One thousand seventy-eight days ago on April 16, 2013, I published a review that included three different rye whiskeys, each from a different company. Of the group, my favorite was Wild Turkey 101 rye. This would have been the prehiatus rye. My least favorite of the group was Old Overholt. Here is what I said about it then.
"Standing on it's own, this is a meh. I wouldn't put it into a glass, but if I was at a bar I wouldn't turn it down depending on what else was back there. It's really just ok."
Old Overholt is a straight rye whiskey that, until very recently hasn't gotten much love from its producer, Jim Beam. Back in 2014, there was an abortive campaign that packaged Old Overholt with Old Grand-Dad and Old Crow into a collection called the "The Olds." The Twitter handles are dark, but the website is still there, minus any mention of Old Crow.
Notice I said "until recently" there? Well, that is because Jim Beam has released a new expression of Old Overholt. This one a Bottled in Bond version. And as this new expression is on my mind, I thought it would be a good idea to go back to the original and revisit that one. See if my thoughts have changed any.
Old Overholt
Purchase Info: $12.99 for a 750mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.
Details: 40% ABV. Three years old.
Nose: Sweetness, dried grain, hay and a touch of both mint and cardamom.
Mouth: Sweet with ginger and black pepper.
Finish: Starts sweet and fades to a dry bitterness. Along the way, there are more notes of ginger and cardamom.
Thoughts: This is a solid competitor for Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye. They play in a similar price point at my store ($12.99 vs $16.99 for a 750 mL). It isn't one that you'd drink out of a Glencairn glass but does ok for a casual tumbler. I used this in a few cocktails and some it did fine in, while in others it got lost. Overall about what you'd expect for a mixing whiskey. I give it a meh, but wouldn't fault anyone else for liking it.
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