How Old Overholt went from a Leading Brand to Bottom Shelf and Back

Old Overholt labesl from 2012-2023

When Abraham Overholt died in 1870, his company A. Overholt & Co. was well on its way to becoming one of the largest whiskey distillers in the country. Originally, the company branded its whiskey as Old Farm Pure Rye, but in 1888, 18 years after Abraham’s death, they renamed the brand Old Overholt and added his likeness to the logo in his honor. Up until Prohibition the distillery remained largely under family control but when Henry Clay Frick, the last remaining family member passed away in 1919 he left his ownership stake in the distillery to his friend and banking magnate Andrew Mellon. The following year President Harding selected Mellon to be his Secretary of the Treasury, and after a public pressure campaign Mellon sold the distillery to the New York grocers Park & Tilford. But before that, Mellon helped A. Overholt & Co. secure one of the very limited distilling licenses that allowed the company to continue producing “medicinal whiskey” throughout Prohibition. Because of this, Overholt survived while many other distilleries of that era closed, never to reopen.

After Prohibition, a new conglomerate called National Distillers purchased Overholt and continued making its eponymous whiskey at the A. Overholt Distillery in Broad Ford, PA. Old Overholt became one of the five core brands for National Distillers along with Old Taylor, Old Granddad, Old Crow, and Mount Vernon, a straight rye from Maryland. But, despite the post WWII economic boom rye whiskey sales were beginning to slow and in 1951, National Distillers closed the Broad Ford distillery though they continued to source Pennsylvania rye whiskey for the brand. As the years passed on and whiskey sales continued to slump into the 1980s, National Distillers eventually went broke and in 1987, the James B. Beam Distilling Company purchased Old Overholt, Old Crow, Old Granddad and Olt Taylor (which they eventually sold to Sazerac). At that point Beam decided to move production of Old Overholt from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, changed the mash bill to the minimum 51% rye and drop the bottling strength to 80 proof.

For about 27 years Old Overholt sat as bottom shelf whiskey overshowed by other more popular whiskeys in the Beam portfolio. In 2012, Beam dropped the 4 year aged statement down to 3, just as they had done with Old Corw. But, in 2013, something changed and Beam attempted to bring more attention to Old Overholt and its other “Old” whiskey brands, Old Crow, and Old Granddad. At that time nothing had substantially changed but in 2017, the now Beam Suntory began to get label approval for several new Old Overholt expressions. For the first time in about 30 years, Beam Suntory re-released a bonded version of Old Overholt which cause quite a buzz among whiskey writes and bartenders. And, two years later in 2019, Beam Suntory increased the standard bottling strength from 40% to 43% ABV. From then on there has been a steady release of new Old Overholt expressions which has helped to revitalize the brand from its bottom shelf ignominy to a brand that is once again well respected and sought after by American whiskey fans. It has been exciting to see Beam Suntory put some money and effort into supporting this historic brand by creating new and interesting offerings such as the return of the 4-year age statement on the standard bottle, the 11 Year Old Cask Strength, and the A. Overholt Straight Rye made with a traditional Pennsylvania rye whiskey mash bill. Hopefully this trend will continue and who knows what we will see in the future for this more than 200-year-old brand.

Below is a list of the Old Overholt label approvals that help tell the story of how Old Overholt moved from the bottom shelf to a well-respected brand.

• August 2012: Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey 40% ABV Three Years Old

• August 2017: Old Overholt Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey

• August 2019: Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey 43% ABV (still 3 years old)

• August 2019: Old Overholt Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye Whiskey (new wording)

• March 2020: Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey 114 Proof 4 Year Special Release

• April 2020: Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey 11 Year 46.3% ABV

• November 2020: Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey 114 Proof Aged 4 Years

• October 2021: Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 4 Years 43% ABV

• April 2022: A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 4 Years 47.5% ABV

• April 2023: Old Overholt Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 10 Years

• September 2023: Old Overholt Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 11 Years

Review: A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey

Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Beam Suntory

• Distilled and Bottled by: James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont, KY

