Old Overholt Straight Rye

Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey

Today’s review, in celebration of “World Whiskey Day”, is Old Overholt Rye.  Yes, that dusty bottle on the bottom of your local store’s shelf. I wasn’t planning on doing a review on this today, but a friend asked me for a recommendation (he’s giving a gift to someone that likes Old Overholt) on a bottle that cost more, but has a similar taste profile of Old Overholt. As I don’t drink Old Overholt (my entry into bottom shelf rye was Rittenhouse) I tracked down a bottle and purchased it so I could make an educated recommendation.  This is one of those brands that has a very long history that doesn’t quite match up to what it is currently. Born in Pennsylvania (that’s actually how the bottle markets it) this is now owned by Beam Suntory and produced in Kentucky. This particular bottle carries a 3 year old age statement.

ABV: 43%

How it smells….floral / perfume, caramel, nail polish

How it tastes…semi-sweet to start with a woody middle (not in a very pleasant way) and a medicinal end. The finish is short and a little biscuity….with a cube of ice, much sweeter on the front and a nice dry rye spice at the end with a malty finish.

Price..$17

Rating...🥃🥃🥃

Final thoughts…I don’t like this, but it’s $17. That’s what’s really driving the 3x 🥃 rating as much as it kills me. With this, you ultimately get what you pay for. When I review these lower priced whiskeys I tend to call them “affordable” because that’s how we talk now, but this is just plain cheap. This sip greatly benefits from ice, as it turns a rather dusty muddled flavor profile into a more pleasant sweet rye. That said, I’m not returning to this anytime soon and will likely use this as a mixer for cocktails, perhaps ones with lemon as lemon tends to steal the show in drinks. So why is this a 3x 🥃 rating? Because it is priced exactly right. I’ll revisit this concept over the next couple of reviews as each review’s ratings were price influenced.