Old Grand-Dad Bonded

Old Grand-Dad
Bonded Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
"High Rye Mash Bill"
50% ABV (100 proof)
paid $20

From the bottle: "OGD Bonded Bourbon is the product of one distillery and one distiller in a single season, barreled for at least 4 years and bottled at exactly 100 proof."

Color: borderline light/medium brown with an orange tint

Smell: very nice, and definitely on the "spicy" side of bourbon. Reminds me immediately of Four Roses. Slight caramel sweetness is offset with some oak spice, mint, dill, latex paint, and peanuts. It's not a profoundly deep nose, but it's rock-solid.

Taste: smooth - even a little thin - on entry. Slight caramel sweetness upfront and then the oak spice builds on the midpalate. The interesting secondary notes (mint and dill especially) show up in the medium-short finish, along with latex paint, a hint of peanuts, and some alcohol heat.

Overall: this is a "B" for me. The flavors are all there, but it's both a little thin/watery (on entry) and a little hot (finish), which holds it back slightly. That said, great use of $20. This is excellent to sip neat or on ice, and a great bourbon for cocktails. This is the type of bottle that would make me very nervous to be a micro-distiller...I can't imagine this is easy to match!