Old Overholt Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey

I once observed that standard Old Overholt was the platonic "beer and a shot" whiskey--flavourful with a bit of youthful bite, but reasonably balanced and well-made, its flaws compensated for by a sip of crisp lager. If that's true (and I believe it is), then Old Overholt's new-ish bonded sibling is the whiskey on the rocks you sip slowly and sorrowfully in some out-of-the-way dive bar. Which isn't necessarily a criticism. I'd never drink this straight (it's fairly fiery at full proof, and the youth is evident), but over ice, it's genuinely enjoyable, no beer needed: grassy, sweet, caramel, caraway and pepper. Slight Beam nuttiness and faint citrus. Long lingering vanilla. Punches well above its weight-class, but doesn't have any pretensions about what it is at heart.

"Neat” "0-1: Bad. What mixers can I use with it to cover it up 2: Meh. Simply not my taste, nothing to be excited about at all 2.5: Sub-par. Ill drink it... but only because its whiskey. 3: Good. Decent stuff, but not a rebuy 3.5: Very good. I might buy again 4: Excellent: Will be purchasing a bottle asap 4.5: Incredible: top of the purchase list 5:Amazing: cost and taste are worth every cent""