Fun fact: Old Grand Dad was one of James Bond's favorite whiskies. He specifically ordered Old Grand in "Live And Let Die", and he's had it a few other times in the books.
Recently rediscovered Old Grandad Bonded and came on here to see what folks thought. Your review is spot on. Character, and it makes me happy and proud a cousin across the Pond can appreciate it as I do. Will have to check out Evan's bonded now. Excellent vid.
Coming to this about 7 years later. They are still 2 good bonded bottles. The price hasn't changed much. Still good affordable picks, and both are pretty good for the price. Please do more bourbon reviews. Most bourbon review channels are unwatchable.
I’ve been sitting on a bottle of Evan Williams Bottled In Bond. I mostly bought it because I know most bottled in bonds are usual pretty good and it was only $20. Now I’m all jazzed up to crack it open
RALPHIE. as I sit here with my double of BIB Evan Williams; I am floored by your unique descriptive prowess. The burn walnut leading into bitter toffee is spot on mate!
Rally, love your talk and banter about the farming industry and how it impacts whisk(e)y and everything/one else. You are correct about the OGD BIB bottle redesign. They removed the plastic screw cap and replaced it with a fake rubber “cork”. I kind of like it, I kind of don’t. The stuff inside is still the same so that’s good news.
OGD BIB is one of my favorite whiskeys right now. Especially for the value. It’s always found on the bottom shelf (in philly at least). I’m pleased Ralfy approves! ✊🏼
Excellent review. I enjoyed learning about these 2 bourbon whiskey's. You have a great way with words that keep the viewer/listener interested in your opinion. Thank you for your time to post this video for us all to learn
old grand dad 100 is simply godly for the price, $22.05. When I can find it the EW BIB is like $!6, but it's harder to find. It's great you appreciate EW for what it is. One of the best values hands down
Regarding 4 Roses, all of their recipes are available under the single barrel label, usually as store picks and at cask strength- it's one of my favorite things about 4 Roses. For example, the OESK recipe is my favorite, and quite different from the OBSK which is my second favorite. And you can compare them all to OBSV, which is the recipe used for their standard single barrel. I don't remember which recipes go into small batch, but if you can find them all as single barrels and have a good nose and palate you would probably appreciate small batch even more as you pick out influences from each recipe.
i like the way the old grandad label matches the ralfy.com sign. the evan williams matches the bourbon mark sign. another high class revue, ralfy. one of many many others. thank you.
Ralfy, if you ever have the opportunity to try Dettling Bourbon bottled in bond, you won’t be disappointed! The cask strength is also superb. It is produced by an independent distillery in Alabama called Big Escambia Spirits. All bottlings use a six grain mash bill. Mash bill: 70% Alabama corn 15% Canadian rye 12% oats 3% roasted malt (dark German rye, malted German wheat and Chilean barley)
Evan Williams BIB is one of my favorite bourbons at the moment. I also enjoy the very underrated Very Old Barton BIB - also made in Bardstown across town from Evan Williams's Heaven Hill Distillery home. Another favorite is the 103 proof Fighting Cock - also a Heaven Hill product. Unfortunately, like so many bourbons lately, the six year-old age statements have recently been removed from the Fighting Cock and Very Old Barton, but they're still very good. I get a very "earthy oakiness tasting note from all three that really set them apart from the other bourbons in their price category. Speaking of price, the Evan Williams BIB is creeping into the $15.99 category in Kentucky, still a good value, but it gripes my butt that it's priced at $13.99 all the way over in Seattle. Take advantage Seattleites!!! Great review Ralfy!!!
Evan Williams White Label bottled in bond: SF Bay Area - just got this on sale at a supermarket for $13.99! After sales tax out the door for $15.28. What a steal for this nice Kentucky bourbon, makes it taste even better. Thanks Ralfy!
Old Grand Dad BIB is my go to bourbon I agree with you. I remember when it was packaged in that old bottle and I preferred it. The new style with the fancy label and the cork is pure pretension. We all know that a cork sure sounds nice and gives that "premium" feeling but we aren't drinking wine here; the cork actually harms the spirit. It also used to be cheaper when it was the orange screw top. The final nail in the coffin: they no longer bottle the 1.75mL "handle" of it, which was the best bang for your buck of any whiskey I've ever had the pleasure of purchasing, I still buy it but I miss how it used to be. But you do have a point in that it's a double-edged sword: while the exposure certainly has made it more expensive it does guarantee that it'll be sticking around. As for Evan Williams: I gotta say, give me the Old Grand Dad any day. I like that rye-forward taste of the OGD. Can't go wrong with either though.
We just tried the Evan Williams White Label Bottled in Bond 100 Proof Bourbon and were very pleasantly surprised. It is still a somewhat young Bourbon, but an outstanding value for what we pay for it here at the "Gestapo" A.B.C stores in Virginia. BTW: Your videos are excellent and very objective.
Here the Alabama Liquor Cartel stores have EW BiB for $16 plus tax. It's a good price, but I'm not in love with the EW taste profile. I just saw OGD BiB last night but didn't buy it. I will definitely buy it now that I know where it is!
The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was actually instigated by Kentucky Distillers to protect the integrity of their product. One of the greatest consumer protection acts ever enacted.
I'm all in on transparency Ralfy, you have convinced me of the importance. The slippery slope and how the lack of it could effect downstream liquor quality. Thanks for sharing that perspective. It's helped me to be a better consumer at the very least. On the other hand, I try to be more open to NAS, blends and finishes. But it's my choice, not out of ignorance, Thank you Sir!
OGD is a product of Jim Beam, one of the few Beam bourbons I look forward to drinking. OGD BiB is great but OGD 114 is even better. Evan Williams is Heaven Hill juice. All are very good pours for the money.
OGD114 is an excellent bang for your buck. I’m also a huge fan of Wild Turkey Rare Breed, if you like the 114 proof, Rare Breed is 116 and also excellent (just a tad more expensive)
Thank you for this review. I have been curious about trying both of these bonded bourbons. Well i have a feeling the Old Grand dad is the one. I only add water to the rare times i enjoy scotch. Yes with Old Grand Dad they changed the cap. I personally hate a scrwe cap but prefer a corked top.
