Old Grand-Dad 16 Year 100 proof

Well, friends, I’m back from vacation. At 17 days, that’s the longest one I’ve ever had. And let me tell you, it was also the most relaxing—yet frustrating—vacation I’ve ever been on. Relaxing because I love the Redwoods. If my entire life was just sitting under the trees and listening to the birds, I’d be content. Add in the fact that my campsite was across the street from the cliffs that were towering above the coastline, where you could hear the waves crash and the sea lions bark, and well, you’ve got yourself a heck of a good time. The trip was only frustrating because, as always, I packed too much into the itinerary and couldn’t get to most of it. Especially when an RV was our only source of transportation for most of the trip (though we did rent a car a couple of times when we stayed in one place for a few days). And so we didn’t hit many of the places we wanted to go. But all in all, it was a great trip, and I’ve already booked an Airbnb—owned by the campground owners and somehow even closer to the coast—for next year so I can finally see the little places we missed this time.

On one of the days we had a rental car, we decided to go shopping at a few little shops in the area. One was, obviously, a liquor store. And in that little liquor store in the little city of Fortuna, I found something I’d only ever heard about.

See, last year about this time, Jim Beam put out a one-time-only limited release of their Old Grand-Dad bourbon. It was sixteen years old and 100 proof. Sadly, it also had an MSRP of just shy of $200 ($194.99 to be exact). Now, that’s a lot of money, and I fully expected to pay through the nose if I ever got lucky enough to see it. Well, this lovely little liquor store in the lovely little city had exactly one bottle in their locked case. One bottle that was actually under MSRP. This is the sort of thing I’d heard about but had never seen before—a liquor store having a one-time-only, limited release still sitting on the shelf a year later and for less than MSRP. I knew it was my lucky day. And since I was on vacation, I felt no guilt about splurging on it.

Now, I’m not going to go too far into the details of the bottling itself since, honestly, we all know Old Grand-Dad. But if you’re new, here are the Cliff’s Notes: Old Grand-Dad is the (until recently) long-neglected high-rye bourbon produced by Jim Beam. You’ve probably seen its signature garish orange label. The same juice is also used in the company’s Basil Hayden bourbon. This bottle is that juice, aged 16 years and bottled at 100 proof. Let’s see how it tastes.

Old Grand-Dad 16 Year 100 proof

Purchase Info: $190.00 for a 750 mL bottle at Fortuna Liquors, Fortuna, CA

Price per Drink (50 mL): $12.67

Details: 50% ABV. 16 years old. Jim Beam high-rye mashbill.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, and a light fruitiness underneath.

Mouth: Thick and rich in the mouth. Follows the nose with a hefty dose of oak and spice. Notes of vanilla ice cream, cinnamon spice, and oak.

Finish: Medium/long and warm, with lingering notes of oak, vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: I love this. It’s absolutely the best Old Grand-Dad I’ve ever tasted. That said, it’s still Old Grand-Dad, and if you aren’t a super fan, I’d recommend skipping this one on price alone. But if, like me, you really enjoy OGD, then this is a splurge that will make you very happy. Thick, rich mouthfeel with caramel and vanilla ice cream layered over those classic Old Grand-Dad flavors. I’m in love.

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12th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The Championship Rounds

Welcome back, folks! We are now at the end of the 2025 contest. Eight whiskeys entered the arena. Four have fallen by the wayside. There have been some delicious treats, with not a single stinker in the bunch. Let’s see how it all ends and if we’ve learned anything along the way. First, we have the Round Two matchups.

Division 2: Gleaming Pancake (Jeppson’s 100 Proof Bourbon) vs. Lumpy Telescope (Maker’s Mark)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: As I go back and forth nosing these, I'm always amazed at how the comparison allows you to sense different notes. When Lumpy Telescope was being compared to Soggy Parrot, there was no hint of the smoky maple on the nose that I'm getting now that it is being compared to Gleaming Pancake. This is why the "real" tasting notes I do are always done with a clean palate.

Both of these are quite tasty in the mouth. However, the softer mouthfeel of Gleaming Pancake and the baking spice is a little nicer than the slightly bitter stone fruit notes of Lumpy Telescope.

