Table Of Contents

The Details

Rating 94
Style
American Whiskey
Whiskey
Produced In Kentucky
United States
ABV 60.5%
Availability Limited
Price $99.99 
Reviewed By
Review Updated 2024-08-06

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye Review

Old Overholt is America’s oldest continually produced whiskey brand, with a rich history deserving of its own feature article. The once-storied Pennsylvania-style rye is now produced by Jim Beam, with all distillation and aging occurring in Kentucky. The standard four-year, 86 proof offering got a facelift in 2020, which also coincided with two special releases: a 114 proof version (also four years old), and an 11-year version bottled at 92.6 proof. The line also features a regularly available bonded version that’s become a staple of many backbars.

In Fall of 2023, Beam released another limited Old Overholt, this one at cask strength and carrying a 10-year age statement. At 60.5 percent ABV, it’s Beam’s highest-proof rye batch since Booker’s Rye in 2016. And like all current Old Overholt bottlings since the 2020 revamp, this one is non-chill filtered. All barrels were laid down in 2012 and aged in Warehouse V at Beam’s campus in Clermont, Ky.

But enough history. Let’s taste the newest addition to Old Overholt’s multi-century lineage.

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye review

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye: Stats and Availability

Old Overholt’s standard offering is one of the most accessible rye whiskeys in the world. However, this 10-year, cask-strength version is a special and allocated release Beam has said won’t hit every market in the United States. We did ask a Beam Suntory representative about bottle count and specific release markets, but they declined to divulge that information.

That said, in modern times, Old Overholt isn’t generally seen as a premium brand, so there’s tension between availability and perceived value, even among special releases. At $100 suggested retail, it’s on the high end for rye whiskey, and consumers without context might scoff at paying so much compared to the standard offering that hovers around $21. Don’t be surprised to see this go for a bit above MSRP, but I personally don’t expect it to immediately command multiple times that.

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Spiced, cooked fruit hits early and heavy on the nose: pears, peaches, and plums. That’s underpinned by a tiny bit of cooling menthol, which blossoms quickly into some light, green herbal notes. There are tiny — but perceptible — aromas of parsley, dill, and chive.

Nosing further brings lots of chocolate, dried coconut flakes, and baking spice, predominantly clove with cinnamon; I also detect cardamom, which rounds out a fairly complex bouquet of spiced notes, along with some oaky astringency.

Though the exact mash bill is undisclosed, Old Overholt is presumed to be a “Kentucky style” low-rye with somewhere just about 51 percent rye. This herbaceousness is slightly reminiscent of the common 95 percent rye mash bill popularized by MGP in Indiana, but it doesn’t veer heavily into that territory.

Based on smell alone, Old Overholt fans should tentatively rejoice, and time in the glass only brings more to love. This is a rye to be sniffed and dissected on the nose for minutes at a time.

Taste

The full 121 proof is evident at first sip, with a powerful ethanol kick; however, it’s also sweeter than initially expected, spreading quickly across the tongue like hot vanilla donut icing. Sweetness fades (but doesn’t fully disappear) into spice at the midpalate, again heavy on both cinnamon and clove, with a well balanced amount of influence from the oak and wood sugars.

The vanilla stays strong to this point as well, moving from that initial pop of sweetness to something a bit closer to extract intertwined with the ethanol. Dried coconut and light milk chocolate also make reappearances. It’s a viscous mouthfeel appropriate to the proof and flavor profile, carrying notes well across almost all parts of the palate.

At the back end of the palate comes fruit, this time a light cherry component going hand-in-hand with cooked pear. The upper palate is also touched toward the end with cooling mint and spice, once again peeking into the herbal realm without quite diving headfirst.

Finish

The finish moves back from spice to sweet, and frankly, reminds me of swallowing a bite of vanilla cookie — quickly followed by a sip of high-proof rye, of course. It’s truly of medium length, but the perception is almost artificially extended because this rye ends with such a sugary character.

A few liberal drops of water bring out more oak character on both the nose and palate, which helps morph the rye’s sweetness from vanilla-forward to wood-forward. Water also helps bring out a stronger prune note on the midpalate. I’d highly recommend trying this with some slight dilution to find your personal strike zone.

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye Rating

94/100

Recap

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye should thrill the brand’s most fervent fans while welcoming plenty of new drinkers to the fold. Packing a punch in all the right places, it’s delicious throughout, with an accessible profile that certainly showcases rye’s sweeter side.

For my money, there aren’t too many rye whiskeys on the market — and certainly few new releases from 2023 — that would beat this in a blind tasting.

