Old Grand-Dad 114, The Budget Sipper that Online Bourbon Communities Love

Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

AT A GLANCE

• Spirit: Old Grand-Dad 114 Kentucky Straigh Bourbon Whiskey

• Owned by: Beam Suntory

• Distilled and Bottled by: Jim Beam American Stillhouse, Clermont, KY

• Mash Bill: 63% Corn, 27% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

• Still Type: Column Still

• Age: NAS (minimum of 4 years)

• Strength: 57% ABV

• Price: $30

Old Grand-Dad bourbon is one of the few pre-prohibition brans that has survive to the present. In 1882, Colonel Raymond Bishop Hayden and his business partner F.L. Ferriell built the R.B. Hayden & Company Distillery, in Nelson County, Kentucky and created the Old Grand-Dad brand to honor the legacy of Hayden’s grandfather Meredith Basil Hayden, Sr. for whom the current Basil Hayden brad is also named after. Basil Hayden was born in Maryland to Catholic parents who fled persecution in England. In 1785 Hayden moved his family and a group of other Catholics to Nelson County, and began distilling three years later. Hayden was known for making bourbon with a high rye content so when Raymond Hayden created the brand, he too made a high rye bourbon.

In 1899, the Wathen family purchased the distillery and they continued selling Old Grand-Dad, preserving the legacy of Basil Hayden. During National Prohibition the Wathen family was able to secure a permit to continue distilling and selling medicinal alcohol. In 1929, National Distillers purchased the Old Taylor Distillery and the Old Grand-Dad brand from the Wathen’s and expanded the Old Grand-Dad line to include the 114 expression along with an 86 proof bottling and a bottled in bond.

Then in 1987, Beam purchased National Distillers which gave them ownership of the Old Crow, Old-Grand Dad and Old Taylor thought they eventually sold Old Taylor to Sazerac. Beam absorbed the Old Crow brand but did not keep its original mash bill but did keep the Old-Grand Dad high rye bourbon mash bill and yeast strain which they still use today.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: At 57% ABV the nose is surprisingly muted with notes of caramel, toffee, clove, and green apple slices dusted with cinnamon.

Palate: On the palate the alcohol is fairly moderate though the bourbon has an intense flavor of baked apple, baking spices, warm oak, and just hit of vanilla sweetness.

Finish: The whiskey has a long finish with lingering flavors of cinnamon apple, vanilla, and just a touch of caramel.

Conclusion: Old Grand-Dad 114 is a gem of a whiskey hidden in plain sight. This is a great example of how higher proof whiskeys can sometimes drink softer and with grater flavor intensity than at 80 proof. For these reasons it is no wonder that OGD 114 is a fan favorite of both experts and online bourbon communities. Lastly, if you are a fan of Jim Beam bourbons or find some of their 80 proof offerings somewhat lackluster, this higher proof bottling has a good chance of winning you over.

Four of the Best Aged Rums being made in the United States

American rum is going through a bit of a renaissance and there are a growing number of high-quality aged rums being distilled right here in the US. Overall rum is the US’ fourth favorite spirit after vodka, whiskey, and tequila. According to the Distilled Spirits Council in 2023 about 57% of all rum sales were flavored or spiced and the top five brand made up about 77% of the US rum market. However, 10 years ago, the top brands made up more than 80% of the market which tells me that more people are slowly starting to shift their buying habits away from Bacardi and Captain Morgan towards more interesting rums.

If you are a dedicated rum fan or just looking to explore the rum world beyond the five major brands, here are four of the best aged rums being made in the US. And while there are many others, this is a good place to start.

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Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

Oxbow Rum Distillery

Barrel Aged Straight Rum 47.5% ABV, MSRP $40

Oxbow is one of a very small number of truly estate-distilled rums. This means that they control the entire process from planting the sugar cane in their rich Louisiana soil, to the processing of their own grade A molasses, and on to fermentation, distilling, aging and bottling.

Their barrel aged straight rum is aged for a minimum of two years in new charred oak barrels which helps to give it great depth and complexity. The run is a symphony of flavors with notes of dried fruit, baking spices, oak, vanilla and a very subtle perception of sweetness. Unlike some other rums this has absolutely zero sugar added after distillation and bottling. All of the perceived sweetness comes from their high-quality molasses and patient maturation in oak.

