Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye (2023) Review
In-Depth Review
Established in 1810, the Old Overholt brand may not be Jim Beam’s most well- known series of expressions, but it is their oldest. After going through centuries of changes, and eventually being bought by Jim Beam in 1987, the current Old Overholt lineup is exclusively made up of rye whiskey in either the standard 43% ABV version, its bottled-in-bond version and now this new 10 year, cask strength limited edition. This new expression is the first time there has been a cask strength version of Old Overholt in almost half a decade!
The new Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye is one of the oldest ryes ever released by Jim Beam, and represents a unique experiment where Jim Beam specially selected barrels of Old Overholt to age in their unique Escalator Warehouse V. This warehouse is unique due to its “elevator” barrel system – making it much easier to move barrels around the warehouse - and is known for the consistency of the whiskey aged there. The whiskey used in this release was distilled in the autumn and winter of 2012 and aged a minimum of 10 years. It was then bottled at a full cask strength of 60.5% ABV and retails for $99. This was purchased by Chris’s Liquor in Austin, Texas while on vacation. Shoutout to them for having this limited edition at MSRP!
Age: 10 Years
ABV: 60.5%
Cask: Virgin Oak
MSRP: $99
Distillery Name: Jim Beam Distillery
Review Date: 12/12/23
Color: Dark Caramel
Nose: The nose immediately hits you with an unexpectedly thick cherry syrup note. It’s dark and rich, and has luscious brown sugar, toasted Maplewood, hazelnut, nutmeg, and earthy mulch notes that are accented by big rye spice. The dark, damp earth note can be quite powerful at times, but it comes in waves – with an interplay between the sweetness of the cherry and the earthy tones creating a complex and rewarding nose. This nose has a lot of layers and can take a while to fully grasp, but it’s worth taking it slow here.
Palate: While the nose starts off with cherry sweetness, the palate is a much different story. The sweet notes are gone and have been replaced by big, bold rye spices with pine, black pepper, and a touch of wood spice. The spice lingers on the front of the tongue but as it rolls back more spicy vanilla, oak, and baking spices take center stage. The high proof combined with its rye spiciness can make it hard to pick apart the flavors. The mouthfeel is good, but the heat is on the borderline of being too much without a few drops of water.
Finish: Long finish that features more of that rye character with hints of clove and cinnamon. The finish transitions nicely from the heat of the palate to a soothing sweet finish with a dollop of oak and earthy spice that complements the heat well. The finish might very well be the best part here.
Final Thoughts: Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength rye is undoubtedly one of the most exciting ryes to come out in 2023. And while it delivers a lot for its MSRP, it doesn’t rise to the heights of some of the other standout ryes this year (See Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof and Bonded expressions). The main reason for this is that it drinks a bit hotter than you’d expect from a rye aged upwards of 10 years. While many other ryes get sweeter and more delicate with time, it seems as though the unique aging of this product has made it go the other direction and Old Overholt 10 year rye can almost come off as too hot. The rye spice is powerful here, and with the combination of all that spice and the cask strength ABV, this isn’t for the faint of heart. Its complex and lingering finish is the standout part for me, with a subtle balance of baking spices and sweetness balancing the heat from the palate. I love that Jim Beam released this – and at its $99 MSRP, provides a worthy alternative to other very expensive cask strength 10 year rye products on the market.
