Table Of Contents

The Details

Rating 93
Style
American Whiskey
Whiskey
Produced In Kentucky
United States
ABV 53.7%
Availability Limited
Price $100.00 
Reviewed By
Reviewed 2024-12-13

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye Review

America’s oldest continually produced whiskey brand, Old Overholt was once a storied Pennsylvania rye. It’s now produced by Beam in Kentucky, which offers a few different expressions of this famed rye whiskey. The “classic” bottling clocks in at 4 years and 86 proof, and Beam also sells a 100-proof bonded Overholt.

The producer recently rolled out a “Pennsylvania-style” bottling called A. Overholt. In contrast to the current and typical Overholt mash bill assumed to be just over 51 percent rye, A. Overholt is made from 80 percent rye and 20 percent “soft” malted barley.

In 2023, a special-edition, limited release joined the Overholt line: a 10 year cask strength rye whiskey. Cask strength is back for 2024, this time carrying an 11 year age statement.

The whiskey in this year’s Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye was distilled in Fall of 2012 and aged in four warehouses at Beam’s Clermont, Ky. campus: M, J, F, and 5. It was bottled at 107.4 proof, a notable decrease from last year’s 121 proof version.

Let’s see how it tastes!

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye review.

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye: Stats and Availability

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye is a limited release from Beam with an MSRP of around $100. While the manufacturer tends not to release bottle counts (with an occasional exception, like for Booker’s Rye), 2023’s 10 year Overholt received relatively wide distribution across the United States. (In fact, I’m still seeing some of that year’s bottles on shelves for between $10 and $20 over the $100 MSRP.) I’d expect a similar situation for this year’s special release Old Overholt: It won’t land on every shelf, but at the same time, these bottles will hopefully be accessible for close to suggested retail.

Old Overholt 11 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

There’s spice aplenty on the nose, but early on, it’s clear this is a bourbon drinker’s rye. (Very much the profile many folks will look for in a Kentucky-style rye.) Sprinkled cinnamon and baked clove meet egg custard and vanilla sugar cookie for a balanced early nose that carries its proof right around where it should. I find it a little less herbaceous than last year’s 10 year Old Overholt, which burst forth with spiced, cooked fruits, herbs, and plenty of ethanol. At least early on, this 11 year version is a slightly milder creature, with sweet and dessert-adjacent scents leading the first aromas.

That said, herbs and spices develop with more time in the glass as vanilla and caramel cede territory to cinnamon sticks, light dill, and wintergreen. Those more “green” notes go hand-in-hand with cured tobacco, dark chocolate, and oak tannins. Again, it’s not quite as bold as last year’s 121 proofer, but that doesn’t mean the scents aren’t pronounced or enjoyable. At its relatively milder ABV, this rye gives a bit more space to the sweet before folding in the spiced.

Taste

Even for 107+ proof, this is an easy first sip: creamy viscosity meets custard, birthday cake, and vanilla-forward sweetness across the tongue. A little orchard fruit — baked apples and pears — comes next, and at least so far, it’s (understandably) reminiscent of some high-rye bourbons.

More rye-forward spice grows starting at my third sip. That’s closer to clove, nutmeg, and candied ginger than cinnamon, the palate never quite tipping over from spiced to spicy. From the first taste to the midpalate, Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength shows notable balance, with a few different flavor quadrants getting plenty of time to shine.

By the midpalate, we’ve finally got a whiskey that acts its full age; tobacco, leather, and barrel char build, though baked fruit also continues (and in fact intensifies) here as well. It’s a little tannic and a little astringent, and at a higher proof, I worry the barrel influence might take over. But at this proof point, sweet mint gum provides a little respite and light cooling sensation.

Finish

In case it’s not evident, I thought the nose and palate shined. I found the finish to fall a little short of those high water marks, though it’s certainly not a complete nosedive. It’s oaky, minty, and of medium length, but overall loses a tiny bit of the fruity/spicy complexity that made the pour captivating from the start. The final act is also where I rated last year’s 10 year release — a year younger but nearly 14 proof points higher — a step or two ahead.

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye Rating

93/100

Recap

This year’s cask strength Overholt rye is rich in flavor, with complexity and balance to write home about. My main (and minor) criticism is that it falls short of the 2023 version at the very end, with a finish that doesn’t quite reach the highs we know this distillate is capable of.