Love Evan Williams, especially Bottled in Bond, forgot about it for some years as I ventured into single malts, now gonna stock up as they are not being sold as much in my country (NL)
Ralfy, if you have not yet gone to Bardstown, you should. Quite historic. There 7 or 9 distilleries near the town. (Beam, Barton, Heaven Hill, Willette, Barton, Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, etc.) Evan Williams is made by Heaven Hill, which is headquartered in Bardstown. However, Heaven Hill's distillery burned in 1996 (along with an obscene amount of aging whiskey) so its whiskey is now distilled near Louisville, KY, in the old Bernheim facility. But the distillate is aged in Bardstown - so go, take tours, enjoy. Also, it is well to know that Jim Beam lived in Bardstown. He commuted a few miles to Clermont, though. That is where Old Grand Dad comes from - Beam. Nice place - nice cat - go visit the cat. Anyway, thought you might like to know.
You're spot on about GM, not only do you have to use their pesticides, the seeds are not your "intellectual property" so you have to go back year after year to buy new seeds instead of using some of the ones grown. Nice review also, I'm just discovering the joy of bourbon!
Just enjoyed and hung on to every single. Word no silliness just very thoughtful arrangement of beautiful words Made me feel I was standing in a high hill surrounded by beautiful large oak trees I love both but I lean towards Evan Williams bonded especially a no brained for the cost of either never saw or tasted all the many different tastes until you pointed them out ❤
I have been on meds and recovering from a surgury for the better part of 2 months and needless to say I have not been allowed to drink......this Friday I will be off the meds and and fully recovered and I can't wait to pop the top on a bottle of whiskey. Probably gonna pick up a bottle of Macallan 18 to celebrate 😀
Great review as usual, from my Scottish friend (that's what my wife calls you) Ralfy. As an American, I will never by any bourbon/whisky that will not state that they DO NOT use poison (glyphosate from Roundup) loaded GMO corn. Balcones and Four Roses comes to mind. Till then my favourites are going to be single malt scotch, the likes of Old Poultney 12/Navigator, Glenmorangie 10/Lasante, etc.
This last weekend I purchased Evan Williams BiB and was blow away. I watched your review after the purchase and good to see a reputable whisky reviewer like yourself Ralfy rate the whisky as high as I do. I now will look for OGD BIB along with other BiBs this coming weekend.
You can rest assured on the Four Roses. The Whiskey is distilled at the Four Roses Distillery. They use several yeast strains though and several mash bills to produce different whiskeys and then blend them.
A very large, local specialty liquor and wine store that had been around for over 100 years is sadly closing its doors. They were emptying all their back stock and today I stumbled upon a bottle of Teacher's Highland Cream that looks to be from the 1940s-1960s, pre-Glendronach. I originally bought the bottle to drink, but additional research suggested that I might resell it for 2-3 times what I paid for it, so I started to waffle. Then I re-watched Whisky Review 531 where you reviewed three generations of Teacher's. Based on that review, I've decided to follow in your footsteps and locate some older Teacher's and do a similar comparison, myself. If you happen to come to the SF Bay Area on your Bonneville adventure, stop on by and we can share a dram of my Teacher's bottle. Cheers, Ralfy.
Thanks for the informative review. I bought a bottle of both of these and really like them. I like the Evan Williams more and that surprised me, I really enjoy high rye bourbons and I thought Old Grand Dad was a shoe in. I think I really like the oak that is present in the Evan Williams.
Both bottles are always in my cupboard... value & taste... youthful mist to it.. Ralfy is such a hoot... 100 proof, 4 years.. this whiskey will get ya there.. oh, four roses square bottle single barrel.... mostly top notch..
With the Four Roses Small Batch, I heard they are lenient with the "small batch" description at times to help make the flavor more consistent. They also have a single barrel bourbon which is apparently less consistent, but is bottled at 50% to make up for it.
2 decent choices both under $25 in America. But, Early Times Bottled in Bond seems to be the most purchased choice in 2022 in the USA. All BIB whiskeys are a minimum of 4 years old with many 6 to 9 years.
Ralfy dear- Great vlog, as per usual. At the end you produced the two bottles of "Bourbon de Luxe", and when I saw them I realized this is a good example of the effect of evaporation on bottles of the same spirit separated by forty years' time (i.e., fill levels noticeably different in each bottle). A good opportunity for Your Maltyness to point out the phenomenon in your upcoming review of these.
I happen to have a bottle of sour mach 43% Evan Williams (black lable, cheap one) when watching this review. I never considered this bourbon as the one to be enjoyed neat, I use it for mixing. Well, not untill I watched this video and started adding some substantial amount of water to my 43% EW. I must say, it was a good, positive humbling moment of me realizing that it truly becomes so much better with some time and water! Such a great feeling to know that I am less ignorant :) Thank you Ralfy!
EW BL is probably my favourite 'budget' bourbon - I can pick it up at £25 here in the UK which for bourbon is pretty decent; although recently the JD Distillers edition(s) has been on offer for £20 which (I know its JD . . . I know ;) is pretty good value as well) I have the BiB one in my cupboard waiting to be opened . . .
Had to post this as I just took Rafy's recomendation and mixed Rittenhouse Rye with Eagles Rare @ 50/50 and must say its one of the est whiskeys tasteings I have ever ecxperienced! Thanks Ralfy!
I believe Four Roses uses two mashbills and 5 different yeasts. 10 different combinations. They distill all their own products. Also the Bottled in Bond whiskies must list the distillery on the label by the federal distillery number. Look for the acronym DSP followed by a series of numbers. That is by federal statute. That number is on both of those bottles that you have, Ralfy. EW BiB is my current favorite bourbon. One of the gems of the "spirit" world.
You are correct about the Four Roses recipes. The small batch contains 4 recipes but who knows how many barrels of each. They do not buy different recipes from different distilleries. It's funny that you can get one of each recipe when buying the single barrel- barrel proof, but the standard single barrel is always the same recipe
Ralfy, I hope you've tried Old Forester's "Whiskey Row" series, including the bottled in bond (though my favorite is the 1920 "ProhibitionStyle") because THEY were the first to actually bottle whiskey AND they inspired/lobbied the govt. FOR the Bottled In Bond Act. Still amazingly wonderful--try and see!
I realize that this is an old review, but my bottle of Even Williams BiB is marked DSP-KY1, which is Heaven Hill Bernheim in Louisville. Lovely stuff. Especially for $16.
Hi Ralfy, Thank you for the great reviews of EW and Old Grand-Dad... Was hoping you would look at the back label of the Evan Williams, as they provide both the distiller and the bottler on the back label (at least here in the US): Distilled: Heaven Hill Distilleries, Louisville KY D.S.P. KY-1 Bottled: Old Evan Williams Distillery, Bardstown, KY D.S.P. KY 31 I think this may also be a requirement of Bonded bourbon. You are correct that this transparency is not always present in US spirits, unfortunately.