As of 2024, VinePair no longer participates in any affiliate programs. All links included in our content are as a convenience to our readers, not for earning commission — we receive no monetary value from them. Learn more about our tastings & review department here!

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94
POINTS
Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye
Old Overholt is America’s oldest continually produced whiskey brand, with a rich history deserving of its own feature article. The once-storied Pennsylvania-style rye is now produced by Jim Beam, with all distillation and aging occurring in Kentucky. The standard four-year, 86 proof offering got a facelift in 2020, which also coincided with two special releases: a 114 proof version (also four years old), and an 11-year version bottled at 92.6 proof. The line also features a regularly available bonded version that’s become a staple of many backbars. In Fall of 2023, Beam released another limited Old Overholt, this one at cask strength and carrying a 10-year age statement. At 60.5 percent ABV, it’s Beam’s highest-proof rye batch since Booker’s Rye in 2016. And like all current Old Overholt bottlings since the 2020 revamp, this one is non-chill filtered. All barrels were laid down in 2012 and aged in Warehouse V at Beam’s campus in Clermont, Ky. But enough history. Let’s taste the newest addition to Old Overholt’s multi-century lineage. Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye review

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye: Stats and Availability

Old Overholt’s standard offering is one of the most accessible rye whiskeys in the world. However, this 10-year, cask-strength version is a special and allocated release Beam has said won’t hit every market in the United States. We did ask a Beam Suntory representative about bottle count and specific release markets, but they declined to divulge that information. That said, in modern times, Old Overholt isn’t generally seen as a premium brand, so there’s tension between availability and perceived value, even among special releases. At $100 suggested retail, it’s on the high end for rye whiskey, and consumers without context might scoff at paying so much compared to the standard offering that hovers around $21. Don’t be surprised to see this go for a bit above MSRP, but I personally don’t expect it to immediately command multiple times that.

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Spiced, cooked fruit hits early and heavy on the nose: pears, peaches, and plums. That’s underpinned by a tiny bit of cooling menthol, which blossoms quickly into some light, green herbal notes. There are tiny — but perceptible — aromas of parsley, dill, and chive. Nosing further brings lots of chocolate, dried coconut flakes, and baking spice, predominantly clove with cinnamon; I also detect cardamom, which rounds out a fairly complex bouquet of spiced notes, along with some oaky astringency. Though the exact mash bill is undisclosed, Old Overholt is presumed to be a “Kentucky style” low-rye with somewhere just about 51 percent rye. This herbaceousness is slightly reminiscent of the common 95 percent rye mash bill popularized by MGP in Indiana, but it doesn’t veer heavily into that territory. Based on smell alone, Old Overholt fans should tentatively rejoice, and time in the glass only brings more to love. This is a rye to be sniffed and dissected on the nose for minutes at a time.

Taste

The full 121 proof is evident at first sip, with a powerful ethanol kick; however, it’s also sweeter than initially expected, spreading quickly across the tongue like hot vanilla donut icing. Sweetness fades (but doesn’t fully disappear) into spice at the midpalate, again heavy on both cinnamon and clove, with a well balanced amount of influence from the oak and wood sugars. The vanilla stays strong to this point as well, moving from that initial pop of sweetness to something a bit closer to extract intertwined with the ethanol. Dried coconut and light milk chocolate also make reappearances. It’s a viscous mouthfeel appropriate to the proof and flavor profile, carrying notes well across almost all parts of the palate. At the back end of the palate comes fruit, this time a light cherry component going hand-in-hand with cooked pear. The upper palate is also touched toward the end with cooling mint and spice, once again peeking into the herbal realm without quite diving headfirst.

Finish

The finish moves back from spice to sweet, and frankly, reminds me of swallowing a bite of vanilla cookie — quickly followed by a sip of high-proof rye, of course. It’s truly of medium length, but the perception is almost artificially extended because this rye ends with such a sugary character. A few liberal drops of water bring out more oak character on both the nose and palate, which helps morph the rye’s sweetness from vanilla-forward to wood-forward. Water also helps bring out a stronger prune note on the midpalate. I’d highly recommend trying this with some slight dilution to find your personal strike zone.

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye Rating

94/100

Recap

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye should thrill the brand’s most fervent fans while welcoming plenty of new drinkers to the fold. Packing a punch in all the right places, it’s delicious throughout, with an accessible profile that certainly showcases rye’s sweeter side. For my money, there aren’t too many rye whiskeys on the market — and certainly few new releases from 2023 — that would beat this in a blind tasting.

