They Don't Make Them Like They Used To Bonus: National Distillers Old Taylor Bottled in Bond 1972-1981

This is a bonus review in what was originally intended to be a 3 part series covering the ups and downs of the widely hyped bourbons from the now defunct National Distillers Group. Part One covered low end bottles that weren't worthy of much praise. Part Two stepped things up with some bottle in bond variants, one of which was pretty damn good. Part 3 is where things really kicked into high gear with the Old Grand-Dad 114 bottles that were my clear favorites.

Right as I was finished with the series a whiskey friend who had previously sent me a mystery sample I had yet to open said he had to tell me what it was. Turns out it's another bottled in bond National Distillers product from the 1980s. The 1980s bonded Old Grand-Dad faired well in my side by side tastings so I have a feeling things will go well here.

Also worth mentioning again: With a lot of these old bourbons there is a familiarity to them - some combination of lush mouthfeel, older richer oak, and other notes that I can't really describe so I just end up calling it a dusty note. I don't literally mean it tastes like dust, I'm specifically referencing that familiar combo of attributes.

Aged 9 years; 50% ABV; Thanks to /u/I_SAID_NO_GOLDFISH for the sample and photo

Color: I don't usually remark on color but it is daaaaark. Here is a side by side with a current bottle of Henry McKenna 10 year Bottled in Bond.

Nose: I could smell the old dusty funk as soon as I poured the sample. While typing up the intro here I let the pour rest in the glass and could smell the butterscotch from several feet away. Up close and personal it smells like my memory of the 1980s Old Grand-Dad. Lots of honey butterscotch and rye spice tingle. The proof is more present than the other bottled in bonds I tried and I suspect this bottle is the least oxidized of any I had yet because it is very big, bold, and rich.

Taste: Glorious. It's so viscous, thick, and chewy - it's like condensed bourbon. I've experienced this kind of concentrated intensity very recently and it was with a dusty pre-fire Heaven Hill McKenna from the 90s. This is a real powerhouse of dusty funk, caramel butterscotch sweetness, and a dash of rye spice. The finish lasts an eternity and the rye spice gets a little more bold leaving a kind of spicy Mexican dark chocolate note. 

Thoughts: A perfect, master class bourbon and I can think of no better way to close out this series. Yes, they absolutely do not make them like they used to.

Rating: A / A+

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating. 

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To, Part 3: 1982 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 1 and 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 17

This is part three of a three part series where I walk through a few different bottlings of vintage National Distillers bourbon to see what the fuss around them is all about. To recap, here is the full lineup:

• 1986 National Distillers Bourbon deLuxe, NAS, 40%
• 1989 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Red Shield, NAS, 43%
• 1948 National Distillers Old Taylor Bottled in Bond, 6 years, 50%
• 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond, 8 years, 50%
• 1982 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 1, NAS, 57%
• 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 17, NAS, 57%

Part One covered some rather low end bottom shelf bottles and the results were no better or worse than bourbons than you can find on the bottom shelf today. Part Two stepped things up with the much more coveted age stated bottle in bond variants, one of which was a stinker but the other was really quite nice. We've covered the low end, we've covered age stated, so now let's find out how a bump in proof treats their products. 

Also worth mentioning again: With a lot of these old bourbons there is a familiarity to them - some combination of lush mouthfeel, older richer oak, and other notes that I can't really describe so I just end up calling it a dusty note. I don't literally mean it tastes like dust, I'm specifically referencing that familiar combo of attributes.

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1982 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 1

No Age Statement; 57% ABV; Lot 1; Thanks to /u/pork_bastard for the sample.

The nose is crazy dense with classic high rye bourbon notes and is the richest thus far which is no surprise given the high proof. The rye spice notes are cranked up here compared to all the others as well. The taste is a honey butterscotch bomb with dusty old wood and dry baking spices. It has sweets, vintage dusty bourbon, oak, and spice notes in droves. An amazing whiskey, up there with the best dusty bourbon profiles I've ever experienced.

