Tag: Beam Suntory

BSG Review: Old Grand-Dad Bonded

October 24, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Jim Beam Distillery

Location: Clermont, KY

Parent Company: Beam Suntory

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4 years

Mashbill: 63% Corn, 27% Rye, 10% Barley

Old Grand-Dad Bonded is made by Jim Beam from their high rye mash bill. It’s aged for at least 4 years and meets all of the legal requirements to be labeled as bottled in bond. If you’ve had the OGD 114 proof version and found it to be too hot, this could be a perfect compromise to keep the heat down and, yet, the flavor still be bold enough to keep it interesting. Most consumers should be able to find this bottle for under $25.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Copper

Nose: Caramel, butterscotch, baking spices, oak

Palate: Caramel, oak, leather, mixed fruit

Finish: Long, caramel and baking spices

Old Grand-Dad Bonded started sweet on the nose with caramel and butterscotch sticking out before the baking spices and oak came through underneath. This bourbon tasted of caramel on the front end, but then transitioned to an oak and leathery mid-palate with a hint of mixed fruit to round it out with no one specific fruit flavor standing out. The finish was long and stayed on the caramel note, but the higher rye mash left the baking spices hanging around the longest as the mild Kentucky hug settled in for a while.

This is a solid choice for a daily sipper or even a cocktail if you so choose. I would say this bourbon would be a good candidate for an old fashioned on a hot summer day, but I was perfectly happy sipping it neat in a leather wingback with something to read on this cool Fall evening.

BSG Score: 86/100

BSG Review: Jim Beam Repeal Batch

October 16, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Jim Beam Distillery

Location: Clermont, KY

Parent Company: Beam Suntory

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: 4 years

Mashbill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

Jim Beam Repeal Batch is basically the same 4-year-old bourbon that is used for the standard white label offering, but there are a few differences that will make this one worth your time. The main differentiator is that this expression is non-chill-filtered and bottled at 6 proof points higher than white label. This was created as a commemorative offering celebrating the 85th anniversary of Repeal Day. It is supposed to result in a taste that more closely resembles the taste profile of their post-prohibition whiskey. Most consumers should be able to find this bottle for under $20.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Golden with long, thin legs

Nose: Vanilla, popcorn, oak, almonds, clove

Palate: Oak forward, clove, butterscotch, cinnamon, corn

Finish: Oily, medium-long spice and honey

Jim Beam Repeal Batch starts of visually with some very long, thin legs down the side of the glass. The nose initially comes off with vanilla, popcorn and oak. After a few sips I also picked up some almonds and clove. The taste was very much oak forward with clove also on the front end. The transition back went from butterscotch and cinnamon to the familiar corn notes as it went down. The finish was oily and relatively long with a spiciness and some honey notes coming through at the very end.

I’m not usually a big fan of the entry-level offerings from Jim Beam, but this one has me intrigued enough to keep sipping. This is a well-done sub-90-proof offering that is sure to do well with consumers that don’t really want to move into higher proof bourbon, but still want a little more interesting experience than the old familiar college mixer in the white label bottle. I definitely recommend giving this one a shot. The price is right and I think they did a great job with the branding efforts for this throwback styling on the label. It makes this bottle look nice on the bar, too!

BSG Score: 75/100

BSG Review: Legent

August 27, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Jim Beam Distillery

Location: Clermont, KY

Parent Company: Beam Suntory

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey partially finished in wine & sherry casks

Proof: 94 (47% ABV)

Age: NAS (appx. 4-5 years)

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley

Legent is a Beam Suntory collaboration between Fred Noe, Master Distiller at Jim Beam, and Shinji Fukuyo, Chief Blender at Suntory. It starts its life as a typical Jim Beam bourbon. Some of the bourbon is finished in wine and sherry casks before being blended back in with more straight bourbon to create this unique offering of Japanese style blended whiskey using Jim Beam bourbon as its base. The bottle is very nice with an image of the facial profiles of both Fred and Shinji on either side of the black brush stroke down the center. It also has a large engraved wooden topper on the cork with both “Kentucky” and “Japan” across the top and “Two Legends One Bourbon” underneath. The price is right at $35 for a 750 mL bottle.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Amber/Red-tinted

Nose: Peaches, raspberries, brown sugar

Palate: Molasses, brown sugar, plum and a little hint of peanuts

Finish: Short-medium length and dry, cinnamon and oak with a very light KY hug

I get all sugary sweet aromas on the nose, with peach and raspberry dominant notes. This is typical for me with the wine and sherry finished whiskies. The taste switches it up a little with a molasses and brown sugar front end that transitions to more of a plum fruit flavor before giving off a hint of peanut as it goes down. The finish is short to medium in length and dry, which I also typically get from wine finished whiskies. It finally picks up a little spice with the cinnamon and oak coming through at the very end. This whiskey doesn’t give much of a KY hug, but the dryness lingers on the palate and is all I can concentrate on after it goes down. Legent was a cool experiment, and at this price I would recommend giving it a try if you like wine and sherry finished bourbons, but I cannot say this would be a repeat purchase for me. The nose had me reeled in, but, ultimately the finish turned me away in the end.

BSG Score: 76/100

Tag: Beam Suntory

BSG Review: Old Grand-Dad Bonded

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Jim Beam Repeal Batch

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Legent

BSG REVIEW:

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