Old Overholt Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey

I am revisiting this side-by-side with Hochstadter's Vatted Rye - another 100 proof rye within the same price range. By comparison, the Hochstadter's is absolutely spicier: it has much more of a spicy Pennsylvania rye character than the Old Overholt - but the Overholt excels in approachability. Creamier and more bourbon-like (to be expected with a 51% rye, high corn mash from Jim Beam designed to be a transitional rye). To be clear, the Hochstadter's is still not as spicy as Dad's Hat. It has a mild sweet cream creaminess. By comparison, the Overholt has just a bit more of everything. A sip is mildly sweet with soft notes of brown sugar, oak, campfire, marshmallow, creme brulee and black tea. It's hard to do better for less than $30, let alone $20ish

New version. Non-chill filtered. Says "Bottled in Bond" on the label. Red cap. N: Wood, caramel, vanilla. Ethanol. Each of those notes develops some over time. The wood moves toward cedar, wood polish, and leather. The caramel is somewhat nuanced with a bit of bread pudding. The vanilla is in the bread pudding. Rye notes of mint and menthol arrive fashionably late. Hints of cinnamon too. The ethanol just moves the glass to your lips - lets be real here. P: Rich and woody. Rye pushes forward with mint, menthol, and an earthy eucalyptus sort of thing. But good balance with the warm caramel - like you'd find on an ice cream sundae (hello vanilla!). Wood cinnamon spice starts to get assertive after a few sips and lingers into the finish. Sweet and heady. Rich like a birthday cake, but made naturally dark by the grain (no added chocolate here). Spice gets hot as it sits on your tongue - still cinnamon, but approaching spicy pepper territory. Mild tannins show up in the palate late, but noticeably. And then the burn lingers... Excellent for a super cheap BIB rye. Easily competes with rye bottles twice its price (or more). Should be a go-to bottle for quiet weeknight sipping or for cocktails. It lacks some sophistication, but who cares at this price. It's damn tasty. One for the rotation.

Nice expression of rye whiskey. Tastier than Rittenhouse bottled in bond neat and much better than standard Old Overholt. On the nose, there is a tinge of alcohol and rye. On the palate, there is caramel and corn sweetness with some warmth in the backend. Very good rye.