Sipping my first sample of OGD bonded as I watch this. After some of the more "traditional mash bill" bourbons this one reminds me of some of the more difficult or "demanding" single malts that I initially thought I hated, only to really appreciate as I kept trying. I'll have to "get my bearings about it" ;) "Bottled in Bond" or "Bonded" is probably USA's closest thing to the "single malt" designation of Scotland. It ensures single-distillery, one distillation season, a certain maturation transparency and integrity, couple it with the "straight" designation and you've got a winner. But one thing is different: a 12-year old Scotch single malt can be a vatting of some older spirits, while a 4-year old BIB bourbon or rye is going to be 4-year old through and through, at least that's how I understand "single season distillation" :)
Ralfy, Forgot to add: no distillery that exports to Europe or Japan (two large bourbon markets) uses GMO products unless a shortage forces them to, and then they will only use GMO products for the domestic market. EU and Japan import/export rules specifically state that GMO food products are prohibited from being brought to market. So if you purchased the bottle anywhere in Europe, it does not contain any GMO products. Cheers, Eric
Great review. I use Old Granddad BIB for my bourbon cocktails. I've never tried it neat and I've never had Evan Williams BIB. Guess I need to try them both, and try them neat.
I would say my order of EW bourbons would be... 1. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond 2. Evan Williams Single Barrel 3. Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch 4. Evan Williams Black Label (just because it’s last doesn’t mean it sucks...it is my daily bourbon).
Im not a huge bourbon fan but just got the grand dad for 23 dollars and its as good as most expensive ones I have wasted my time on. If your a bourbon buddy and are low on the smackaroos, this is a good choice.
four roses has 11 recipes and the small batch uses 4 of them in the small batch. they also make a limited small batch that combines 4 aged barrels at a greater price haha marketing the recipes are the mixture of ratios of corn, wheat, rye, and barley .
Ralfy, you should try some Bottled in bond Henry McKenna 10 year. Each bottle has the barrel number and the date it was bottled printed right on the label. An extra bonus is that they use a cork instead of a tacky screw top (definitely a terrible shame). It comes from Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky and it's a very nice bourbon. It's won a few awards this year and I think, deservedly so, it's very tasty (Heaven Hill Distillery Receives Best Bourbon, Best Small Batch Bourbon and Numerous Medals from 2018 San Francisco Spirits Competition). It runs about $26.99 per bottle in the states.
Thanks for the clarification on the Campfire blended malt (presume that was from my comment on the last vid). Just to make you aware High West have just released their own whiskey at last, it's called Valley Tan but is only available.... in Utah! Not good for me, but maybe for you if you're interested.
Mike Adams I enjoyed it. Will defiantly pick it up again next time I'm in Virginia Beach 1 for there and 1 to bring back. Never seen it here in NC nor do I think I have found it in Eastern TN either.
These are both very inexpensive straightforward honest whiskies. My parents drank Evan Williams black label (80 proof) for decades in old fashions. They saved the white label bottled in bond for company. I wouldn't drink either of these straight but they are great in a cocktail. Drinking some Old Grand-Dad 114, it's still a very reasonably priced readily available bourbon but head and shoulders above the BIB. It's NAS but certainly older.
Found this today and your comment on GMO corn was spot on. Please try to find a bourbon from J Henry and Son’s out of Wisconsin in the US using an almost lost non GMO red corn. If think you’ll approve!
I know this is an old review but if you ca get your hands on E H Taylor bourbon its a must taste. One of the best bourbons I have ever had. Same company and mashbill #1 as Buffalo Trace. And Evan Williams BIB is one of my favs as well. only $35 Canadian here very good value.
I honestly wish more consumers considered the label as a sorta-contract or a promise; we've all become too used to letting producers flat out lie to us.
The infuriating reality is that we've tried to have higher standards, the FDA was invented for a reason, but companies still weasel around regulations, or just flat out bride or undermine politicians and regulators.
the old grand-dad bottled in bond is produced by Jim Beam. It is their high Rye Mash bill and the picture of the gentleman on the cover is Basil Hayden.
They also produce a JB label BiB that is sold in Australia. It's not too bad - probably too much oak and caramel to be a regular for me. But the price for the proof is good! We don't get nearly enough variety in Oz for any reasonable price, so sometimes we have to drink below par 😞
+Sven Lancaster I have seen many reports of the prices there and it is absolute robbery! yes they make that as well that would be the low Rye Mash bill I believe. I'm going to be doing a bottled in bond segment on my personal show at some point. I did all the colonel eh Taylor bottled in bond already
Rally Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond is a Jim Beam product Beam-Sentory and Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is a Heaven Hill product which is family owned by the Shapira family. It is the largest family owned distillery in the United States. They produce many imprints. I enjoy both of these bourbons AND in the U.S. in my experience, most Bottled in Bond whiskies are sold by the Liter rather than the standard 750 ML and at lower prices than other bourbons; making them Great values!!! Coincidentally, I am doing a Head to Head tasting tonight as well!! I enjoy them both, OGD is spicier and Evan Williams is sweeter with a better mouthfeel IMO! I enjoy your reviews!! SLÁINTE Mike By the Way, I am an Irish Gaelic speaker so my RUclips name is the IRISH spelling of my last name.
I have the OGD BIB haven't tried the Evan Williams yet. I'd highly recommend the Heaven Hill BIB, which is usually only available in KY or near it. For $10.44 at the liquor barn in KY HH BIB is way underpriced IMO.
Ralfy: EVAN WILLIAMS is a Brand Distilled by HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY. As we both know Heaven Hill has a variety of Brands under its tent. I agree though, they should list the Distillery on the Bottle. BTW,
Ralfy, you mentioned you'd like to try an Evan Williams BIB with more age? Henry McKenna single barrel is a 10 year old BIB bourbon distilled by same producer as Evan Williams (Heaven Hill) and is supposed to have the same mashbill. I believe it's also the longest aged BIB bourbon currently produced. From what I've been told, the Henry McKenna single barrel BIB is basically an Evan Williams BIB aged to 10 years with a different name on the label, even though it's basically same whiskey from same producer...just aged an additional six years or so. It's also a GREAT price at about $27 here in California. It's also delicious!
Ralfy, your first instincts to like and trust Four Roses is good and should be trusted. Four Roses products all of their bourbon in house and it is not sourced. If you are interested, the small batch is a blend of these 4 recipes, generally around these proportions: Small Batch is typically- OBSK- 35% OESK 35% OBSO- 15% OESO- 15% If you have a desire to try each of these recipes separately, please let me know and I can get them to you.