Oxbow has not taken any shortcuts with this rum and if you are looking for a new aged rum to enjoy or you are a fan of brandies such as cognac or armagnac there is a very good chance you will love this too. Enjoy Oxbow’s aged rum on neat, on the rocks or in your favorite rum cocktail.

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Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

Roulaison Distilling Co

Barrel Aged Reserve Rum 47% ABV, MSRP $40

Andrew Lohfeld and Patrick Hernandez founded Roulaison Distilling Co in 2016 as a tribute to the long history and culture of cane cultivation and rum making in Louisiana. Roulaison is a French term that refers to the cane harvest season that in Louisiana can span from September to January.

The rum starts with 100% Louisiana grade B molasses which is fermented in separate batches with two different yeast strains to create two distinct marks (rum bases that can be blended later to create a more complex flavor). The washes are then double pot distilled and some is then matured in used oak barrels at or below 110 proof. After about 3 years of aging, barrels of their rum marks are blended and their Barrel Aged Reserve rum is bottled at 47% ABV.

The rum is complex from the first aroma all the way through to the finish. The spirit and oak have combined to create a new unique whole that is greater than the sum of its parts with sweet notes of creme brulee, followed with floral notes, bright citrus, oak and a resonate earthiness.

If you enjoy higher proof spirits you can definitely enjoy this neat, but with a healthy splash of water the flavors widen and allow you more time to enjoy them. Roulaison’s Barrel Aged rum will also work nicely in cocktails such as a rum negroni, rum flip or a Test Pilot.

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Sample bottle provided by Maggie’s Farm Rum

Maggie’s Farm Rum

Queen’s Share Rum 57% ABV, MSRP $65

While Pittsburgh is not the most obvious location for a rum distillery, Maggie’s Farm has been distilling great spirits in the Steel City for more than a decade. All their rums begin by fermenting and pot distilling a wash of turbinado sugar. The Queen’s Share is made by collecting all of the tails from their regular runs until they have enough to redistill one more time. This oily spirit is then aged in oak barrels until it is ready and bottled at cask strength.

The rum is slightly coy with a light aroma of toasted oak, vanilla, and orange zest. However, on the palate there is an explosion of flavor with deep notes of leather, caramel, orange oil and baking spices. Overall, their Queen’s share is rich with an almost oily texture that makes it a truly regal spirit.

Enjoy this slowly either neat or with a small dash of water. But if you were to use it in a cocktail the Corn n' Oil is an obvious choice.

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Sample bottle provided by South Hollow Spirits

South Hollow Spirits

Twenty Boat Cask Finished Reserve Rum 42.5% ABV, MSRP $100

Founded in 2012, South Hollow Spirits is the first legal distillery on Cape Cod since prohibition. The name Twenty Boat comes from an incident in 1930 when 20 police and Coast Guard boats were dispatched to apprehend a bootlegger who evaded capture during a sting where 250 gallons of rum were confiscated and 10 other men arrested.

Twenty Boat rums begin by making a couple different marks by separately fermenting and distilling washes made from molasses and evaporated cane juice. After being double distilled in their 250-gallon pot still the marks are matured between two and three years in used chardonnay and ex-whiskey barrels. For the Reserve Rum a blend of their marks is selected and then finished in white or red port barrels to add complexity and a light sweetness.

Twenty Boat Reserve Rum is an elegant spirit that is simultaneously light in body but full of deep and dark flavors. The rum is packed full of dark and dried fruits, molasses, baking spices, roasted nuts and rounded out with a light oak character.

At 42.5% ABV this Reserve Rum dances across the tongue like sugar-plum fairies. The elements of oak and spirit are well integrated and it would not surprise me if South Hollow Spirits was using the French style of slow reduction, where the spirit is brought down to bottling strength over weeks or months rather than in a single day. This is definitely a rum to enjoy neat or with just a drop of water to further explore the depts of its flavor.

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Honorable Mention

Two of the earliest new American rum distilleries to launch at the beginning of the Craft Distillery boom were Privateer Rum in Ipswich, Massachusetts and Richland Rum in Brunswick, Georgia. Privateer sought to revive the long tradition of rum distilling in New England and Richland was the first estate rum produced in US in the 21st Century.

