Old Overholt Rye

[Jono]

Had my first taste of Old Overhold Straight Rye Whiskey...80 proof..no age statement..last night and now tonight....very nice.

Nose...typical rye spice, sweetness.
Taste...light, sweet, a mingling of spiciness..but very gentle.

I have not had the Ritt 80 for comparison...the BIB offers more complexity...but this rye is a nice, smooth drinking whiskey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Overholt

Aged 4 years...."It has a richer flavor than Jim Beam rye, and a tinge of sweetness which contrasts with the heat of the Wild Turkey rye."

I agree with that....it is a little smoother than the WT Rye.

http://www.whiskymag.com/whisky/bran...whisky319.html

Not sure why they titled it Old Overholt "Canadian" Rye....must be an error.

[cowdery]

I write for WHISKY Magazine and I love them, but they can be clueless about anything that isn't scotch. An editor there once wrote a subhead for an article I did about Forty Creek and referred to it as a "small batch bourbon."

[Dramiel McHinson]

I recently layed to rest a bottle of Old Overholt rye. It is young and light which perfectly fits the bill when that's what you have your taster set for. The $14 price tag made it simply lovely. When I found out that Beam makes it I did a head to head comparison with the Beam straight rye. To me, there were differences although they weren't significant. That made me wonder if it's the same juice from the same barrels in the same warehouse or not. The Beam Straight rye cost a bit more here so that helped me make my mind up on which one I'd restock. Sooooo..I guess my question is, are the the main differences between Old Overhold and Beam Straight Rye the label and price?

[Jono]

Can't say about the juice origin...but here is a "noisy" website (mute it) on Overholt history:

http://www.ellenjaye.com/hist_mono3overholt.htm

(The same people who have a similar website for Kinsey.)

One site discussion states 1987 as the cutoff year between the original Old Overholt /National Distillers and the Jim Beam distillate

http://www.whiskymag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2583

SB - partial -thread: http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...ead.php?t=8445

[funknik]

Old Overholt is one of my favorites and it seems to get very little notice. I also have noticed its similarity to Beam Rye and wonder if it's the same stuff...however, I think the Beam may be a little smoother and the Overholt has a slightly more complex flavor. I tend to prefer the Overholt, maybe just because it has a little more character both inside and outside of the bottle....I like the fact that it was originally distilled on the East Coast...there's some interesting history there.

I like most of my whisk(e)y neat, and although I tend to prefer bourbon of a higher proof, I find that rye is perfect for sipping at 80. I've only had the two mentioned above along with Russell's Reserve Rye (which I find a little dull and I think the high proof covers up the rye until the finish) and Sazerac Jr. Rye which I thought tasted like rotting wood. Old Overholt is great sippin' whiskey IMO.

[Slob]

Old Overholt is great. The price is right. I always keep a bottle on hand. I've found that first timers are nearly universal in their praise for it.

[Jono]

Slob, glad to agree with you on something! Cheers!

[cowdery]

1987 was the year of the National acquisition by Beam and the immediate shuttering of National's distilleries. Thereafter all new distillate was made at Clermont or Boston. However, the Old Overholt made in Frankfort was hardly original. I'm not sure off the top of my head when the original Overholt distillery in Pennsylvania produced its last, but it was long ago, possibly pre-pro. While rye whiskey was still being produced in Pennsylvania, Overholt was produced there by various distilleries, probably including Michter's. When the Pennsylvania industry, except for Michters, shut down in the 70s, National started to make its ryes at Old Grand-Dad in Frankfort.

[polyamnesia]

yes, glad i made a stab at it last year...now, i can just stab myself for not grabbing the superior WT rye this summer when it was going for $15.99 all summer. ugh. but i admit, the Overholt is a great drink and it helped me appreciate OGDad's heavy rye taste. i nibble dark chocolate with it and that got me deeper into ryes.

glad to know that i can still pick it up across the state line in Delaware for $10.99 a bottle. same price for JB rye....(which i haven't tried yet...i assume they are both quite similar.....)

[Old Lamplighter]

Had my first pours of Overholt earlier this evening. It is definitely one I will keep around at all times in the future. I did not expect the smoothness.....not something found in ryes of this age - which I think I read somewhere is 4-6 years old.