Ralfy, thanks for another riveting series of spirit reviews. Love the Scotches, love the American Whiskies and thirdly - in order - my home country's Canadian Whiskies. However, you also engage in another of my passions, that being motorbikes. Any chance of you presenting an in depth vlog on your Bonneville exploits? It would be super to get your insight into such a unique experience. Cheers Ralfy. P.S. I finished off the last of my Bowemore Tempest V 10 year old this past Canada Day. Dare I say " all time favorite!"
I was thinking: Europe has its "lore", knight and viking stories and legends. The US has its stories of founding distillers, outlaws, snake oil salesmen, Paul Bunian (hey, there's a whiskey marketing idea!) and so forth. Seems like it simply reflects the culture, the mystery of "who-done-distilled-it" and all of the branding chicanery is a slice of overall history. Almost Mark Twain-ish.
Ralfy, do you feel that BIB's one weak side is the stipulation that what's in the bottle "must be distilled in one season", meaning that a 4-year old bottling is 4 years old through and through - with no ability for the master blender to vat in some older casks?
don't know if anybody else said it in the comments Ralfy, but I can guarantee you this is made at Heaven Hill. This is one of the Bourbons that I distribute in South Carolina.
I think Ralfy Was playing innocent a little to stress the point that labels should be more transparent. If he didn`t know Im sure he looked it up online and he even made a comment that implied that he recognised the distillery character just from tasting it too.
+neandrewthal well again he was incorrect. If you flip the bottle over all the information is right there on the back. It states that is distilled by heaven hill in Louisville KY and bottled by old even Williams distillery in Bardstown. I agree most companies are not very transparent, but this is a bad example.
I'm not personally a huge fan of Bottled-in-Bond products because I actually feel like it's marketing. The TTB is so incredibly strict that to be labeled simply as 'Straight Bourbon' a product is held to all the same minimum legal requirements as a Bonded save for the location of warehousing and the minimum proof. Otherwise the legal requirements are identical. (There is a clause however that a Bourbon can be labeled as 'Straight' at under 4 years if it both is at least 2 years old and the label reflects the exact age it is between 2 and 4 years). That being said, those really are two knock-out value bottles of Bourbon regardless of how I feel about the label. And spot-on review as always! Good news, all four Bourbons in the Four Roses are from their own distillery. Four Roses is so large that they actually contract distill for other companies. Most notably for Diageo's Bulleit line of Bourbons (Bulleit Rye is done by MGP). And believe it or not High West leads the way in transparency. Their website has every bit of information they can legally disclose short of proportions. One of High West's whiskies actually uses some Four Roses too, but I forgot which one. It's one of the ones that there's an NDA and they don't disclose it themselves. We could see more honesty in labels in the US actually if the TTB wasn't as strict. To make any little amendment to a label it's a long drawn out approval process that costs money. So if a producer puts too much info and a small thing changes in their production, they have to get a whole new label approved before they can put the slight changed product to market. That can take months. The one raise in strictness from the TTB I do like however is making it mandatory for American whiskies to label where they were distilled geographically instead of just where the company slapping the label on is. Lots of bottles now say "Distilled in Indiana" that didn't before.
I'd love to see a re-review of "Glenmorangie Original" Ralfy, it's been quite some time since the last one! Keep up the amazing work and good luck at Bonneville! The Four Roses "recipes" all come from the same distillery, the information is clearly presented on the website. The letters in the recipe codes each represent something, such as mash bill and yeast strain. Just a little bit of my opinion here. The vast majority of produce, meats, dairy, breads, and others are genetically modified, it is a very common practice. GMO foods have been shown to be more nutritious with higher crop yields, and have shown no more negative effects on humans than non-GMO food.
I don't disagree, but what Ralfy said was directed at the taste when comparing GMO/Non GMO corn. He never said GMO was bad, and its not. Its just not the same as the old fashion corn. But we do need to feed the masses! Maybe Bayer and Monsanto can develop a corn specifically for spirits!!
Fun fact: Old Grand Dad was one of James Bond's favorite whiskies. He specifically ordered Old Grand in "Live And Let Die", and he's had it a few other times in the books.
Recently rediscovered Old Grandad Bonded and came on here to see what folks thought. Your review is spot on. Character, and it makes me happy and proud a cousin across the Pond can appreciate it as I do. Will have to check out Evan's bonded now. Excellent vid.
Coming to this about 7 years later. They are still 2 good bonded bottles. The price hasn't changed much. Still good affordable picks, and both are pretty good for the price. Please do more bourbon reviews. Most bourbon review channels are unwatchable.
I’ve been sitting on a bottle of Evan Williams Bottled In Bond. I mostly bought it because I know most bottled in bonds are usual pretty good and it was only $20. Now I’m all jazzed up to crack it open
You absolutely can’t go wrong with OGD BIB. It’s my go-to budget bourbon.
It's the _only_ budget bourbon I still buy.
RALPHIE. as I sit here with my double of BIB Evan Williams; I am floored by your unique descriptive prowess. The burn walnut leading into bitter toffee is spot on mate!
Rally, love your talk and banter about the farming industry and how it impacts whisk(e)y and everything/one else. You are correct about the OGD BIB bottle redesign. They removed the plastic screw cap and replaced it with a fake rubber “cork”. I kind of like it, I kind of don’t. The stuff inside is still the same so that’s good news.
OGD BIB is one of my favorite whiskeys right now. Especially for the value. It’s always found on the bottom shelf (in philly at least). I’m pleased Ralfy approves! ✊🏼
Excellent review. I enjoyed learning about these 2 bourbon whiskey's.
You have a great way with words that keep the viewer/listener interested in your opinion.
Thank you for your time to post this video for us all to learn
old grand dad 100 is simply godly for the price, $22.05. When I can find it the EW BIB is like $!6, but it's harder to find.
It's great you appreciate EW for what it is. One of the best values hands down
Evan Williams Bonded is one of my favorites, and its cheap.
My summer season Go To drink. Evan Williams. Not so bold, rather thin, sweet, flavorful, candy corn finish (to my taste). Inexpensive. $16.00. .750L.
Im the unpaid spokesman. Of E.W.100 BIB
@@williamminyard5517 lol 😆
Regarding 4 Roses, all of their recipes are available under the single barrel label, usually as store picks and at cask strength- it's one of my favorite things about 4 Roses. For example, the OESK recipe is my favorite, and quite different from the OBSK which is my second favorite. And you can compare them all to OBSV, which is the recipe used for their standard single barrel. I don't remember which recipes go into small batch, but if you can find them all as single barrels and have a good nose and palate you would probably appreciate small batch even more as you pick out influences from each recipe.