• Spirit Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

• Mash Bill: 80% Rye, 20% Malted Barley

• Still Type: Column Still

• Age: 4 Years

• Strength: 47.5% ABV

• Price: $40

The Overholt brand dates to 1810 when Abraham Overholt turned his family’s farm distillery into a full-fledged business. The Overholt family were German Mennonites who in 1800 moved from Bucks County, north of Philadelphia, out west over the Alleghany Mountains to settle in what is today’s Westmoreland County. People who knew Abraham said he was both “frugal [and] industrious” which is evidenced by the fact that he grew his whiskey business from distilling a few gallons a day to more than 150 gallons in two decades. Abraham passed away in 1870 but his company A. Overholt & Co., and his whiskey continued to live on. In 1951, National Distillers closed the last A. Overholt distillery but the brand continued to source Pennsylvania style rye whiskey until its sale to Jim Beam in 1987. After that, Beam changed the mash bill to a Kentucky-style rye mash, presumable with just 51% rye. There is no public evidence for the original Old Overholt mash bill but in 2022, when Beam Suntory decided to release the A. Overholt rye, they claim that it was a mixture of 80% rye and 20% malted barley. This is a standard Pennsylvania rye mash bill so it is plausible they are telling the truth. Either way it is exciting to see Beam Suntory reviving a true Pennsylvania rye mash bill for his historic brand and there seem to be some rumblings that some distillation for Old Overholt may eventually return to Pennsylvania!

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The nose begins with delicate aromas of honeysuckle that gradually opens to bolder notes of rye spice and biscuits from the malted barley. The whiskey is very floral and has a note of orchard fruits like ripe pear, Fuji apples like some high-quality sakes.

Palate: On the palate the whiskey is soft and warm with notes of bread rolls, black pepper, cloves, and a hint of licorice. At the same time there are lighter fruit flavors reminiscent of apples and ripe cherries that hover over the comforting notes of warm spice.

Finish: The finish is long and warm like being wrapped in a soft blanket. Here again notes of apples and pear skins dance in harmony with light notes of oak and spice. As it slowly fades there is a slight residual acidity that calls you back for another sip.

Conclusion: A. Overholt Straight Rye is a very enjoyable whiskey and will be a good crossover rye for bourbon or single malt drinkers who are not accustomed to the intense spiciness that some ryes bring. While this is probably somewhat less intense than the original Overholt ryes coming out of Pennsylvania, I applaud Beam Suntory for experimenting with a new mash bill and from what I hear, there may be a plan to revive their rye distillation in Pennsylvania which is very exciting. This rye is easy to drink neat and while I don't find the alcohol too intense, a little splash of water won’t hurt it for those who want to bring it down slightly.

Old Grand-Dad 114, The Budget Sipper that Online Bourbon Communities Love

Bottle purchased at retail by EZdrinking.

AT A GLANCE

• Spirit: Old Grand-Dad 114 Kentucky Straigh Bourbon Whiskey

• Owned by: Beam Suntory

• Distilled and Bottled by: Jim Beam American Stillhouse, Clermont, KY

• Mash Bill: 63% Corn, 27% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

• Still Type: Column Still

• Age: NAS (minimum of 4 years)

• Strength: 57% ABV

• Price: $30

Old Grand-Dad bourbon is one of the few pre-prohibition brans that has survive to the present. In 1882, Colonel Raymond Bishop Hayden and his business partner F.L. Ferriell built the R.B. Hayden & Company Distillery, in Nelson County, Kentucky and created the Old Grand-Dad brand to honor the legacy of Hayden’s grandfather Meredith Basil Hayden, Sr. for whom the current Basil Hayden brad is also named after. Basil Hayden was born in Maryland to Catholic parents who fled persecution in England. In 1785 Hayden moved his family and a group of other Catholics to Nelson County, and began distilling three years later. Hayden was known for making bourbon with a high rye content so when Raymond Hayden created the brand, he too made a high rye bourbon.

In 1899, the Wathen family purchased the distillery and they continued selling Old Grand-Dad, preserving the legacy of Basil Hayden. During National Prohibition the Wathen family was able to secure a permit to continue distilling and selling medicinal alcohol. In 1929, National Distillers purchased the Old Taylor Distillery and the Old Grand-Dad brand from the Wathen’s and expanded the Old Grand-Dad line to include the 114 expression along with an 86 proof bottling and a bottled in bond.