Rating: A-

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1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 17

No Age Statement; 57% ABV; Lot 17.

Again like the lot 1, it's very dense with lots of high rye and vintage dusty bourbon notes. A little bit more of unpleasant acetone / burnt rubber note but you have to really reach for that. Again the taste is a super honey butterscotch bomb with a spicy rye finish. It's down a notch from the lot 1 and not quite as good as another 80s 114 I've sampled but it's a stellar whiskey in its own right. 

Rating: B+

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When it comes to National Distillers, the 114s are my clear favorites. The proof really ramps up the sweet, spicy, and dusty notes to make these the most interesting to me. Not included here but the first National Distillers 114 I ever had was a 1982 Lot 9 (front, back) and it was even better than both of these with much more honey and way more intense dusty notes. I'm just going to assume better storage conditions on that bottle but you can't go wrong with any of them and it runs laps around the 114 on the shelf today.

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating. 

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To, Part 2: 1948 National Distillers Old Taylor 6 Year Bottled in Bond and 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 8 Year Bottled in Bond

This is part two of a three part series where I walk through a few different bottlings of vintage National Distillers bourbon to see what the fuss around them is all about. To recap, here is the full lineup:

• 1986 National Distillers Bourbon deLuxe, NAS, 40%
• 1989 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Red Shield, NAS, 43%
• 1948 National Distillers Old Taylor Bottled in Bond, 6 years, 50%
• 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond, 8 years, 50%
• 1982 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 1, NAS, 57%
• 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 17, NAS, 57%

Part One covered some rather low end bottom shelf bottles and the results were no better or worse than bourbons than you can find on the bottom shelf today. Both of those bottles were no age statement and proofed on the low side so we really shouldn't have expected much. The real hyped up National Distillers bottles though are the bottled in bond variants so let's find out what happens when you crank up the proof and slap an age statement on them.

Also worth mentioning again: With a lot of these old bourbons there is a familiarity to them - some combination of lush mouthfeel, older richer oak, and other notes that I can't really describe so I just end up calling it a dusty note. I don't literally mean it tastes like dust, I'm specifically referencing that familiar combo of attributes.

1948 National Distillers Old Taylor Bottled in Bond

Aged 6 years; 50% ABV; Thanks to Beau for the sample.

The nose is out of this world funky and pungent - it barely smells like bourbon. As it opens up it starts to get more bourbon-ish qualities but it's a lot of wet hay, old wood, antiseptic, and old leather. I know those notes sound horrible but it's like watching a train wreck and I can't stop smelling it. The taste is just as randomly awkward with a lot of honey upfront and some old vintage bourbon notes. The finish is drying with ashy barrel char and some bitter acetone. I would have never guessed this was 100 proof as it drinks just as easy as the 80 proof deLuxe though it has more intensity. This is one of the more weird things I've ever drank and not in a good way as it's just a funky mess. 

Rating: As is, I give it an F. I have a good feeling this bottle is severely oxidized and not representative of other National Distillers bottles from this time so that rating is probably worthless.

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1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond

Aged 8 years; 50% ABV; Thanks to Beau for the sample.

The nose is rich and dense with lots of dark burnt sugars and some tingly rye spices. It has that old bourbon smell that I really look for in vintage whiskeys. The taste is honey and butterscotch up front with a nice blast of dusty notes in the middle and a finish of rye baking spices. The rye spice is a bit more noticeable than in other National Distillers I've had and is masking that butterscotch forward note that usually dominates the taste. This is a fantastic whiskey that is well balanced in the sweet, oak, and spice category all while carrying that hallmark old bourbon taste. I can see why people go nuts over the age stated 100 proof National Distillers bottles from this era. 