Winner: Gleaming Pancake (Jeppson’s 100 Proof Bourbon) moves on to the Championship Round on the softer mouthfeel and baking spice.

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Division 1: Rusty Marshmallow (Old Bardstown) vs. Wobbly Cactus (Jim Beam Black)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Not a ton of difference on the nose between these, with Rusty Marshmallow being slightly more vibrant. As for the mouth and finish, it seems that I like whichever I’ve had last. The cinnamon roll notes of Rusty Marshmallow are delicious. But what puts it over the edge is that I like its finish better. Tough one.

Winner: Rusty Marshmallow (Old Bardstown) moves on to the Championship Round on the strength of that cinnamon roll note.

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Championship Round: Rusty Marshmallow (Old Bardstown) vs. Gleaming Pancake (Jeppson’s 100 Proof Bourbon)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: On the nose, Rusty Marshmallow is slightly more interesting. A little breadier. Not better, but more interesting. Still tied as we head into the mouth and finish. I must be really into cinnamon spice notes right now because both of these have that in spades on the mouth and finish. Damn! This one is tough. At the end of the day, Rusty Marshmallow just had slightly more flavor than Gleaming Pancake, and since both were delicious, I'll use that as the tie-breaker.

Winner: Rusty Marshmallow (Old Bardstown)

Congrats to Old Bardstown, the 2025 BourbonGuy.com Bracket Champion!

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This was an interesting contest for me. I knew going in that there was only one bourbon that I might need to brace myself for before taking the first sip. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea when or where that one would show up. But luckily, every one of the bourbons was good. I don’t think I’d say there was anything in here that would warrant a “meh/neutral” rating if it were being tasted alone, which makes the contest so much fun as a taster. Though, seeing my reactions to bad whiskey might have been more entertaining as a reader.

So, what did I learn about each of these?

First off, the winner—Old Bardstown. I’m not sure that when I started this project 12 years ago, I would have ever expected a craft bourbon to be in the contest, much less win it. Twelve years ago, small distilleries were almost exclusively more expensive and lower quality than the big guys. At that point, the idea that a small distiller could compete with the big brands on price was ludicrous. Plus, most of them just didn’t taste as good. That has changed over the years, and I’m very happy to see it.

Moving over to the other Championship contender, Jeppson’s 100 Proof Bourbon was the bottle that I thought I might need to dump after the competition was over. I wouldn’t mean to, and I’d swear during the competition that it was pretty okay. But I’d never reach for it and would eventually dump it when I needed the shelf space. That’s what I thought I’d be writing here. But no—this was a decent bourbon. And since it is likely a blend of MGP and Dickel, based on the listed states of distillation, that’s no surprise. A Dickel bourbon won last year, so it’s not surprising that one made from it would go far this year too.

Benchmark Bonded was one that I was surprised to see knocked out in the first round. I hadn’t had it before, but I’d had the old 90-proof Benchmark and enjoyed it. I also picked up the Benchmark Full Proof back in September as well. Really enjoyed that too. I fully expected that the 100-proof version of Benchmark would go far. A probable contender. If forced to put money on a winner, this would have been the one I’d have chosen to win its division.

Maker’s Mark is the other one that I would have chosen to win its division. I really like Maker’s Mark and would have guessed I’d have liked it better than Larceny, Old Forester, and something I’d never heard of before. Not much for me to learn here. I just really like it.

These days, when I think of Larceny, I usually think of the Barrel Proof version that I get samples of a few times per year. I almost never think of the standard 92-proof version. I had a bottle that tasted funny a few years back, and it put me off of it for a while. I enjoyed it here, but there was no way that it was going to beat one of my favorite bourbons. It got a bad draw and suffered from it. I wonder how it would have fared if Larceny and Jim Beam Black had switched spots so it could have gone up against the final wheated bourbon.

Speak of the Devil, Rebel 100 is the final wheated bourbon in the contest. I had really wanted to find one more sub-$25 wheated bourbon so I could have wheated and non-wheated divisions, but alas, there aren’t that many wheated bourbons on the market, and even fewer that are affordable. If memory serves, I think Buffalo Trace might be the only other “big guy” to regularly produce one. And good luck getting anything that shares a mash bill with Pappy out of there without it costing an arm and a leg.