Then in 1987, Beam purchased National Distillers which gave them ownership of the Old Crow, Old-Grand Dad and Old Taylor thought they eventually sold Old Taylor to Sazerac. Beam absorbed the Old Crow brand but did not keep its original mash bill but did keep the Old-Grand Dad high rye bourbon mash bill and yeast strain which they still use today.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: At 57% ABV the nose is surprisingly muted with notes of caramel, toffee, clove, and green apple slices dusted with cinnamon.

Palate: On the palate the alcohol is fairly moderate though the bourbon has an intense flavor of baked apple, baking spices, warm oak, and just hit of vanilla sweetness.

Finish: The whiskey has a long finish with lingering flavors of cinnamon apple, vanilla, and just a touch of caramel.

Conclusion: Old Grand-Dad 114 is a gem of a whiskey hidden in plain sight. This is a great example of how higher proof whiskeys can sometimes drink softer and with grater flavor intensity than at 80 proof. For these reasons it is no wonder that OGD 114 is a fan favorite of both experts and online bourbon communities. Lastly, if you are a fan of Jim Beam bourbons or find some of their 80 proof offerings somewhat lackluster, this higher proof bottling has a good chance of winning you over.

Review: Jim Beam Pre-prohibition Style Rye

View fullsize

Bottle purchased by EZdrinking.

Owned by Beam Suntory, Jim Beam Pre-prohibition Style Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is distilled at the one of the Jim Beam distilleries in Kentucky and bottled at 45% ABV.

Price: $16-$25

In early 2015, Jim Beam launched a reformation of their straight rye whiskey. But, as far as anyone can tell, the only difference between the old Jim Beam Rye (with a yellow label) and the new Pre-Prohibition Style Rye is that the label is now green and the whiskey is bottled at 45% ABV rather than 40% ABV. However, we do know that because there is no age statement on the bottle the whiskey inside must be at least 4 years old. This is one of the odd quirks of US labeling laws in that any whiskey aged less than four years must say how old it is but, no age statement is required at 4 or more years. We also know that since this is a straight rye whiskey it was aged in new charred oak barrels and that it has at least 51% rye grain in its mash bill. The rest of the mash bill isn't public but a reasonable guess puts it at 51% rye, 44-39% corn and 5-10% malted barley.

Jim Beam Rye has been around for decades and it is likely that this so-called reformulation, upping the proof to 90, is an attempt to say relevant in the booming rye whiskey category.  Rye whiskey has enjoyed renewed popularity these past few years, in part due to MGP and Whistle Pig. MGP based in Lawrenceburg, Indiana was once owned by Seagrams and made their easily identifiable 95% rye, 5% barley mash bill to blend into Seagrams 7 and other whiskeys. However, MGP now sells their spirits (rye whiskey, bourbon and even gin) to other companies that bottle it and sell it. Some of the most well know customers of MGP Rye are Bulleit, George Dickel, Templeton and High West. Whistle Pig on the other hand is buying a 100% rye whiskey from Alberta, Canada and bottling it in Vermont. Both of these whiskeys demonstrated the boldness and potential of rye whiskey and as a result, bartenders and whiskey drinkers were inspired to re-embrace a type of whiskey that mostly fallen out of favor.

Tasting Notes

Nose:  Immediately notes of vanilla and oak are carried up on a blast of alcohol, followed by baked apple, cinnamon and nutmeg. Once the whiskey has had some time to breathe a little, light fruity notes like blueberries or black currants comes through.

Palate:  The palate is sweet with a medium to full body and very harsh. After your palate adjusts to the alcohol, slightly spicy grain notes come through with strong oak flavor.

Finish:  The finish is short, slightly sweet and slightly spicy. Pleasant flavors of iced black tea are overshadowed by an odd note of raw dough.

Conclusion:  This is not a whiskey to drink neat. Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye has lots of oak flavor and lots of heat from the alcohol, underlaid with only the faintest hints of rye spice. It makes an OK Manhattan that seems to plays up more of the herbal character of the Vermouth. All in all, I will not be buying another bottle.