All that being said, this is a rye whiskey that should please a broad swath of whiskey drinkers, whether sipped neat or on the rocks. Open and enjoy, and hopefully we can expect even older Overholts in years to come.

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93
POINTS
Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye
America’s oldest continually produced whiskey brand, Old Overholt was once a storied Pennsylvania rye. It’s now produced by Beam in Kentucky, which offers a few different expressions of this famed rye whiskey. The “classic” bottling clocks in at 4 years and 86 proof, and Beam also sells a 100-proof bonded Overholt. The producer recently rolled out a “Pennsylvania-style” bottling called A. Overholt. In contrast to the current and typical Overholt mash bill assumed to be just over 51 percent rye, A. Overholt is made from 80 percent rye and 20 percent “soft” malted barley. In 2023, a special-edition, limited release joined the Overholt line: a 10 year cask strength rye whiskey. Cask strength is back for 2024, this time carrying an 11 year age statement. The whiskey in this year’s Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye was distilled in Fall of 2012 and aged in four warehouses at Beam’s Clermont, Ky. campus: M, J, F, and 5. It was bottled at 107.4 proof, a notable decrease from last year’s 121 proof version. Let’s see how it tastes! Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye review.

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye: Stats and Availability

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye is a limited release from Beam with an MSRP of around $100. While the manufacturer tends not to release bottle counts (with an occasional exception, like for Booker’s Rye), 2023’s 10 year Overholt received relatively wide distribution across the United States. (In fact, I’m still seeing some of that year’s bottles on shelves for between $10 and $20 over the $100 MSRP.) I’d expect a similar situation for this year’s special release Old Overholt: It won’t land on every shelf, but at the same time, these bottles will hopefully be accessible for close to suggested retail.

Old Overholt 11 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

There’s spice aplenty on the nose, but early on, it’s clear this is a bourbon drinker’s rye. (Very much the profile many folks will look for in a Kentucky-style rye.) Sprinkled cinnamon and baked clove meet egg custard and vanilla sugar cookie for a balanced early nose that carries its proof right around where it should. I find it a little less herbaceous than last year’s 10 year Old Overholt, which burst forth with spiced, cooked fruits, herbs, and plenty of ethanol. At least early on, this 11 year version is a slightly milder creature, with sweet and dessert-adjacent scents leading the first aromas. That said, herbs and spices develop with more time in the glass as vanilla and caramel cede territory to cinnamon sticks, light dill, and wintergreen. Those more “green” notes go hand-in-hand with cured tobacco, dark chocolate, and oak tannins. Again, it’s not quite as bold as last year’s 121 proofer, but that doesn’t mean the scents aren’t pronounced or enjoyable. At its relatively milder ABV, this rye gives a bit more space to the sweet before folding in the spiced.

Taste

Even for 107+ proof, this is an easy first sip: creamy viscosity meets custard, birthday cake, and vanilla-forward sweetness across the tongue. A little orchard fruit — baked apples and pears — comes next, and at least so far, it’s (understandably) reminiscent of some high-rye bourbons. More rye-forward spice grows starting at my third sip. That’s closer to clove, nutmeg, and candied ginger than cinnamon, the palate never quite tipping over from spiced to spicy. From the first taste to the midpalate, Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength shows notable balance, with a few different flavor quadrants getting plenty of time to shine. By the midpalate, we’ve finally got a whiskey that acts its full age; tobacco, leather, and barrel char build, though baked fruit also continues (and in fact intensifies) here as well. It’s a little tannic and a little astringent, and at a higher proof, I worry the barrel influence might take over. But at this proof point, sweet mint gum provides a little respite and light cooling sensation.

Finish

In case it’s not evident, I thought the nose and palate shined. I found the finish to fall a little short of those high water marks, though it’s certainly not a complete nosedive. It’s oaky, minty, and of medium length, but overall loses a tiny bit of the fruity/spicy complexity that made the pour captivating from the start. The final act is also where I rated last year’s 10 year release — a year younger but nearly 14 proof points higher — a step or two ahead.

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye Rating

93/100

Recap

This year’s cask strength Overholt rye is rich in flavor, with complexity and balance to write home about. My main (and minor) criticism is that it falls short of the 2023 version at the very end, with a finish that doesn’t quite reach the highs we know this distillate is capable of. All that being said, this is a rye whiskey that should please a broad swath of whiskey drinkers, whether sipped neat or on the rocks. Open and enjoy, and hopefully we can expect even older Overholts in years to come.