Jim Beam Black is a good bourbon. For some reason, I never buy it, but it is a good bourbon. The issue is that I usually need to be in the mood for it. And I don’t drink enough these days to have “change of pace” bourbons on my shelf.

Finally, Old Forester 86 is also a great bourbon. Personally, I prefer its higher-proof cousins, though. The 100 proof is delicious, and the Whiskey Row Series is just phenomenal. But 86 proof is nothing to sneeze at.

Now that we are done, it’s time to turn the page to the future. Next week, we will look at the samples that have been stacking up while the contest was going on. As much fun as this was, it’s fun to try new bourbons too.

Once again, congrats to Willett and Old Bardstown on their 2025 Championship!

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12th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: Rebel 100 vs Jim Beam Black

Welcome to the second matchup of Round One for the 2025 BourbonGuy.com Brackets. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. Tonight, Division 1’s Number 3 seed, Jim Beam Black, takes on Number 2 seed, Rebel 100.

Jim Beam Black is the extra-aged and higher-proof version of their flagship White Label bourbon. It is a product of the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, KY. Beam Black recently regained an age statement of seven years. It was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN, for $20.99 per bottle or $1.40 per pour.

Their opponent is the first wheated bourbon in the competition. Rebel 100 is produced by Lux Row Distillery in Bardstown, KY. This bottle was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN, for $17.09 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.14 per pour, making it the least expensive of the contestants in this year’s competition.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind, and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all recorded before we knew which bourbon was which. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were tasted side by side and will have influenced the perception of one another.

Wobbly Cactus (Jim Beam Black)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.40

Details: 45% ABV

Nose: Cedar, circus peanuts, and oak.

Mouth: Juicy Fruit gum, baking spice, cedar, and oak.

Finish: On the shorter side of medium and follows the mouth with notes of fruit and baking spice.

Grumpy Cloud (Rebel 100)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.14

Details: 50% ABV

Nose: Milk chocolate and cinnamon candies.

Mouth: Milk chocolate, cinnamon, and black tea.

Finish: Shorter side of medium, with notes of milk chocolate, oak, and cinnamon.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Both noses are great. The mouths are good alone, but do not play nice with each other (not that they should, but still). I like both of these, but in a squeaker, Wobbly Cactus advances.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: I’m both surprised by this result and not surprised at all. I buy Rebel 100 a lot more often than I do Beam Black, so I thought I liked that one more. But I’m not surprised that the one with the age statement won. Age statements describe the youngest bourbon in the bottle, so the youngest bourbon in Jim Beam Black is possibly older than the oldest in Rebel 100. But proof has been proven in previous years to beat age (within reason) most of the time.

And then there’s the wheated versus rye bourbon aspect of the contest. But I usually prefer rye bourbons over wheated bourbons, so that part isn’t surprising.

Winner: Jim Beam Black is advancing to round 2.

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

12th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The “Man, It’s Getting Hard to Find Things Under $25” Edition

You know what time it is! The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has already started, which means everyone is in Bracket Mode. It really is a wonderful time of year. Up here in the northernmost state in the contiguous U.S., the snow is still trying to fall, though the end is in sight. Gardeners have started their seeds, there are days when the windows can be opened, and, of course, there are brackets to be filled out—and busted.

No, not those silly basketball or hockey brackets. We’re talking Bourbon Brackets. And let me tell you, this really is my favorite time of year. In fact, I enjoy it so much that whenever I decide to hang up the ol’ keyboard, I already know what my last series of posts will be: brackets. But don’t worry—that’s a ways off yet. I’d like to make it to at least 15 years of publishing first.

And let me tell you, this year’s competition is a good one. Of the seven major bourbon producers that existed when I started this site (Beam/Maker’s, Buffalo Trace/Barton, MGP (now including Lux Row), Heaven Hill, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and Brown-Forman), five are represented this year. The other two have been featured often enough that I used their spots for some newer faces.

The Selection Rules

This year’s selection process was simple:

• The bourbon had to be in a 750 mL bottle

• It had to cost under $25

That’s it!

For seeding, I sorted by proof first, followed by stated age (if applicable), and then used price as the final tiebreaker. Here’s what that got us:

Division 1

• Seed 1: Benchmark Bonded

  • A reader suggestion from last year. It's not available in Minnesota (that I’ve seen), so I grabbed it at Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago for $19.99 back in September of 2024. 100 proof.