The legendary Heaven Hill distillery. This is the whiskey education channel. Thank you Ralfy. You are the best.
i like the way the old grandad label matches the ralfy.com sign. the evan williams matches the bourbon mark sign. another high class revue, ralfy. one of many many others. thank you.
Ralfy, if you ever have the opportunity to try Dettling Bourbon bottled in bond, you won’t be disappointed! The cask strength is also superb. It is produced by an independent distillery in Alabama called Big Escambia Spirits. All bottlings use a six grain mash bill.
Mash bill:
70% Alabama corn
15% Canadian rye
12% oats
3% roasted malt (dark German rye, malted German wheat and Chilean barley)
Evan Williams BIB is one of my favorite bourbons at the moment. I also enjoy the very underrated Very Old Barton BIB - also made in Bardstown across town from Evan Williams's Heaven Hill Distillery home. Another favorite is the 103 proof Fighting Cock - also a Heaven Hill product. Unfortunately, like so many bourbons lately, the six year-old age statements have recently been removed from the Fighting Cock and Very Old Barton, but they're still very good. I get a very "earthy oakiness tasting note from all three that really set them apart from the other bourbons in their price category. Speaking of price, the Evan Williams BIB is creeping into the $15.99 category in Kentucky, still a good value, but it gripes my butt that it's priced at $13.99 all the way over in Seattle. Take advantage Seattleites!!! Great review Ralfy!!!
Stephen Pinder $14.99 here now plus our darn liquor tax. Out the door it’s $20.60. Still a great deal for a BIB.
Evan Williams White Label bottled in bond: SF Bay Area - just got this on sale at a supermarket for $13.99! After sales tax out the door for $15.28. What a steal for this nice Kentucky bourbon, makes it taste even better. Thanks Ralfy!
Old Grand Dad BIB is my go to bourbon
I agree with you. I remember when it was packaged in that old bottle and I preferred it. The new style with the fancy label and the cork is pure pretension. We all know that a cork sure sounds nice and gives that "premium" feeling but we aren't drinking wine here; the cork actually harms the spirit. It also used to be cheaper when it was the orange screw top. The final nail in the coffin: they no longer bottle the 1.75mL "handle" of it, which was the best bang for your buck of any whiskey I've ever had the pleasure of purchasing, I still buy it but I miss how it used to be. But you do have a point in that it's a double-edged sword: while the exposure certainly has made it more expensive it does guarantee that it'll be sticking around.
As for Evan Williams: I gotta say, give me the Old Grand Dad any day. I like that rye-forward taste of the OGD. Can't go wrong with either though.
Update: 4 years later, the Evan Williams is my go to haha
We just tried the Evan Williams White Label Bottled in Bond 100 Proof Bourbon and were very pleasantly surprised. It is still a somewhat young Bourbon, but an outstanding value for what we pay for it here at the "Gestapo" A.B.C stores in Virginia. BTW: Your videos are excellent and very objective.
Here the Alabama Liquor Cartel stores have EW BiB for $16 plus tax. It's a good price, but I'm not in love with the EW taste profile. I just saw OGD BiB last night but didn't buy it. I will definitely buy it now that I know where it is!
John Saia UnI'm
The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was actually instigated by Kentucky Distillers to protect the integrity of their product. One of the greatest consumer protection acts ever enacted.
It also led to the Pure Food and Drug Act
@@matthewgabbard6415 That is true.
Old Grandad bonded was a go-to of mine in my late 20s and early 30s, still my preferred for a budget bottle.
I'm all in on transparency Ralfy, you have convinced me of the importance. The slippery slope and how the lack of it could effect downstream liquor quality. Thanks for sharing that perspective. It's helped me to be a better consumer at the very least. On the other hand, I try to be more open to NAS, blends and finishes. But it's my choice, not out of ignorance, Thank you Sir!
OGD is a product of Jim Beam, one of the few Beam bourbons I look forward to drinking. OGD BiB is great but OGD 114 is even better. Evan Williams is Heaven Hill juice. All are very good pours for the money.
OGD114 is an excellent bang for your buck. I’m also a huge fan of Wild Turkey Rare Breed, if you like the 114 proof, Rare Breed is 116 and also excellent (just a tad more expensive)
Nick Kentros I am currently in love with rare breed. Bought 4 bottles for the quarantine.
Thank you for this review. I have been curious about trying both of these bonded bourbons. Well i have a feeling the Old Grand dad is the one. I only add water to the rare times i enjoy scotch. Yes with Old Grand Dad they changed the cap. I personally hate a scrwe cap but prefer a corked top.
Bardstown is a beautiful little town. If you ever do the Bourbon trail, stop by the Talbott Tavern-- good food and drink.
Love Evan Williams, especially Bottled in Bond, forgot about it for some years as I ventured into single malts, now gonna stock up as they are not being sold as much in my country (NL)
Old Grand-Dad BIB is my all time favorite bargain bourbon. They've also redesigned the bottle since your purchase.
Ralfy, if you have not yet gone to Bardstown, you should. Quite historic. There 7 or 9 distilleries near the town. (Beam, Barton, Heaven Hill, Willette, Barton, Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, etc.) Evan Williams is made by Heaven Hill, which is headquartered in Bardstown. However, Heaven Hill's distillery burned in 1996 (along with an obscene amount of aging whiskey) so its whiskey is now distilled near Louisville, KY, in the old Bernheim facility. But the distillate is aged in Bardstown - so go, take tours, enjoy. Also, it is well to know that Jim Beam lived in Bardstown. He commuted a few miles to Clermont, though. That is where Old Grand Dad comes from - Beam. Nice place - nice cat - go visit the cat. Anyway, thought you might like to know.
Ralfy, not sure if you've ever had old grand dad 114, but that is a magical over proof bourbon. Couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it for $25 USD!
Packaging has been changed and I refused to buy for many months, but I finally acquiesced and it's still excellent. New packaging grows on you.
You're spot on about GM, not only do you have to use their pesticides, the seeds are not your "intellectual property" so you have to go back year after year to buy new seeds instead of using some of the ones grown. Nice review also, I'm just discovering the joy of bourbon!
