Butterscotch | Strawberry | Caramel corn | French vanilla ice cream | Seared mint | Oak

Raspberry | Strawberry | Plum | Cinnamon | Barrel char | Dark brown sugar

Cinnamon | Rye spice | Baking spices | Baked apple | Sweet seasoned oak | Peanut brittle | Touch dry

Even though we all keep getting older, thankfully so does our rye. The last 2 years have been a blessing for rye lovers as the median age of rye across the board keeps growing. And although ryes don’t generally need the age as much as bourbons do to showcase maturity, there is something extra special about high-aged ryes.

Jim Beam continues to show love to their oft-neglected rye brand, Old Overholt. However, they’ve been making amends over the last few years to correct that, as nowhere has that been clearer than in the releases of Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye 10 Year and 11 Year. While those releases are still great pours in their own right, the 12 Year edition improves on both of them.

Much of this has to do with the added year of maturity present. There is an increase in the fullness of the pour, both in flavor intensity and mouthfeel. It’s a thicker rye that beautifully coats your tongue. The red fruit notes are further enhanced, now offering raspberry, strawberry, plum, and apple. Cinnamon, brown sugar, baking spices, and seasoned oak all return but are better contrasted with the enhanced presence of all of the rye’s red fruit notes.

Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye keeps getting better, and somehow Beam manages to do so without overpowering the sip with oak - especially the dry, tannic variety. At only a $10 increase over the previous edition, it's not only a great value, but it's also one of the best ryes of the year.