A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey

Two new releases from Beam Suntory on the Overholt line in one year? Yes, please. I picked up the 10 Year Cask Strength first but haven't opened it yet since $100 whiskies tend to be special occasion whiskies for me (meaning football season with my dad). This one, the Monongahela Mash, I got last Friday and had been meaning to pick up for a while. Had to snatch up the 10 Year CS quick because I missed out on the 11 Year from a few years back. Kept meaning to get to it, but never found myself picking it up and then, it was gone. Vanished from the shelves. I've always liked Overholt as a budget rye. There are a lot of good budget ryes out there, a few I would say are better than Overholt Bonded, but Overholt Bonded can hold its own straight or in cocktails as an enjoyable sip that won't break the bank. Initial reviews I've read of the A. Overholt Monongahela Mash have noted that it tastes good, but Breaking Bourbon quibbled with the price vs. age. A 4-year rye, they claim, shouldn't cost $40. But then, if you think of all the NAS scotches these days going for over $100, dropping $40 on a known quantity doesn't seem so bad. Now whether it's better than other ryes in its price range is a matter for debate. Overall, the end product is solid. Because the mashbill is 80% rye, 20% malted barley, you get a nice mix of sweet and spicy all around, and the nose, if I'm not mistaken, is reminiscent of another great budget rye, the standard Sazerac, in that the nose has a good mix of cherry cola aromas with vanilla and rye spice. The palate brings the spice forward with a little bit of heat and pepper and clove, but maintains the fruity edge of cherry in the background. It's not amazingly complex, but the flavors mix well on the palate, the finish is moderate in length, not particularly long, but not coming in too short either. Sort of a goldilocks finish in being just right. Overall, Breaking Bourbon might be right about the price point. While it's not going to break the bank, it's similar enough to Sazerac in my opinion that at $10 cheaper, I'd likely reach for another bottle of that before I drop the money on this again, but I certainly wouldn't tell you to avoid it if your curiosity is piqued and you're in the mood for something new. I don't have an open bottle of Sazerac with me right now so I can't compare them side-by-side though that might be interesting given how this reminds me of that. Also, I don't know how far this goes with the rest of you, but I love the look of the bottle, and it sits nicely displayed on the shelf. The brown tint gives it an old-timey medicinal feel from the good ol' days when doctors prescribed whiskey as a cure-all. Sure, the other Overholt bottles have the same tint, but this one has the angular shape and that picture of the balding mustachioed Overholt on the neck label as if to say, this has stature, look at this respectable old man gussied up like your grandpa. Don't you trust him? Well, at this point, I do. I like Overholt. I'll probably keep trying their new releases the more they emerge. Given I'm only the third reviewer here, I hesitate to bring down its 4-star aggregate rating by giving it a 3.5 (that usually starts to imply to people's minds that this is a subpar whisky when it's far from it), but this really is a solid 3.5 in my book when weighing all the factors including price. So, if you're into rye, try it. If you like your ryes with some sweetness mixed in, try it. If you're into bourbon, you might still like this one, though there's enough spice on the palate that it might put the candy-drinking bourbon drinkers off. That's okay. You can't please everyone all the time. Can't wait to get to the 10 Year CS myself though. Oh, the anticipation!

