Old Grand Dad 114 vs Wild Turkey Rare Breed: Head to Head!

Discover the differences between Old Grand Dad 114 vs Wild Turkey Rare Breed in this head to head comparison and decide which bourbon is better for You!

Old Grand Dad 114

Nose	Old leather, vanilla, cherry
Palate	Caramel, cinnamon, cherry, citrus
Finish	Long, rye spice, oak
Alcohol content	114 proof (57% ABV)
How to drink	Add water, rocks
Similar to	Old Grand Dad Bonded

There is old leather on the nose, with hints of vanilla and cherry and a bit of ethanol.

On the palate, Old Grand Dad has a good oily texture. Flavor is bold as it does not hide the 114 proof. As you let it develop it becomes sweet, with a nice cherry note, caramel and citrus with a tad of cinnamon.

The constant peanut note of every whiskey crafted at the Jim Beam Distillery is present.

Old Grand 114 feels burny and adding water does little for it as it remains hot and somewhat peppery.

Not a good sipper but its warm and spicy character make it a good option to make a tasty Old Fashioned without spending much as this bourbon is nicely priced.

Learn more about this washed out brand by reading my post: Discover the Best Old Grand Dad Bottle where I rank every release.

There are a few facts worth knowing about the Grand Old Dad 114:

• Aged for 4 years.

• Mash bill is made from 63% corn, 27% rye and 10% malted barley.

• The man in the label is Basil Hayden. He’s the one that came up with the idea of adding rye to bourbon’s mash.

• Old Grand Dad is crafted at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, KY along Booker’s, Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s, Old Crow, Baker’s and a few others.

• The Jim Beam Distillery is owned by Suntory Holding headquartered in Osaka, Japan.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed

Nose	Vanilla, caramel, oak
Palate	Baking spice, burnt sugar, vanilla, oak, old leather
Finish	Vanilla, old leather, oak char
Alcohol content	116 proof (58% ABV)
How to drink	Rocks, cocktails
Similar to	Four Roses Single Barrel, MM Cask Strength

On the nose, the Rare Breed offers a honeyed aroma, along cinnamon, charred oak and very little ethanol to it.

On the palate, this whiskey delivers a good creamy body, pleasing warmth up-front, with butterscotch, brown sugar, vanilla and oak.

The finish is medium to long, warming, rich in vanilla, old leather and the signature burnt oak note prevalent in every Wild Turkey release.

It drinks warm as you might expect from something bottled at 116 proof, yet it does not overwhelm as it is sweet and satisfying.

In fact, it drinks quite nicely as it has a solid body and nice sweetness well balanced against woody and spicy notes.

This Rare Breed Bourbon is one of the best in its class and it tastes better than bottles priced twice as much making it a champ in terms of value for the money and the best Wild Turkey Bourbon!

There are a few facts worth knowing about the Wild Turkey Rare Breed:

• Rare Breed is barrel-proof, meaning it’s uncut, bottled directly from the barrels at the proof it reached in those barrels.

• This whiskey was bottled without water-dilution.

• Rare Breed is a blend of whiskeys aged between 6 and 8 years and 12 years.

• This whisky was not chill-filtered, this is a common practice among the industry as it prevents the liquid from becoming hazy, but some purists assure that the filtering also removes precious tasting notes from the dram.

• The mash bill is made from 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% barley.

• Gold at the New York International Spirits Competition 2020.

• Wild Turkey belongs to the Campari Group based in Milan, Italy.

Old Grand Dad 114 vs Wild Turkey Rare Breed: Price comparison

Prices are approximate and stated in USD:

Whiskey	Price
Old Grand Dad 114	$30
Wild Turkey Rare Breed	$55

Old Grand Dad 114 vs Wild Turkey Rare Breed: Which is better?

The Rare Breed is better tasting and balanced than the OGD 114

• The Rare Breed is a high proof bourbon that does not drink as such. This is a versatile bourbon that can be drunk neat, rocks or be used to make tasty cocktails.

• But if you are in the market exclusively looking for something to make punchy cocktails then the Old Grand Dad 114 is a better option. It’s quite affordable and the rye spice content will make your Old Fashioned more interesting!