Old Grand Dad

Old Grand-Dad Bourbon is a legacy high-rye Kentucky bourbon named after Basil Hayden Sr., now produced by Beam Suntory. The lineup includes 80 Proof (approachable, everyday), Bottled-in-Bond 100 Proof (4 years, single season, classic BiB), and 114 Proof (bold heat and spice) — with approximately 27% rye in the mashbill, making it ideal for cocktails and neat sipping alike.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Basil Hayden Sr. and what is his connection to Old Grand-Dad?

Basil Hayden Sr. was a Maryland Catholic farmer who led a group of settlers to Nelson County, Kentucky in the 1780s and became one of the region’s earliest whiskey producers, using his distinctive high-rye recipe. His grandson, Raymond B. Hayden, later named a bourbon brand “Old Grand-Dad” in his grandfather’s honor — a tribute to the progenitor of the family’s high-rye whiskey tradition. The Basil Hayden Sr. portrait is on every bottle. His recipe influence is also visible in the modern Basil Hayden’s bourbon, which uses the same high-rye mashbill and is also produced by Beam Suntory, connecting two branded bourbons to the same historical source.

Why is high-rye bourbon better for cocktails than standard bourbon?

Rye grain contributes spicy, peppery, earthy flavor compounds to bourbon — specifically higher concentrations of phenolic esters and certain aldehydes that produce the characteristic “rye spice” note. In cocktails where the spirit competes with sweet, acidic, or bitter components — a Manhattan’s sweet vermouth, a Whiskey Sour’s lemon juice and sugar, a Sazerac’s absinthe and Peychaud’s — a high-rye bourbon’s more assertive spice character penetrates the other flavors and maintains a distinct spirit presence. A lower-rye or wheated bourbon in the same cocktails often gets washed out by the other components. Old Grand-Dad’s 27% rye and multiple proof options make it one of the better-value cocktail bourbons in the category.