Old Grand-Dad Bonded
Clermont, Kentucky
Beam's high-rye mashbill under the Bottled-in-Bond Act, which fixes the strength at 100 proof and the minimum age at four years and forbids anything but water being added.
- Age statement
- 4 years
- Aging
- New charred oak, minimum 4 years, single distilling season
- Mashbill
- Corn 63%Rye 27%Malted barley 10%
- Congeners
- High
- Histamines
- Moderate
- Polyphenols
- Moderate
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Moderate
- Sugar
- Low
- Additives
- Very Low
- Calories
- 123
- Sugar
- 0g
17.5g ethanol at 50% ABV. No sugar, so every calorie here is alcohol.
In its favor
- ✓Bottled-in-bond, so age, strength and provenance are legally guaranteed
- ✓Only four years in the barrel, so lower extract than the long-aged bottlings
- ✓Mashbill published in full
What to watch
- !27% rye is the highest aromatic congener contribution here
- !100 proof
Factor by factor
Congeners High ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Moderate ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Moderate ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Very Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Moderate ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Very Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 is the oldest consumer protection law of its kind in the United States, and it is a genuinely useful signal on a shelf full of vague terms. A bonded whiskey must be the product of one distillation season at one distillery, aged at least four years in a federally supervised warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof with nothing added but water. “Small batch” and “reserve” mean nothing legally. “Bottled in bond” means all of that.
For chemistry purposes the useful parts are the guaranteed four-year minimum, which is short by modern standards and therefore lighter on barrel extract, and the additive prohibition. Working against it is the mashbill: at 27% rye this is the spiciest grain bill in the list, and rye is the grain that contributes most to the aromatic congener fraction.
Old Grand-Dad Bonded questions
How many calories are in a shot of Old Grand-Dad Bonded? ▾
About 123 calories in a 1.5oz shot at 50% ABV. All of them come from the alcohol, since there is no sugar.
Does Old Grand-Dad Bonded have sugar? ▾
No. Old Grand-Dad Bonded has 0g of sugar per 1.5oz serving.
Is Old Grand-Dad Bonded gluten-free? ▾
Not by label. Old Grand-Dad Bonded is distilled from rye and barley, so US rules bar it from claiming gluten-free. Distillation does remove the gluten protein, and the Celiac Disease Foundation considers distilled spirits safe for most coeliacs. If you would rather avoid the question, pick a spirit distilled from corn, potato, grape or agave.
What is Old Grand-Dad Bonded made from? ▾
Old Grand-Dad Bonded is made from a mashbill of 63% corn, 27% rye, 10% malted barley.
What proof is Old Grand-Dad Bonded? ▾
Old Grand-Dad Bonded is 100 proof, which is 50% alcohol by volume.
Does Old Grand-Dad Bonded give you a bad hangover? ▾
Old Grand-Dad Bonded scores 7/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 7/10 for bourbon overall. The main drivers are its congeners.
Is Old Grand-Dad Bonded vegan? ▾
Yes. Old Grand-Dad Bonded is listed as vegan, with no animal-derived ingredients or fining agents.