An interesting new product from the Jim Beam/Overholt portfolio, this time much closer to a true American rye whiskey, at least as far as mash bill goes. Only when researching this is when I discovered that the classic Old Overholt actually has a sizeable amount of corn, something that distracts from the natural flavor of the rye grain and should be absent from a proper American rye whiskey. However, with this new release, the boxes are well checked for a new and enjoyable experience, including a decent proof and enough age for rye to develop but not become tamed or too "perfumed." This may be the highest amount of barley I've ever seen in a bourbon or American rye whiskey as well, so I'm curious how that will play here. The color begins light and watery, like a golden straw or hay, almost looking like a good amount of European whiskies. Speaking of European whisky, the nose really incorporates the soft, malty, almost vegetal and even briny notes of the malted barley, more than I would have thought. However, there are also classic notes of cinnamon candy and spearmint that you would expect to find from a rye whiskey, which play nicely with the barley, but is surprisingly underwhelming to the green apple and honey malt overtones. The flavor palette begins where the nose left off, with soft honey and slightly sour apple from the malted barley, creating an overall light body, but not weak or watery. The rye grain, however, doesn't sit idly by, and starts throwing punches of cinnamon and herbaceous notes, while the whole mix extracts a good amount of vanilla and light caramel from the oak. The finish begins hot, but nothing sticks in the gums or the tongue, so it falls off relatively quickly. The ethanol doesn't really become an issue here nor did it on the nose, and instead takes a backseat while feeling more like an 80 proof amount. This is quite a nice new touch from Jim Beam, considering they don't have a whole lot of malt whiskey or other products with an overall softer profile. A. Overholt, however, seems to combine the soft malt with spicy rye, while the charred barrel aging provides a perfect amount of added sweetness without compromising the base grains. This is by no means an improvement on original Old Overholt, but instead a lateral move, since the OG shines in providing an iconic full-bodied rye spiciness (even with the corn added). Neither are what I consider a "proper" American rye whiskey to be, but for the price point (so long as you don't pay over MSRP like I think I accidentally did), both are worth picking up for sure.

A OVERHOLT GLASS: Standard Glencairn NOSE: The nose is Great. The Malt shows first with Cocoa, Tea, and Cherry. The Rye brings Biscuit Dough, Mint, Ginger, and Cinnamon. I’m also getting a nice undercurrent of Confectioners Sugar. With some time, it’s a shapeshifter, as just when you think the herbal rye notes have finally taken over, a light swirl of the liquid brings back the Cocoa and Cherry. Well done! NEAT: Lives up to the nose. Sweet Tea and Cocoa on the initial sip. Sort of Oily on the palate with Cherry, Vanilla, Ginger, and Drying Oak as you continue. I also get hints of the “Old Garage” note (think of an old Full Service Gas Station with old motor oil and tires) that I get more prominently from other Old Overholt expressions. There’s a good bit of Peppery Spice on the Finish, leaving behind a Tingly coating aftertaste of Tea Leaves, Ginger, and Dry Dusty Oak. As it builds it becomes Cinnamon. Similar to the aftertaste of an Atomic Fireball. Nice Glow in the chest as well. Maybe a little hotter than its Proof, but in GOOD way. If there’s a flaw, it’s maybe I get a slight tannic note on the finish the further I get into the pour, but it’s not enough to cost it any points. SPLASH: A few drops of water brings some Brown Sugar to both nose and palate. VERDICT: Color me impressed. This is on par with the 10 year Cask Strength in my rankings. I love what Beam has been doing with this line (and others), and a new mashbill is a very welcome surprise. This is very well put together and I can see it being a keep on hand Item. Priced in line with Sazerac and Bulleit, and just above Rittenhouse seems about right to me. I also love the old style bottle and old fashioned cork. A solid 4 Stars.

Nose gets us started with graham cracker, nutmeg, root vegetable, crisp spruce, apple (weird for a rye but it’s there), and…cookie dough? Is this really a rye? Whoa. Palate is out there. Chocolate, mint, golden raisin, black cherry, iced gingerbread cookie, the apple from the nose, and tea leaf. I’m shocked and delighted by how sweet and fruity this is. If I have a critique, it’s that the flavors are slightly subdued. Finish is medium length with ginger ale, white pepper, lemon cake, light cinnamon, musty barn, and soft oak. Mouthfeel is light bodied but soft and silky and easy on the tongue. Completely unconventional and It’s rare to get something this unique at the price point. As a rye? Questionable. As a whiskey? Delicious. Surprised me to the point of nearly blowing me away. At $47, it’s a no-brainer rebuy. Proof that something doesn’t have to limited edition or a bazillion dollars to be great.

Pours a beautiful amber and produces multiple slow running legs in a standard Glencairn. On yhe nose there is dark fruit and baking spice with a hint of graham crackers. On the palate the rye pepper comes through, but doesn’t overpower the fruit and sweetness from the nose. This is a very nice sipping rye.

First released in the Spring of 2024. Unique mash bill of rye and malted barley. No corn. Warm baking spices, smooth easy to drink straight or with a tiny amount of ice. $40.00 in N. Virginia Dec 2024