Reviewed On: 12-22-2023
94
POINTS
Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye
Old Overholt is America’s oldest continually produced whiskey brand, with a rich history deserving of its own feature article. The once-storied Pennsylvania-style rye is now produced by Jim Beam, with all distillation and aging occurring in Kentucky. The standard four-year, 86 proof offering got a facelift in 2020, which also coincided with two special releases: a 114 proof version (also four years old), and an 11-year version bottled at 92.6 proof. The line also features a regularly available bonded version that’s become a staple of many backbars. In Fall of 2023, Beam released another limited Old Overholt, this one at cask strength and carrying a 10-year age statement. At 60.5 percent ABV, it’s Beam’s highest-proof rye batch since Booker’s Rye in 2016. And like all current Old Overholt bottlings since the 2020 revamp, this one is non-chill filtered. All barrels were laid down in 2012 and aged in Warehouse V at Beam’s campus in Clermont, Ky. But enough history. Let’s taste the newest addition to Old Overholt’s multi-century lineage. Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye review

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye: Stats and Availability

Old Overholt’s standard offering is one of the most accessible rye whiskeys in the world. However, this 10-year, cask-strength version is a special and allocated release Beam has said won’t hit every market in the United States. We did ask a Beam Suntory representative about bottle count and specific release markets, but they declined to divulge that information. That said, in modern times, Old Overholt isn’t generally seen as a premium brand, so there’s tension between availability and perceived value, even among special releases. At $100 suggested retail, it’s on the high end for rye whiskey, and consumers without context might scoff at paying so much compared to the standard offering that hovers around $21. Don’t be surprised to see this go for a bit above MSRP, but I personally don’t expect it to immediately command multiple times that.

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Spiced, cooked fruit hits early and heavy on the nose: pears, peaches, and plums. That’s underpinned by a tiny bit of cooling menthol, which blossoms quickly into some light, green herbal notes. There are tiny — but perceptible — aromas of parsley, dill, and chive. Nosing further brings lots of chocolate, dried coconut flakes, and baking spice, predominantly clove with cinnamon; I also detect cardamom, which rounds out a fairly complex bouquet of spiced notes, along with some oaky astringency. Though the exact mash bill is undisclosed, Old Overholt is presumed to be a “Kentucky style” low-rye with somewhere just about 51 percent rye. This herbaceousness is slightly reminiscent of the common 95 percent rye mash bill popularized by MGP in Indiana, but it doesn’t veer heavily into that territory. Based on smell alone, Old Overholt fans should tentatively rejoice, and time in the glass only brings more to love. This is a rye to be sniffed and dissected on the nose for minutes at a time.

Taste

The full 121 proof is evident at first sip, with a powerful ethanol kick; however, it’s also sweeter than initially expected, spreading quickly across the tongue like hot vanilla donut icing. Sweetness fades (but doesn’t fully disappear) into spice at the midpalate, again heavy on both cinnamon and clove, with a well balanced amount of influence from the oak and wood sugars. The vanilla stays strong to this point as well, moving from that initial pop of sweetness to something a bit closer to extract intertwined with the ethanol. Dried coconut and light milk chocolate also make reappearances. It’s a viscous mouthfeel appropriate to the proof and flavor profile, carrying notes well across almost all parts of the palate. At the back end of the palate comes fruit, this time a light cherry component going hand-in-hand with cooked pear. The upper palate is also touched toward the end with cooling mint and spice, once again peeking into the herbal realm without quite diving headfirst.

Finish

The finish moves back from spice to sweet, and frankly, reminds me of swallowing a bite of vanilla cookie — quickly followed by a sip of high-proof rye, of course. It’s truly of medium length, but the perception is almost artificially extended because this rye ends with such a sugary character. A few liberal drops of water bring out more oak character on both the nose and palate, which helps morph the rye’s sweetness from vanilla-forward to wood-forward. Water also helps bring out a stronger prune note on the midpalate. I’d highly recommend trying this with some slight dilution to find your personal strike zone.

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye Rating

94/100

Recap

Old Overholt 10 Year Cask Strength Rye should thrill the brand’s most fervent fans while welcoming plenty of new drinkers to the fold. Packing a punch in all the right places, it’s delicious throughout, with an accessible profile that certainly showcases rye’s sweeter side. For my money, there aren’t too many rye whiskeys on the market — and certainly few new releases from 2023 — that would beat this in a blind tasting.

Reviewed On: 12-22-2023