James B. Beam Distilling has released a 16-year-old Grand-Dad bourbon, the oldest expression of the cult favorite brand. This is the first coming-of-age statement since Beam acquired OGD from National Distillers in 1987, and the 100-proof bottle marks the start of a new era for the storied brand.
Old Grandpa has been raging since 1882 with little fanfare and has barely updated the label over the past century. However, high rust bourbon has found dedicated fans from generation to generation. It's an understated cultural icon that also appeared in 20th-century American literature in the works of Raymond Chandler, John Steinbeck, and Cormac McCarthy—and note that Steinbeck's novel was not fiction.
The love and appreciation continues today. Available in 80, 100 and 114 bottles, none of which are difficult to find or your wallet. Each version delivers a dose of cinnamon—no added spice—from at least four years of juice. at Men's Magazinethe 114-proof OGD is our go-to glass for old fashioned mixing and acts as the bartender's handshake for many in the service industry. However, you usually only see it in a bar fountain or near the floor of a liquor store. There are no celebs to endorse, let alone a lively Insta feed or an X account giving @FireballWhisky snarky replies.
The announcement of the 16-year-old Grandpa took fans by surprise earlier this year, but enthusiasm for the new release has been overwhelming, says Tim Heuisler, Beam Distilling's global whiskey ambassador.
“We did a pre-release during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and sold hundreds of cases, one bottle per person,” he says.
Matt Allen
Aged for 16 years, the whiskey is a traditional Old Grand-Dad distillate using National Distillers' long-aged yeast strain and a mash of 63 percent corn, 27 percent rye, and 10 percent barley malt. But in 2008, Beam had no plans to eventually release this relatively ancient version. Heuisler credits the Beam production team at the Frankfort, Ky. warehouse and bottling plant for identifying OGD barrels worth setting aside and monitoring their progress over the years.
I received a sample of the Old Grand-Dad 16 and as I poured it into my Glencairn the aroma jumped and hit me before I could even pick it up. There was a hint of caramel and rye baking spices on the pie crust, along with some cherry and smoky barbecue.
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The flavor is a bit nuttier and the nature of this pie crust sweetens it into a spicy tart. After the initial taste rolled across my tongue, I was shocked to suddenly veer into the macerated strawberries before the cloves, allspice and charcoal smoke returned on the finish.
It's a wonderful sipper, a really fun bourbon and I wouldn't have minded enjoying it more. While it doesn't have a barrel-proof release – as some OGD fans have complained online – this is a fantastic, rusty bourbon with impressive depth that retains the cinnamon tingle of old grandpa.
The suggested retail price is $195, and when the release is gone, that's it. Not a single batch of 15-year-old barrels waits until 2025. But Heuisler says the 16-year-old should be the first release in Beam's Old Grand-Dad innovation series.
“I can tell you that this is probably just the beginning of what you're going to see from old grandpa,” says Heuisler. “We're just scratching the surface.”
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