  • Nonsense name: Baffled Toaster

• Seed 2: Rebel 100

  • The first of three wheated bourbons in the competition—and the cheapest of the three 100-proof bottles.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $17.09.

  • Nonsense name: Grumpy Cloud

• Seed 3: Jim Beam Black

  • The newly age-stated 7-year-old version, bottled at 90 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $20.99.

  • Nonsense name: Wobbly Cactus

• Seed 4: Old Bardstown

  • The only true craft whiskey in the contest, distilled by Willett in Bardstown, KY, and bottled at 90 proof.

  • Purchased at South Lyndale Liquor (Minneapolis, MN) for $21.99.

  • Nonsense name: Rusty Marshmallow

Division 2

• Seed 1: Jeppson’s 100 Proof

  • A sourced bourbon from the folks in Chicago who make Malört.

  • Purchased at South Lyndale Liquor (Minneapolis, MN) for $19.99.

  • Nonsense name: Gleaming Pancake

• Seed 2: Larceny Bourbon

  • The second of three wheated bourbons, coming in at 92 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $22.99.

  • Nonsense name: Soggy Parrot

• Seed 3: Maker’s Mark Bourbon

  • The final wheated bourbon in the contest—also the lowest proof (90 proof) and highest price of the three.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $24.97.

  • Nonsense name: Lumpy Telescope

• Seed 4: Old Forester 86 Proof

  • The lowest proof of the contest, making it the lowest seed.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $22.49.

  • Nonsense name: Zesty Doorknob

Keeping It Blind: The Setup

Of course, that list doesn’t eliminate inherent bias, does it? So, as usual, we took a few extra steps to keep the tasting blind—while still keeping track of what advanced.

Here’s how we set it up (it’s an oh-so-simple process):

1. I seeded the whiskey in the bracket as listed above.

2. I poured 200 mL bottles of each bourbon and labeled them with their nonsense names.

3. I made a separate bracket using only the nonsense names and handed it, along with the bottles, to my wife.

From there, she takes over.

• She doesn’t know what’s in each bottle (thanks to the nonsense names).

• She pours and keeps track of the winners.

• All I have to do is taste, write, and pick my favorite. It’s a pretty slick system.

The empty bracket is below, and as usual, there were plenty of storylines and surprises along the way—wheated matchups, high proof vs. low proof, price battles, and more. But that’s for the future. In the meantime, who you got? Let us know down in the comments!

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Jim Beam Winter Reserve

Well, that was weird.

I just got off the phone with a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. She wanted to talk about an old review I did on a product that claims to help with hangovers. My take was that even if it works (which, in my admittedly non-scientific test, was inconclusive), it’s more expensive at $10 per dose than simply not drinking as much. I always preach moderation—even if, in the past, I haven’t always been the best at practicing it myself. (I’m much better at moderation these days.)

So, that was fun and weird. Honestly, it was the highlight of my day since I’m currently sick as a dog with a nasty cold. Fortunately for you, I wrote tonight’s tasting notes before I got sick.

You’re welcome.

Tonight’s whiskey is a limited edition from Jim Beam. It’s a six-year-old, barrel-finished bourbon that’s been finished in new toasted barrels and bottled at 86° proof. Now, I hear you: you’re probably thinking, “Pfff. Limited edition, age-stated, barrel-finished? That’s going to cost more than I want to spend.” Well, you’d be wrong because the suggested retail price is a very reasonable $24.99. In fact, I found it for even less—just $20.99.

So let’s dive in before my cold wipes me out completely.

Jim Beam Winter Reserve

Purchase Info: $20.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.40

Details: 43% ABV, 6 years old, finished in new toasted white oak barrels.

Nose: Vanilla, toffee, cinnamon, and a hint of mint.

Mouth: Toffee, dusty oak, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Finish: Sweet and medium length. Notes of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Thoughts: I’m a big fan of this one. It’s super sweet with lots of baking spice—absolutely delicious. And at this price point? Highly recommended. This might be the steal of the season, so grab it while it’s still on the shelf.

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Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye

Hey hey, it’s Bonus Post Day! Again!