Just enjoyed and hung on to every single. Word no silliness just very thoughtful arrangement of beautiful words Made me feel I was standing in a high hill surrounded by beautiful large oak trees I love both but I lean towards Evan Williams bonded especially a no brained for the cost of either never saw or tasted all the many different tastes until you pointed them out ❤
I have been on meds and recovering from a surgury for the better part of 2 months and needless to say I have not been allowed to drink......this Friday I will be off the meds and and fully recovered and I can't wait to pop the top on a bottle of whiskey. Probably gonna pick up a bottle of Macallan 18 to celebrate 😀
Great command and knowledge of words felt like a kid listening to daddy reading a book patiently
Great review as usual, from my Scottish friend (that's what my wife calls you) Ralfy.
As an American, I will never by any bourbon/whisky that will not state that they DO NOT use poison (glyphosate from Roundup) loaded GMO corn. Balcones and Four Roses comes to mind. Till then my favourites are going to be single malt scotch, the likes of Old Poultney 12/Navigator, Glenmorangie 10/Lasante, etc.
Another splendid review! Thanks a lot Ralfy time flies when I am watching and listening to your vlogs.
This last weekend I purchased Evan Williams BiB and was blow away. I watched your review after the purchase and good to see a reputable whisky reviewer like yourself Ralfy rate the whisky as high as I do. I now will look for OGD BIB along with other BiBs this coming weekend.
. . . BIB is the hidden gem of American spirit !
Love your stuff! Thank you. You have helped me find very decent and affordable bourbons to be able to try and share with friends!!
You can rest assured on the Four Roses. The Whiskey is distilled at the Four Roses Distillery. They use several yeast strains though and several mash bills to produce different whiskeys and then blend them.
A very large, local specialty liquor and wine store that had been around for over 100 years is sadly closing its doors. They were emptying all their back stock and today I stumbled upon a bottle of Teacher's Highland Cream that looks to be from the 1940s-1960s, pre-Glendronach. I originally bought the bottle to drink, but additional research suggested that I might resell it for 2-3 times what I paid for it, so I started to waffle. Then I re-watched Whisky Review 531 where you reviewed three generations of Teacher's. Based on that review, I've decided to follow in your footsteps and locate some older Teacher's and do a similar comparison, myself. If you happen to come to the SF Bay Area on your Bonneville adventure, stop on by and we can share a dram of my Teacher's bottle. Cheers, Ralfy.
Thanks for the informative review. I bought a bottle of both of these and really like them. I like the Evan Williams more and that surprised me, I really enjoy high rye bourbons and I thought Old Grand Dad was a shoe in. I think I really like the oak that is present in the Evan Williams.
Both bottles are always in my cupboard... value & taste... youthful mist to it.. Ralfy is such a hoot... 100 proof, 4 years.. this whiskey will get ya there.. oh, four roses square bottle single barrel.... mostly top notch..
With the Four Roses Small Batch, I heard they are lenient with the "small batch" description at times to help make the flavor more consistent. They also have a single barrel bourbon which is apparently less consistent, but is bottled at 50% to make up for it.
2 decent choices both under $25 in America. But, Early Times Bottled in Bond seems to be the most purchased choice in 2022 in the USA. All BIB whiskeys are a minimum of 4 years old with many 6 to 9 years.
Ralfy dear-
Great vlog, as per usual. At the end you produced the two bottles of "Bourbon de Luxe", and when I saw them I realized this is a good example of the effect of evaporation on bottles of the same spirit separated by forty years' time (i.e., fill levels noticeably different in each bottle). A good opportunity for Your Maltyness to point out the phenomenon in your upcoming review of these.
I happen to have a bottle of sour mach 43% Evan Williams (black lable, cheap one) when watching this review. I never considered this bourbon as the one to be enjoyed neat, I use it for mixing. Well, not untill I watched this video and started adding some substantial amount of water to my 43% EW. I must say, it was a good, positive humbling moment of me realizing that it truly becomes so much better with some time and water! Such a great feeling to know that I am less ignorant :) Thank you Ralfy!
. . . happy to help with the bourbon-moments !
EW BL is probably my favourite 'budget' bourbon - I can pick it up at £25 here in the UK which for bourbon is pretty decent; although recently the JD Distillers edition(s) has been on offer for £20 which (I know its JD . . . I know ;) is pretty good value as well) I have the BiB one in my cupboard waiting to be opened . . .
Had to post this as I just took Rafy's recomendation and mixed Rittenhouse Rye with Eagles Rare @ 50/50 and must say its one of the est whiskeys tasteings I have ever ecxperienced! Thanks Ralfy!
The Old Grand Dad Bonded is FANTASTIC! Both are nice, but the OGD 100 proof is phenomenal.
Old Grandad was my introduction to Bourbon. I love it!
I believe Four Roses uses two mashbills and 5 different yeasts. 10 different combinations. They distill all their own products. Also the Bottled in Bond whiskies must list the distillery on the label by the federal distillery number. Look for the acronym DSP followed by a series of numbers. That is by federal statute. That number is on both of those bottles that you have, Ralfy. EW BiB is my current favorite bourbon. One of the gems of the "spirit" world.
You are correct about the Four Roses recipes. The small batch contains 4 recipes but who knows how many barrels of each. They do not buy different recipes from different distilleries. It's funny that you can get one of each recipe when buying the single barrel- barrel proof, but the standard single barrel is always the same recipe
Ralfy, I hope you've tried Old Forester's "Whiskey Row" series, including the bottled in bond (though my favorite is the 1920 "ProhibitionStyle") because THEY were the first to actually bottle whiskey AND they inspired/lobbied the govt. FOR the Bottled In Bond Act. Still amazingly wonderful--try and see!
First class review! The true consistent facts are hard to find out for bourbon. I trust you implicitly, so bought a bottle of EW BIB of course 😊😊
By the by - they recently changed the packaging on Old Grand-Dad. It's now joined the ranks of sophisticated-looking bourbons.
Love your Scotch and Whiskey reviews, enjoy your perspectives and opinions on the spirits and on life. Cheers!
I realize that this is an old review, but my bottle of Even Williams BiB is marked DSP-KY1, which is Heaven Hill Bernheim in Louisville. Lovely stuff. Especially for $16.
Hi Ralfy,
Thank you for the great reviews of EW and Old Grand-Dad...
Was hoping you would look at the back label of the Evan Williams, as they provide both the distiller and the bottler on the back label (at least here in the US):
Distilled: Heaven Hill Distilleries, Louisville KY D.S.P. KY-1
Bottled: Old Evan Williams Distillery, Bardstown, KY D.S.P. KY 31
I think this may also be a requirement of Bonded bourbon.