Reviewed On: 12-13-2024
93
POINTS
Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye
America’s oldest continually produced whiskey brand, Old Overholt was once a storied Pennsylvania rye. It’s now produced by Beam in Kentucky, which offers a few different expressions of this famed rye whiskey. The “classic” bottling clocks in at 4 years and 86 proof, and Beam also sells a 100-proof bonded Overholt. The producer recently rolled out a “Pennsylvania-style” bottling called A. Overholt. In contrast to the current and typical Overholt mash bill assumed to be just over 51 percent rye, A. Overholt is made from 80 percent rye and 20 percent “soft” malted barley. In 2023, a special-edition, limited release joined the Overholt line: a 10 year cask strength rye whiskey. Cask strength is back for 2024, this time carrying an 11 year age statement. The whiskey in this year’s Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye was distilled in Fall of 2012 and aged in four warehouses at Beam’s Clermont, Ky. campus: M, J, F, and 5. It was bottled at 107.4 proof, a notable decrease from last year’s 121 proof version. Let’s see how it tastes! Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye review.

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye: Stats and Availability

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye is a limited release from Beam with an MSRP of around $100. While the manufacturer tends not to release bottle counts (with an occasional exception, like for Booker’s Rye), 2023’s 10 year Overholt received relatively wide distribution across the United States. (In fact, I’m still seeing some of that year’s bottles on shelves for between $10 and $20 over the $100 MSRP.) I’d expect a similar situation for this year’s special release Old Overholt: It won’t land on every shelf, but at the same time, these bottles will hopefully be accessible for close to suggested retail.

Old Overholt 11 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

There’s spice aplenty on the nose, but early on, it’s clear this is a bourbon drinker’s rye. (Very much the profile many folks will look for in a Kentucky-style rye.) Sprinkled cinnamon and baked clove meet egg custard and vanilla sugar cookie for a balanced early nose that carries its proof right around where it should. I find it a little less herbaceous than last year’s 10 year Old Overholt, which burst forth with spiced, cooked fruits, herbs, and plenty of ethanol. At least early on, this 11 year version is a slightly milder creature, with sweet and dessert-adjacent scents leading the first aromas. That said, herbs and spices develop with more time in the glass as vanilla and caramel cede territory to cinnamon sticks, light dill, and wintergreen. Those more “green” notes go hand-in-hand with cured tobacco, dark chocolate, and oak tannins. Again, it’s not quite as bold as last year’s 121 proofer, but that doesn’t mean the scents aren’t pronounced or enjoyable. At its relatively milder ABV, this rye gives a bit more space to the sweet before folding in the spiced.

Taste

Even for 107+ proof, this is an easy first sip: creamy viscosity meets custard, birthday cake, and vanilla-forward sweetness across the tongue. A little orchard fruit — baked apples and pears — comes next, and at least so far, it’s (understandably) reminiscent of some high-rye bourbons. More rye-forward spice grows starting at my third sip. That’s closer to clove, nutmeg, and candied ginger than cinnamon, the palate never quite tipping over from spiced to spicy. From the first taste to the midpalate, Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength shows notable balance, with a few different flavor quadrants getting plenty of time to shine. By the midpalate, we’ve finally got a whiskey that acts its full age; tobacco, leather, and barrel char build, though baked fruit also continues (and in fact intensifies) here as well. It’s a little tannic and a little astringent, and at a higher proof, I worry the barrel influence might take over. But at this proof point, sweet mint gum provides a little respite and light cooling sensation.

Finish

In case it’s not evident, I thought the nose and palate shined. I found the finish to fall a little short of those high water marks, though it’s certainly not a complete nosedive. It’s oaky, minty, and of medium length, but overall loses a tiny bit of the fruity/spicy complexity that made the pour captivating from the start. The final act is also where I rated last year’s 10 year release — a year younger but nearly 14 proof points higher — a step or two ahead.

Old Overholt 11 Year Cask Strength Rye Rating

93/100

Recap

This year’s cask strength Overholt rye is rich in flavor, with complexity and balance to write home about. My main (and minor) criticism is that it falls short of the 2023 version at the very end, with a finish that doesn’t quite reach the highs we know this distillate is capable of. All that being said, this is a rye whiskey that should please a broad swath of whiskey drinkers, whether sipped neat or on the rocks. Open and enjoy, and hopefully we can expect even older Overholts in years to come.

Reviewed On: 12-13-2024