Privateer starts with grade A molasses imported from Guatemala which is fermented with their own special blend of yeasts. After fermentation the wash is first pot distilled and then distilled a second time in their hybrid still which allows them to engage or disengage plates in an attached column so they can create rums with varying levels of intensity which they can later blend or age to create their different rum profiles. If you are new to Privateer, try their New England Reserve Rum or their Bottled in Bond Rum.

Richland Rum grows their own sugar cane on the southeastern coast of Georgia. The cane is harvested, pressed and then lightly cooked into a cane syrup which removes some of the excess water, concentrates the cane flavors and creates new flavors from the caramelization process. The cane syrup is fermented and then double pot distilled. Their aged rums start out in toasted and then charred new oak barrels and are usually matured between four and five years for their “Classic” expression. While Richland now offers a variety of cask strength and finished rums, if you are new to their style start with their Classic Single Barrel Select Rum.

Most Underrated Wheated Bourbon

Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

AT A GLANCE

• Spirit: Florida Straight Bourbon Whiskey

• Owned, Distilled and Bottled by: St. Augustine Distillery, St. Augustine, FL

• Spirit Type: Bourbon

• Mash Bill: 60% Florida Corn, 22% Malted Barley, 18% Florida Wheat

• Still Type: Pot Still

• Aged: Aged 3 Years

• Strength: 44% ABV

• Price: $50

This summer I got to visit St. Augustine Distillery, right before they were name the 2024 Distillery of the Year by the American Distilling Institute. Philip McDaniel and Mike Diaz opened the distillery in 2014 and released Florida’s first bourbon in 2016. McDaniel and Diaz solicited the help of Master Distiller Dave Pickerell who helped them develop their wheated mash bill using local grains and a maturation plan for how to age their bourbon in the hot and humid Florida climate.

Over the last eight years, the age statement on their bourbon has only crept up from two to three years. And while many whiskey fans have been conditioned to only think older is better, St. Augustine’s Florida Straight Bourbon is a good example of how hotter climates can, in the right hands, produce a more mature tasting whiskey in less time. With over 175,000 annual visitors, I believe the results speak for themselves. Their Florida Straight Bourbon is perfectly crafted for their unique location and they are making what I believe to be the most underrated wheated bourbon in the country.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The bourbon opens with an inviting aroma of vanilla caramel and a touch of green apple. Underneath that are warm smells of baked bread and toasted wood with just a hint of sweet cherries and cloves.

Palate: At first sip the whiskey has a slight bight of cinnamon that then softens on the tongue. There is a pronounced grain and oak character followed by notes tobacco, vanilla, and a hint of candied orange peel.

Finish: The finish has a light sweetness with lingering notes of oak, tobacco and leather.

Conclusion: Yes St. Augustine's Florida Straight Bourbon is a touch young but the whiskey is a testament to the skill and ingenuity of the team to craft a very good wheated bourbon in their hot and humid environment. For those who like their bourbons a little lighter and with less oak, this is a good fit. I have enjoyed drinking this neat, on the rocks, with water and in an Old Fashioned. I have also observed that having a pour half way through the bottle is a more enjoyable experience than when you first crack it open, which tells me that a little aeration won’t hurt. If you are a fan of Maker's Mark and have been looking for something new to scratch that wheated bourbon itch, I cannot recommend this more. I am also confident that as they are able to gradually push the age of their whiskey some of the young grain quality will fall away and you will see that St. Augustine's is making one of the most underrated wheated bourbons outside of Kentucky.

The Best Rye Whiskey of 2024

Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

AT A GLANCE

• Name: Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey

• Owned by: Illva Saronno, Lombardy, Italy

• Distilled and Bottled by: Sagamore Spirit

• Spirit Type: Rye Whiskey

• Mash Bills: High Rye: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barly; Low Rye: 52% Rye, 43% Corn, 5% Malted Barley

• Still Type: Column Still with Two Copper Doublers

• Age: NAS (4-6 years)

• Strength: 46.5%

• Price: $39

Kevin Plank, CEO of Uder Armour founded Sagamore Spirits in 2013 but construction of their Baltimore distillery did not begin until 2015. As the build out progressed Sagamore began sorcing aged rye from MGP (now Ross & Squibb Distillery) in Lawrenceburge, IN and had them contract distill new make for them. Sagamore's 22,000 square food ditillery opened in April 2017 and they got straight to work distilling two rye mashbills on their 24 inch column still from Vendome. On the label and in some of their marketing you might notice they claim their whiskey is triple distilled which is unusual outside of Irish whiskey. Looking into it I discovered that their column still is connected to two doublers (esentially pot stills) so the spirit gets distilled once in the column, and two more times in the doublers. While this would probably not count as triple distilled in Ireland, it is effective at making a good base spirit.

