Welcome to Taste Test, where every week our critic Jonah Flicker explores the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Sunday for his latest whiskey review.

Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? You know, that classic trope in which the often overlooked or unjustly ignored hero finally gets his or her due? That’s how Jim Beam’s renewed attention over the past five years or so to its Olds whiskeys kind of feels, starting with Old Overholt, moving on to Old Grand-Dad, and perhaps someday shining a light on Old Crow. The most recent upgrade comes in the form of the new Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel, a seven-year-old bourbon bottled at high proof that is just as good as longtime fans of this brand had hoped it would be.

If you’re unfamiliar with Old Grand-Dad, here’s a little background. The name, which dates back to the late 1800s, was the nickname for distiller Basil Hayden Sr., whose grandson, Colonel R.B. Hayden, would name his distillery and bourbon after him. Over the years, the brand moved around to various companies, as is often the case, until it finally ended up with National Distillers Group. They were acquired by Fortune Brands in 1987, which became Beam Inc. (and then Beam Suntory and most recently Suntory Global Spirits). That gave Beam control of Old Grand-Dad along with the other Olds, including Old Taylor which it eventually sold to Sazerac.

Today, the Old Grand-Dad lineup is as follows: 80 Proof, Bonded, 7-Year Bonded, 114, 16 Year 100 Proof, and now the new 114 Single Barrel 7 Year. The recipe for Old Grand-Dad is Beam’s high-rye mashbill, the same one that’s used for Basil Hayden. While the distillery does not disclose exact percentages, it’s often believed to be 63 percent corn, 27 percent rye, and 10 percent malted barley, which indeed does put it into the high-rye category. As you can tell by the name, the latest release is the 114-proof version of Old Grand-Dad that has been aged for a full seven years and released as a single barrel expression. While that means there will be differences depending on the barrel you try, this is a really good whiskey and one that fans of the brand should be pretty excited about.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with regular old Old Grand-Dad, particularly when it comes to the bottled-in-bond versions (minimum four years old, exactly 100 proof). These have long been considered to be bottom-shelf bourbons, and have not commanded the respect of some of Beam’s higher-caliber releases like Booker’s and Knob Creek, although bartenders and true whiskey fans have sung their praises for years. The renewed attention that Old-Grand-Dad is receiving hasn’t yet reached Old Overholt levels, but it’s getting there. This new bourbon is proof that it deserves the love—it’s strong, of course, at 114 proof, but there is a lot of complexity on the palate, with notes of oak, honey-roasted peanuts, vanilla pudding, burnt caramel, ripe plum, and blackberries.

Beam also upgraded its Jim Beam Black expression last year with the release of Jim Beam Black Extra Aged. That was good; this is much better. Maybe that’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, however—both are seven-year-old whiskeys, but the new Old Grand-Dad is much higher proof than Black, made from a mashbill with more rye, and bottled as a single barrel. It’s good to see this attention paid to the Olds, something that a few key members of the Beam team have been pushing for over the years. Could Old Crow be next? A whiskey fan can dream. In the meantime, grab a bottle of this new bourbon to try.

Score: 88