This was a matchup I’d been looking forward to for a while.

Two Old Grand-Dad 114s. One was the familiar, reliable, easy-to-find shelf bottle. The other was the single barrel version I’d been chasing for a couple of months. Same proof. Same brand. Same basic DNA. But very different availability — and very different expectations.

The standard Old Grand-Dad 114 is one of those bottles bourbon people love to recommend because it still feels like a bit of a cheat code. It’s high proof, full-flavored, easy to find in most places, and usually sits on the shelf for less than $35. In a bourbon world where too many bottles seem to jump in price the moment people start talking about them, Old Grand-Dad 114 has somehow remained a working man’s bourbon with serious flavor.

The single barrel version is another story.

I finally found my bottle on the shelf at Jim Beam for the suggested retail price of $50. Even there, the folks working told me the bottles had only arrived a couple of days earlier, and once they were gone, it would probably be weeks before they saw more. So while the standard 114 is a dependable shelfer, the single barrel is closer to a unicorn wearing an Old Grand-Dad label.

For this tasting, I poured both into identical Glencairns and switched them around to try to confuse myself. I did not look at the color until the end. Nose and palate had to do most of the heavy lifting.

Glencairn A

The nose leads with creamy peanut butter, toffee, cinnamon and toasted oak. That classic Beam nuttiness shows up right away, but it isn’t harsh or thin. It’s rich, warm and familiar.

On the palate, all of that comes through in spades: rich peanut butter, buttery caramel, vanilla, a touch of citrus and light oak. The mouthfeel is lightly oily, and the finish is satisfying, with cinnamon and toffee doing most of the work.

This is exactly why Old Grand-Dad 114 has such a loyal following. It drinks bigger than its price tag, and it brings enough proof and flavor to make you wonder why some bottles cost twice as much.

Glencairn B

The oak moves forward on the nose, but not in an awkward or bitter way. It just feels more mature. There’s more toffee here, too, along with chocolate, nutmeg and a richer baking-spice note.

Again, the nose predicts the palate. Rich, buttery caramel leads the way, followed by baking spice, milk chocolate and a touch of oak. The mouthfeel is nicely creamy, and the finish is also satisfying, with waves of toffee, citrus and baking spice leading the charge.

This pour feels like the standard 114 got dressed up a little. Not in a tuxedo. It’s still Old Grand-Dad. But maybe it put on a jacket and remembered to comb its hair.

Only after tasting both did I look at the color. Glencairn A was light copper. Glencairn B was mid-copper. Without looking under the glasses for the IDs, I already felt pretty confident that A was the original 114 and B was the single barrel.

A quick glance confirmed it.

So the real question is this: Is the single barrel worth chasing and paying an extra $15?

The answer is an unqualified yes.

Every aspect of this bourbon is an upgrade from its baby brother. It’s richer, deeper, creamier and more complete. The standard Old Grand-Dad 114 is still terrific, especially for the price, but the single barrel takes everything I like about that bottle and turns the volume up without distorting the music.

On my shelf, the difference is significant. The single barrel sits at #47 out of roughly 300 bottles. The standard 114 sits at #79. That’s no small gap.

For comparison, the Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel bested the New Riff Single Barrel I reviewed a few months ago. Meanwhile, the original 114 sits right next to New Riff Bottled-in-Bond in my rankings. (And I have loved both of those New Riffs.) The difference is that the Old Grand-Dad Single Barrel costs about $15 less than its New Riff counterpart, and the standard 114 costs about $10 less than its New Riff neighbor.

That makes both Old Grand-Dad bottles serious Bourbon Cheapskate winners.

The bottom line? Beam has a home run in its Old Grand-Dad bourbons, and I hope they realize it enough to keep these bottles on the shelf for a long time. The standard 114 is still one of the best values in bourbon. The single barrel is harder to find, but absolutely worth grabbing when you see it.

I know I’ll be enjoying my bottles for as long as they last.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.