You are correct that this transparency is not always present in US spirits, unfortunately.
Almost all bourbon is sour mash. Some companies state it on the label, some do not.
Sipping my first sample of OGD bonded as I watch this. After some of the more "traditional mash bill" bourbons this one reminds me of some of the more difficult or "demanding" single malts that I initially thought I hated, only to really appreciate as I kept trying. I'll have to "get my bearings about it" ;)
"Bottled in Bond" or "Bonded" is probably USA's closest thing to the "single malt" designation of Scotland. It ensures single-distillery, one distillation season, a certain maturation transparency and integrity, couple it with the "straight" designation and you've got a winner. But one thing is different: a 12-year old Scotch single malt can be a vatting of some older spirits, while a 4-year old BIB bourbon or rye is going to be 4-year old through and through, at least that's how I understand "single season distillation" :)
Ralfy,
Forgot to add: no distillery that exports to Europe or Japan (two large bourbon markets) uses GMO products unless a shortage forces them to, and then they will only use GMO products for the domestic market. EU and Japan import/export rules specifically state that GMO food products are prohibited from being brought to market. So if you purchased the bottle anywhere in Europe, it does not contain any GMO products.
Cheers,
Eric
Love BIB Bourbons. Have to travel to get most BIB bottles in the States, LCBO carries two at the moment.
Try E. H. Taylor... if you can find it
I've recently discovered this channel, and I must say, very interesting and informative stuff. A great channel, I'm glad I subscribed. :)
Great review. I use Old Granddad BIB for my bourbon cocktails. I've never tried it neat and I've never had Evan Williams BIB. Guess I need to try them both, and try them neat.
I always have a bottle of Evan Williams black label in the house, excellent bourbon and a great value! Also enjoy Old Forester Bourbon.
Believe it or not, I liked the Bottled in Bond better.
I would say my order of EW bourbons would be...
1. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond
2. Evan Williams Single Barrel
3. Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch
4. Evan Williams Black Label (just because it’s last doesn’t mean it sucks...it is my daily bourbon).
Im not a huge bourbon fan but just got the grand dad for 23 dollars and its as good as most expensive ones I have wasted my time on. If your a bourbon buddy and are low on the smackaroos, this is a good choice.
Nietzsche's Mustache I like old grandad it reminds me of bullet rye
four roses has 11 recipes and the small batch uses 4 of them in the small batch. they also make a limited small batch that combines 4 aged barrels at a greater price haha marketing the recipes are the mixture of ratios of corn, wheat, rye, and barley .
Ralfy, you should try some Bottled in bond Henry McKenna 10 year. Each bottle has the barrel number and the date it was bottled printed right on the label. An extra bonus is that they use a cork instead of a tacky screw top (definitely a terrible shame). It comes from Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky and it's a very nice bourbon. It's won a few awards this year and I think, deservedly so, it's very tasty (Heaven Hill Distillery Receives Best Bourbon, Best Small Batch Bourbon and Numerous Medals from 2018 San Francisco Spirits Competition). It runs about $26.99 per bottle in the states.
Thanks for the clarification on the Campfire blended malt (presume that was from my comment on the last vid). Just to make you aware High West have just released their own whiskey at last, it's called Valley Tan but is only available.... in Utah! Not good for me, but maybe for you if you're interested.
I was in Virginia a few months ago, I found a bottle of Old Grand Dad 114 proof. Was not too bad.
OGD 114 is a great option if you like higher rye content bourbons. It's a real nice, inexpensive bourbon and IMO a little better than OGD BIB
Mike Adams I enjoyed it. Will defiantly pick it up again next time I'm in Virginia Beach 1 for there and 1 to bring back. Never seen it here in NC nor do I think I have found it in Eastern TN either.
I live in Knoxville and it's a pretty common bottle to find. Maybe check around McScrooge's next time you're over here.
These are both very inexpensive straightforward honest whiskies. My parents drank Evan Williams black label (80 proof) for decades in old fashions. They saved the white label bottled in bond for company. I wouldn't drink either of these straight but they are great in a cocktail. Drinking some Old Grand-Dad 114, it's still a very reasonably priced readily available bourbon but head and shoulders above the BIB. It's NAS but certainly older.
you should review Angel's Envy bourbon
i love old grand dad... esp. OGD 114!!!
Found this today and your comment on GMO corn was spot on. Please try to find a bourbon from J Henry and Son’s out of Wisconsin in the US using an almost lost non GMO red corn. If think you’ll approve!
I know this is an old review but if you ca get your hands on E H Taylor bourbon its a must taste. One of the best bourbons I have ever had. Same company and mashbill #1 as Buffalo Trace. And Evan Williams BIB is one of my favs as well. only $35 Canadian here very good value.
Ralfy, I'm glad you did a review on Old Grandad. I have a bottle I bought a while ago and have been aching to try it out.
You should try Mellow Corn, it's a nice and deliciously cheap corn whiskey, for $9-$16 on average, I think it'll blow you away
A historical precursor to bourbon. Every bourbon buddy should try it.
I honestly wish more consumers considered the label as a sorta-contract or a promise; we've all become too used to letting producers flat out lie to us.
The infuriating reality is that we've tried to have higher standards, the FDA was invented for a reason, but companies still weasel around regulations, or just flat out bride or undermine politicians and regulators.
the old grand-dad bottled in bond is produced by Jim Beam. It is their high Rye Mash bill and the picture of the gentleman on the cover is Basil Hayden.
They also produce a JB label BiB that is sold in Australia. It's not too bad - probably too much oak and caramel to be a regular for me. But the price for the proof is good! We don't get nearly enough variety in Oz for any reasonable price, so sometimes we have to drink below par 😞
+Sven Lancaster I have seen many reports of the prices there and it is absolute robbery! yes they make that as well that would be the low Rye Mash bill I believe. I'm going to be doing a bottled in bond segment on my personal show at some point. I did all the colonel eh Taylor bottled in bond already
Old GD 114 is the BOMB! My current favorite pour. Delicious.
I need to try the 114.
Rally
Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond is a Jim Beam product Beam-Sentory and Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is a Heaven Hill product which is family owned by the Shapira family. It is the largest family owned distillery in the United States. They produce many imprints.
I enjoy both of these bourbons AND in the U.S. in my experience, most Bottled in Bond whiskies are sold by the Liter rather than the standard 750 ML and at lower prices than other bourbons; making them Great values!!!
Coincidentally, I am doing a Head to Head tasting tonight as well!! I enjoy them both, OGD is spicier and Evan Williams is sweeter with a better mouthfeel IMO!