If you ever talk to a Minnesotan in late October and mention snow, they’ll inevitably bring up the Halloween Blizzard of 1991, when 28 inches of snow buried trick-or-treaters as they braved the streets for candy. I lived through it 30 years ago, and I heard a lot about it yesterday as snow was once again predicted for Halloween.

But this time, it was just a dusting and seemed to have barely affected the kids going door-to-door. Of course, that doesn’t mean I had a lot of kids come to my house. No, I got just one. He was dressed as a dragon—a costume that fit nicely over a warm winter coat since it was below freezing once the sun went down. That made me sad. I don’t usually get many kids at my house, but the cold kept the little kids away, and they’re the most fun to give candy to.

Today, however, marks the start of a new month and the beginning of the holiday season. As far as I’m concerned, the time from Halloween to New Year’s is the best part of the year, and I’m hoping for plenty of festive cheer. So, since we’ve turned the page on Halloween, let’s turn it to whiskey—specifically, a new limited-time offering from Jim Beam’s Knob Creek brand.

Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye is a blend of straight whiskeys composed of 30% Knob Creek 9-year-old bourbon and 70% Knob Creek 7-year-old rye whiskey. It’s bottled at 113° proof and has a suggested retail price of $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle. The press release says it’s limited, but I bought it at Total Wine in August, and there are still some on the shelves today—so take that how you will.

Let’s dig in.

Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye

Purchase Info: $48.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.27

Details: 56.5% ABV. Blend includes 30% Knob Creek 9-year-old bourbon and 70% Knob Creek 7-year-old rye whiskey.

Nose: Cedar, mint, caramel, chocolate, and cinnamon.

Mouth: Cinnamon, mint, red fruits, citrus zest, cedar, caramel, and oak.

Finish: Warm and long with notes of cinnamon red hots, cedar, and spearmint.

Thoughts: This is really rye-forward, and I’m here for it. It’s got a nice balance of spicy and sweet, with cedar and mint being prominent throughout. This is quite tasty. Is it a replacement for the higher-proof Knob Creek Rye or Bourbon single barrel releases? I wouldn’t say so, as it’s sweeter than the rye but much more vibrant and spicy than the bourbon. It’s a third option that kind of splits the difference. So, do I like it? Well, let’s just say I hadn’t had this bottle open very long when I realized it was about half-empty, having become my go-to pour. I had to put it away so I’d have enough left for a review. So yeah, I’d say I like it quite a bit.

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Knob Creek 10 Year Rye Whiskey

Wow! So much has happened since we were last together. I took an unexpected drive to California. And I do mean unexpected. I was supposed to be on an early morning flight with Delta on the day of the CrowdStrike meltdown. That flight was canceled as we arrived at the airport, as was the next day’s flight we were rebooked on. At least we didn’t need to drive to the airport and back to figure that one out; it was canceled by 3 am.

It was at that point, wide awake at 3 am on a Saturday and trying to make big decisions, that we chose to do something we might not have considered otherwise: drive straight through from the Minneapolis suburbs to Eureka, California. Google Maps told us it was a 31-hour trip, while Apple Maps said 30 hours. So we said, “Fuck it! We like a road trip,” and took Delta up on their offer of refunded tickets.

About 1 am Sunday morning, we crossed into Nevada on I-80 and started regretting our decision. The only other things on the road were tired truckers and swerving semis. It was then, with my wife and nephew asleep in the car, that the song "Hotel California" started running through my head—especially the part that goes, "My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim. I had to stop for the night."

It turned out both my wife and I, taking turns driving and sleeping, had hit a wall at the same time. Thank goodness for Flying J parking lots. After a solid two hours of sleep, we were back on the road. We made it to Eureka just in time for hotel check-in and made good use of the beds. Might have been the most comfortable beds I’d slept in for a long time—at least for the first night there.

On the way back, we were smart enough to spend the night in a hotel halfway home. That was much nicer.

So, now that you’ve heard my story, let’s jump over to tonight’s whiskey: Knob Creek 10 Year Rye. It’s, you guessed it, a ten-year-old version of Knob Creek Rye. The base product now carries a seven-year-old age statement. I’d had the seven-year previously. It’s good, but when I saw this on the shelf, well, it was in the cart before I even noticed the price. I mean, I like Knob Creek Rye. Why wouldn’t an older version be better?

