream” levels of pepper).

Finish: Oak and rye spice dominate, pepper, clove, lavender, more indistinct herbal notes, with lingering bitter oak. Medium length.

Notes: Look, this is an entry level bourbon, so I’m not going to wax poetic about it for another 500 words. That being said, this is a solid entry level sipper if you love a good punch in the face (a rye punch that is). Sweet, spicy, with just enough complexity to keep your mind engaged.

Score: 82/100