Rating: A- / B+

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Well, this was interesting and there are a couple of lessons learned here. First off, be careful when chasing some of these vintage dusties because you might get burned. I'm pretty sure the Old Taylor here has gone bad which is a shame because it's the oldest whiskey I've ever tasted and I was excited to try it. As for the 80s bonded Old Grand-Dad, it's a remarkable whiskey and one that I think is worthy of some hype. Having said that, like pretty much everything these days the secondary prices on it are completely wacked out on the value scale but we'll touch more on that in part three. Spoiler alert: I'm saving the best for last.

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To, Part 1: 1986 National Distillers Bourbon deLuxe and 1989 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Red Shield

They don't make them like they used to.

I hate to be cliché but at this point in my bourbon adventures I've come to realize there is a lot of truth to that. That isn't to stay that bourbon made today isn't great, because a lot of it is. The more I branch out into vintage bourbons though the more I am fascinated by the taste profiles that while not necessarily better than stuff I can buy today, they can be vastly different and/or more interesting.

I'm not really sure why vintage stuff tastes the way it does but bourbon historian Michael Veach lays out some good theories in Old Bottle Bourbon Flavor. I think the answer is everything he's mentioned, including the bottle conditioning part. With a lot of these old bourbons there is a familiarity to them - some combination of lush mouthfeel, older richer oak, and other notes that I can't really describe so I just end up calling it a dusty note. I don't literally mean it tastes like dust, just that familiar combo and that's what I find that makes them so interesting.

Further down the unique profiles rabbit hole, some dusties have an even more specific calling card which brings us to National Distillers. Up until the late 80s when they were acquired by Jim Beam, National Distillers put out Old Taylor, Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow, and a few other bourbons. Before Beam took over and ruined them, those brands are well known for a very sweet, butterscotch forward profile. Up until recently I've only had the NAS 80 proof and NAS 86 proof expressions of National Distillers and while I agree they were butterscotch bombs, I felt they were all mostly one-trick ponies and rather boring. But what about higher proofs? Older vintages? Higher ages? Let's take a walk through 6 different bottlings to find out if ND dusties are really worth all the hype. The full lineup:

• 1986 National Distillers Bourbon deLuxe, NAS, 40%
• 1989 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Red Shield, NAS, 43%
• 1948 National Distillers Old Taylor Bottled in Bond, 6 years, 50%
• 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond, 8 years, 50%
• 1982 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 1, NAS, 57%
• 1988 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad 114 Lot 17, NAS, 57%

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1986 National Distillers Bourbon deLuxe

No Age Statement; 40% ABV; Thanks to /u/harry_fjord for the sample. Note the picture is from Google search.

The nose is kind of thin with some butterscotch sweetness, dusty bourbon notes, and older oak. It smells richer and older than it should for an 80 proof no age statement whiskey. The nose is more impressive than the taste though. The palate entry is thin and the finish is almost nonexistent. The sweet notes from the nose are there as are faint traces of older whiskey but there is also some chemical varnish / acetone notes in the mix as well. If only the palate carried through as solid as the nose this could be great. As is, it's mildly interesting due to the faint dusty profile but it's not something I would care to have again.

Rating: D

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1989 National Distillers Old Grand-Dad Red Shield

No Age Statement; 43% ABV; Thanks to /u/flavorjunkie for the sample. Note the picture is from Google search.

Nose is a bit darker with caramelized sugars, toffee, and the hallmark butterscotch. It's still a little thin but more robust than the 80 proof deLuxe. I get some light rye in here as well but not really picking up on the dusty notes yet. The palate is super sweet and very caramel candy forward. The dusty old notes that I usually get in bourbons bottled before the 2000s are here but very, very faint. I will say this is the sweetest butterscotch/caramel bomb National Distillers whiskey I've had yet. The finish is a disappointment though as it's pretty weak. This is slightly interesting due to the classic National Distillers profile but like all the other ND whiskey I've had I'm left thinking how much better it would be with more proof.

Rating: C

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So there you have it, all that glitters is not gold. These were bottom shelf turds back in the 80s and they are no better or worse than the stuff you can continue to find on the bottom shelf today. Hopefully things can only go up from here.

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.