Background

Front and center, a disclaimer- these bottles were provided to me by Beam Suntory at no cost, no obligation to review and with no strings attached. I thank them for their generosity in doing so.

Old Overholt claims to be the oldest, continually maintained brand of whiskey in the country. Originally, hailing from Pennsylvania, Old Overholt established itself as a “Monongahela style” rye. Never heard of Monogahela style? This Whisky Advocate article is worth a read in its entirety, but in short, it’s highly likely a sweet mash of only rye and barley (no corn) was used. Distillers in PA also favored a Three-Chamber Still that’s almost completely fallen out of favor today, until it was revived by Leopold Brothers.

So how did we get from a Pennsylvania distillation/distillate to a Beam Suntory owned Kentucky rye? It’s a long journey that I won’t entirely cover here, again- Whisky Advocate deep dive for those interested, but the original distillery grew and grew and eventually even came under the ownership of Andrew Mellon. You know what a great way to survive Prohibition is? Have your owner be the Treasury Security and secure you a sweet, sweet medicinal license. Mellon eventually sold out to National Distillers because temperance made being in the booze business politically untenable. Rye whiskey would fall out of favor, the brand would change hands a few times, but somehow still be produced in PA (though no one really knows where), before their acquisition by Jim Beam in 1987! Beam Suntory does not disclose the mashbill, though it’s strongly suspected to be a higher corn rye more in the Kentucky rye style. Alright we basically pressed fast forward through a lot of whiskey history there and STILL this is a long intro, let’s get to the reviews!

Old Overholt Bottled in Bond (4 Years, 100 Proof)

Nose: Muddled mint, candied citrus, it's definitely rye forward but there's some subtle vanilla here too.

Palate: A beer and shot combo at a wonderful dive bar... Kidding, but more candied orange peel, the vanilla gets more prominent, and then rye spices arrive. That said, it's not super spice forward for a rye. I don't mean that as a criticism it's just on the sweeter side.

Finish: Barrel spice, oak, that vanilla note (gravitating a bit towards creme brulee), it's a little short for a 100 proof rye.

Good (5/10)

Overall: I alluded to it during my palate notes, but I think it's OK to be very upfront about what this is- a highly affordable, tasty but unassuming utility rye. I don't find anything actively off putting about it, it tastes good! Maybe a little generic, but it’s good and has a clear usefulness as a value pour/cocktail base.

Old Overholt 114 Proof (4 Years, 114 Proof)

Nose: Candied ginger, vanilla, cocktail cherries... Not terribly rye forward honestly. There's definitely some baking spices but it's a little more fruit forward.

Palate: Creme brulee, mulling spices, candied ginger, orange peel, some cherry and leather. A nice fruity and spicy mix.

Finish: Medicinal cherry, rye spice, bit oaky, long and hot… but not too hot. Just all around a much more robust finish than the Bottled in Bond.

Very Good (6/10)

Overall: Definitely a nice step up from the standard! The flavors pop a little bit more, and the finish in particular benefits from the step up in proof. It definitely profiles as a bourbon drinker’s rye, the rye spice is there but it’s well integrated with the fruit and vanilla notes.