Knob Creek 10 Year Rye Whiskey

Purchase info: $71.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.80

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Spearmint, oak, and cherry Cola.

Mouth: Cinnamon, cedar, spearmint, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cinnamon, cedar, mint, and red fruit.

Thoughts: The finish is the best part of this. It just blossoms with flavors when you swallow. Of course, that doesn't mean that the rest is bad—quite the contrary. The nose and mouth are very good. It's just that the finish is even better. It is spicy with lots of wood notes. I like this one a lot.

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey

Does anyone else out there just never eat at their kitchen table? I try to. But then I set the mail on it. And then an Amazon package for my wife or kid. Then I set something for the dogs on it. And this keeps going until I just have to fully commit to the fact that I don’t have a table—I have a storage space. Some people have a junk drawer to keep their odds and ends in; I have a junk table.

Well, until either my wife or I get sick of it. Then we clean it up, put everything away, and try to get a couple of meals or a jigsaw puzzle in before the cycle starts over.

So, I was cleaning off my table this weekend when I found the last two issues of Chuck Cowdery’s Bourbon County Reader. It’s one of the few bourbon-focused publications that I still read. As I’ve slowly withdrawn from being chronically online over the last few years, I’ve found that I like reading things that aren’t on a screen. It’s nice to be unconnected at times. That’s why I like Mr. Cowdery’s newsletter. Not only is it always interesting and informative, it’s paper and lands in my mailbox.

I bring that up because May’s issue was where I first heard about tonight’s whiskey: A. Overholt from Suntory Global’s Beam division. A. Overholt is a line extension in their Old Overholt line. Though, unlike previous line extensions, this isn’t just Old Overholt with a little more age or a different proof. No, for this one Beam used an entirely different mashbill. There is no corn in this whiskey. It is 80% rye and 20% malted barley. It was aged four years and bottled at a non-chill filtered 95° proof.

According to Mr. Cowdery’s article, this unusual mashbill used to be anything but. It was a fairly standard mashbill for the historical Monongahela Rye, a Pennsylvania product. However, as rye fell out of favor and the whiskey industry consolidated, rye-making moved to Kentucky. Over time, more and more corn was added to the mashbills (partly because corn is cheaper, partly because corn gives a better mouthfeel) until many rye whiskeys were just a few percentage points away from being high-rye bourbons.

At least until MGP’s 95% rye mashbill hit the market in a big way a little over a decade ago. In the intervening years, rye sales took off in ways that took some companies by surprise. Wild Turkey even took their 101 Rye off the market for a while to help stretch their supplies further. And as more and more rye whiskeys that were sourced from MGP hit the market, I decided that I actually preferred a higher rye content in my rye whiskey than the “barely legal” version that many Kentucky distilleries were putting out at the time. So, it was with great pleasure that I saw new Kentucky distilleries releasing just that. For a long time, Old Forester was one of my favorites with their 70% rye mashbill. And now Beam joins the club by leaving the corn out entirely.

So, let’s see how this thing tastes, shall we?

A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: $40.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.73

Details: 47.5% ABV. 80% Rye, 20% Malted Barley. 4-years-old.

Nose: Wintergreen, cedar, and a nutty/bready note.

Mouth: Toasted grains, cedar, and nutmeg.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of toasted grains, cedar, wintergreen, and nutmeg linger.

Thoughts: This is completely unlike any rye I've had. There are lovely bready notes throughout. Toasted whole grain notes bring a ton of warm, comforting flavors to the mouth and finish. And the wintergreen and nutmeg add top and bottom notes to the whole.

I wasn't sure what to expect here. I kind of expected something like a nuttier MGP 95/5% rye with the lack of corn. But, while this does have more nutty notes due to the increased malted barley, it doesn't present the rye in the same way. This has a nice mouthfeel but isn't sweet in the way a bourbon would be. I like it. I can't wait to spend more time with the bottle. In the short time I've already spent with it, I can attest it makes a mighty fine Sazerac cocktail and a delicious Old Fashioned.

Heading out for a week’s vacation so no posts next week. BourbonGuy.com will be back to it’s regular schedule July 30th, 2024.

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