I enjoy your reviews!! SLÁINTE
Mike
By the Way, I am an Irish Gaelic speaker so my RUclips name is the IRISH spelling of my last name.
Evan Williams BIB is pure bourbon flavor. Holds up very well on the rocks.
I have the OGD BIB haven't tried the Evan Williams yet. I'd highly recommend the Heaven Hill BIB, which is usually only available in KY or near it. For $10.44 at the liquor barn in KY HH BIB is way underpriced IMO.
Lovely, thanks for showing us. Take care.
Ralfy: EVAN WILLIAMS is a Brand Distilled by HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY. As we both know Heaven Hill has a variety of Brands under its tent. I agree though, they should list the Distillery on the Bottle. BTW,
Ralfy, you mentioned you'd like to try an Evan Williams BIB with more age? Henry McKenna single barrel is a 10 year old BIB bourbon distilled by same producer as Evan Williams (Heaven Hill) and is supposed to have the same mashbill. I believe it's also the longest aged BIB bourbon currently produced. From what I've been told, the Henry McKenna single barrel BIB is basically an Evan Williams BIB aged to 10 years with a different name on the label, even though it's basically same whiskey from same producer...just aged an additional six years or so. It's also a GREAT price at about $27 here in California. It's also delicious!
The bourbon used in HW campfire is 21% rye, so it is quite rye heavy in addition to the 95% rye whiskey.
If I could only have one bourbon from here on...it would be OGD 114. But BiB is a close second.
OGD 114 is my current favorite also. Just picked up 1 liter of the bonded to try soon.
Ralfy, your first instincts to like and trust Four Roses is good and should be trusted. Four Roses products all of their bourbon in house and it is not sourced. If you are interested, the small batch is a blend of these 4 recipes, generally around these proportions:
Small Batch is typically-
OBSK- 35%
OESK 35%
OBSO- 15%
OESO- 15%
If you have a desire to try each of these recipes separately, please let me know and I can get them to you.
The Evan Williams White Label is a fantastic Bourbon Whisky! I’m in Tennessee and prefer it over Jack Daniels. We enjoy your reviews.👍🏼👍🏼
Ralfy, thanks for another riveting series of spirit reviews. Love the Scotches, love the American Whiskies and thirdly - in order - my home country's Canadian Whiskies. However, you also engage in another of my passions, that being motorbikes. Any chance of you presenting an in depth vlog on your Bonneville exploits? It would be super to get your insight into such a unique experience. Cheers Ralfy.
P.S. I finished off the last of my Bowemore Tempest V 10 year old this past Canada Day. Dare I say " all time favorite!"
I was thinking: Europe has its "lore", knight and viking stories and legends. The US has its stories of founding distillers, outlaws, snake oil salesmen, Paul Bunian (hey, there's a whiskey marketing idea!) and so forth. Seems like it simply reflects the culture, the mystery of "who-done-distilled-it" and all of the branding chicanery is a slice of overall history. Almost Mark Twain-ish.
Ralfy, do you feel that BIB's one weak side is the stipulation that what's in the bottle "must be distilled in one season", meaning that a 4-year old bottling is 4 years old through and through - with no ability for the master blender to vat in some older casks?
like the new bottle with the cork for the BiB OGD
Great video. Thanks Ralphy would love to hear your thought on eagle rare.
In the Evans was that note of coriander the seed or the leaf as they are quite different flavours ?
don't know if anybody else said it in the comments Ralfy, but I can guarantee you this is made at Heaven Hill. This is one of the Bourbons that I distribute in South Carolina.
Evan williams
I think Ralfy Was playing innocent a little to stress the point that labels should be more transparent. If he didn`t know Im sure he looked it up online and he even made a comment that implied that he recognised the distillery character just from tasting it too.
+neandrewthal well again he was incorrect. If you flip the bottle over all the information is right there on the back. It states that is distilled by heaven hill in Louisville KY and bottled by old even Williams distillery in Bardstown. I agree most companies are not very transparent, but this is a bad example.
I'm not personally a huge fan of Bottled-in-Bond products because I actually feel like it's marketing. The TTB is so incredibly strict that to be labeled simply as 'Straight Bourbon' a product is held to all the same minimum legal requirements as a Bonded save for the location of warehousing and the minimum proof. Otherwise the legal requirements are identical. (There is a clause however that a Bourbon can be labeled as 'Straight' at under 4 years if it both is at least 2 years old and the label reflects the exact age it is between 2 and 4 years). That being said, those really are two knock-out value bottles of Bourbon regardless of how I feel about the label. And spot-on review as always!
Good news, all four Bourbons in the Four Roses are from their own distillery. Four Roses is so large that they actually contract distill for other companies. Most notably for Diageo's Bulleit line of Bourbons (Bulleit Rye is done by MGP). And believe it or not High West leads the way in transparency. Their website has every bit of information they can legally disclose short of proportions. One of High West's whiskies actually uses some Four Roses too, but I forgot which one. It's one of the ones that there's an NDA and they don't disclose it themselves. We could see more honesty in labels in the US actually if the TTB wasn't as strict. To make any little amendment to a label it's a long drawn out approval process that costs money. So if a producer puts too much info and a small thing changes in their production, they have to get a whole new label approved before they can put the slight changed product to market. That can take months. The one raise in strictness from the TTB I do like however is making it mandatory for American whiskies to label where they were distilled geographically instead of just where the company slapping the label on is. Lots of bottles now say "Distilled in Indiana" that didn't before.
I'd love to see a re-review of "Glenmorangie Original" Ralfy, it's been quite some time since the last one! Keep up the amazing work and good luck at Bonneville!
The Four Roses "recipes" all come from the same distillery, the information is clearly presented on the website. The letters in the recipe codes each represent something, such as mash bill and yeast strain.
Just a little bit of my opinion here. The vast majority of produce, meats, dairy, breads, and others are genetically modified, it is a very common practice. GMO foods have been shown to be more nutritious with higher crop yields, and have shown no more negative effects on humans than non-GMO food.
I don't disagree, but what Ralfy said was directed at the taste when comparing GMO/Non GMO corn. He never said GMO was bad, and its not. Its just not the same as the old fashion corn. But we do need to feed the masses! Maybe Bayer and Monsanto can develop a corn specifically for spirits!!
Evan Williams is made by Heaven Hill. Not sure why they wouldn't put that on the label. Its a quality product though at a good price.
just tried old grandad bib. excellent value, taste is very close to basil Haden for half the price.. Ralphy, how about a basil Haden review?