Well, friends, I’m back from vacation. At 17 days, that’s the longest one I’ve ever had. And let me tell you, it was also the most relaxing—yet frustrating—vacation I’ve ever been on. Relaxing because I love the Redwoods. If my entire life was just sitting under the trees and listening to the birds, I’d be content. Add in the fact that my campsite was across the street from the cliffs that were towering above the coastline, where you could hear the waves crash and the sea lions bark, and well, you’ve got yourself a heck of a good time. The trip was only frustrating because, as always, I packed too much into the itinerary and couldn’t get to most of it. Especially when an RV was our only source of transportation for most of the trip (though we did rent a car a couple of times when we stayed in one place for a few days). And so we didn’t hit many of the places we wanted to go. But all in all, it was a great trip, and I’ve already booked an Airbnb—owned by the campground owners and somehow even closer to the coast—for next year so I can finally see the little places we missed this time.
On one of the days we had a rental car, we decided to go shopping at a few little shops in the area. One was, obviously, a liquor store. And in that little liquor store in the little city of Fortuna, I found something I’d only ever heard about.
See, last year about this time, Jim Beam put out a one-time-only limited release of their Old Grand-Dad bourbon. It was sixteen years old and 100 proof. Sadly, it also had an MSRP of just shy of $200 ($194.99 to be exact). Now, that’s a lot of money, and I fully expected to pay through the nose if I ever got lucky enough to see it. Well, this lovely little liquor store in the lovely little city had exactly one bottle in their locked case. One bottle that was actually under MSRP. This is the sort of thing I’d heard about but had never seen before—a liquor store having a one-time-only, limited release still sitting on the shelf a year later and for less than MSRP. I knew it was my lucky day. And since I was on vacation, I felt no guilt about splurging on it.
Now, I’m not going to go too far into the details of the bottling itself since, honestly, we all know Old Grand-Dad. But if you’re new, here are the Cliff’s Notes: Old Grand-Dad is the (until recently) long-neglected high-rye bourbon produced by Jim Beam. You’ve probably seen its signature garish orange label. The same juice is also used in the company’s Basil Hayden bourbon. This bottle is that juice, aged 16 years and bottled at 100 proof. Let’s see how it tastes.
Old Grand-Dad 16 Year 100 proof
Purchase Info: $190.00 for a 750 mL bottle at Fortuna Liquors, Fortuna, CA
Price per Drink (50 mL): $12.67
Details: 50% ABV. 16 years old. Jim Beam high-rye mashbill.
Nose: Caramel, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, and a light fruitiness underneath.
Mouth: Thick and rich in the mouth. Follows the nose with a hefty dose of oak and spice. Notes of vanilla ice cream, cinnamon spice, and oak.
Finish: Medium/long and warm, with lingering notes of oak, vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon.
Thoughts: I love this. It’s absolutely the best Old Grand-Dad I’ve ever tasted. That said, it’s still Old Grand-Dad, and if you aren’t a super fan, I’d recommend skipping this one on price alone. But if, like me, you really enjoy OGD, then this is a splurge that will make you very happy. Thick, rich mouthfeel with caramel and vanilla ice cream layered over those classic Old Grand-Dad flavors. I’m in love.
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