Sagamore is one of a number of distilleries looking to revieve the old style of Maryland Rye Whiskey that was popular from about 1850 to 1950 and completly dissapeard in the 1980s. In general, Maryland rye was know for being sweeter than ryes coming out of Pennsylvania and so Sagamore took two rye whiskey mash bills from MGP (one high and one low rye contnet) and blended them together to land around where a historic Maryland rye might have been. If you are interested to learn more about Maryland rye you find a whole chapter about it in my book The Atlas of Bourbon & American Whiskey.

Sagamore began selling their sourced whiskey in May 2016, and in 2021 they released their first bottles of 100% Maryland distilled and aged rye as a Bottled in Bond. Then in May 2024 Sagamore released the first bottles of their Small Batch (Maryland) Stright Rye Whiskey which completed their transition from fully sourced whiskey, to a blend of sourced and in-house whiskey and now all their own aged whiskey. This is a historic milestone because while there are several Maryland distillers making good rye, Sagamore is the only one currently with a national reach that reintroduce Maryland rye to the broader public.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: On the nose there are notes of molasses followed by lighter notes of vanilla, honey, warm rye bread, carraway, and oak. As the it opens light notes of dill and wintergreen rise up.

Palate: On the palate there is a nice light sweetness or caramel and vanilla that slips across the tongue light and warm. The whiskey has light peach character followed by flavors of oak and a light grassy note but without any bitterness or astringency.

Finish: The finish is long and savory with notes of oak, dill and candied orange peal with a light sweetness.

Conclusion: Sagamore Straight Rye is an excellent whiskey, a strong addition to the story of Maryland rye and the best new rye whiskey I’ve had in 2024. If you are curious to taste Maryland rye this is an excelent place to begin. This whiskey is very veritile and can easily be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, with water or in your favorite cocktail. If you are a fan of rye this definitly one you should look for and enjoy.

Review: Wilderness Trail Yellow Label Single Barrel Bourbon Bottled in Bond

Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Campari Group

• Distilled and Bottled by: Wilderness Trail Distillery, Danville, KY

• Spirit Type: Bourbon

• Mash Bill: 64% Corn, 24% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley

• Still Type: Column

• Age: Bottled in Bond (minimum 4 years)

• Strength: 50% ABV

• Price: $55

In 2012 after a decade of working as fermentation consultants for other distilleries and alcohol produces, Shane Baker and Pat Heist founded Wilderness Trail Distillery. As with other start-up distilleries, Wilderness Trail began by selling their vodka and an aged spirit distilled from sorghum molasses while their bourbon aged. And rather than developing just one whiskey, Baker and Heist, make three, a wheated bourbon, and a high-rye bourbon and a rye whiskey made from a mash of 56% rye, 33% corn, and 11% malted barley. Wilderness Trail has slowly built a steady following and grew their distribution across the country. Then, in November 2022, Campari Group purchased a 70% stake in Wilderness Trail for $600 million.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The whiskey has a lovely aroma of dark caramel, with softer notes of vanilla and sweet cinnamon.

Palate: On the palate the bourbon is velvety, umptious, and tick with rich caramel, vanilla, toffee, sweet cherry, and ripe nectarine, balanced with warm notes oak and baking spices.

Finish: On the finish, more of the vanilla and oak flavors come forward with bright notes of hot cinnamon mingled with the alcohol.

Conclusion: Wilderness trail is hands down one of the best new bourbons to hit store shelves in a long time. Despite its 50% ABV bottling strength the whiskey is not overly hot and leans toward the sweeter side of the bourbon flavor spectrum. If it is available in your area, do yourself a favor and buy a bottle.