Old Overholt Monongahela Mash Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (2025) 75cl
A. Overholt Straight Rye marks the return to Abraham Overholt’s original mashbill of 80% rye, 20% malted barley, which is often referred to as “Monongahela Mash.” Old Monongahela Rye was an old style of rye that got its name from whiskey farmers working in the Monongahela Valley in Pennsylvania. Originally an unaged product, it got its “old” moniker when distillers started barreling and aging it in stone and brick warehouses. Old Monongahela Rye used source water from the Monongahela River, utilized a 4 to 1 ratio of rye to malted barley, a sour mash fermentation, and a three-chamber still (see Leopold Bros. Three Chamber Rye). A. Overholt Straight Rye is not an Old Monongahela Rye, but does use “Monongahela Mash” on its label referring to its 80% rye, 20% malted barley mashbill.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: You’re greeted with soft scents of rye grain, golden raisins, and honey. These three notes work in tandem, providing an inviting aroma that will remind you of a fall day. Fresh baked bread and fresh baked cinnamon apples waft in, adding a heavier midpoint, anchoring the aroma in place. The nose doesn’t go overboard, instead providing depth to its select scents. As a result, the aroma ends up being much richer than it started out at, and very well constructed by the end.
Palate: A commanding note of brown butter lays the runway for the rest of the palate to run on. An array of mild notes of white pepper, clove, graham cracker, and peanut brittle constitute a bulk of the rye’s flavor profile. It’s surprisingly light and smooth for the whiskey’s proof. The result is a balanced and tempered pour that feels somewhat held back. It takes quite a few sips to pull it all together, and though it turns out to be enjoyable, you’ll wonder if it was worth the effort.
Finish: The finish warms things up with baking spices, leather, and a touch of blackberry, accounting for the majority of it. This warmth helps pull together the entire sip as it conjures up hints of the flavours that came before it. An oak baseline follows and allows a gentle ramp-up of heat and lingering spice to rise above it. It rides a traditional rye finish mentality well and is a satisfactory way to end a sip that ultimately doesn’t ask much in return..
About Old Overholt
Old Overholt is said to be America’s oldest continually maintained brand of whiskey, having been founded in West Overton, Pennsylvania, in 1810. After World War II, Americans turned to clear spirits, and Old Overholt soon became the only nationally distributed straight rye whiskey on the market. Despite being the only rye on the market, it struggled and was sold to James B. Beam Distilling Company in 1987. After the sale, production was moved to Kentucky.
Overholt is a storied rye brand that originated in Pennsylvania. Because of the rocky soil of Pennsylvania, rye grain had a better success rate at growing in the climate and geography of the state, and the region quickly became known for their rye whiskey as a result. In fact, the state over the past decade has pushed for a sub-classification of rye called “Pennsylvania Rye,” which calls for the rye to be made in Pennsylvania and made from a mash of at least 51% rye grain.
Overholt rye was always made in Pennsylvania, but when Beam bought the brand in 1987, they moved production to Kentucky and aligned the mashbill with their existing rye brands, resulting in corn being added to its mashbill. A. Overholt Straight Rye is a move to correct that change and re-emphasize the brand’s rye heritage and geographical origins by omitting corn from its mashbill all together, aligning it to the brand’s original mashbill, though it is still distilled and aged in Kentucky.
Removing corn from a rye whiskey’s mashbill is usually a celebrated one among rye lovers. Besides corn being cheaper to grow and cultivate, its inclusion is often used to soften and sweeten rye whiskey. A. Overholt was likely well aware of this and why he went along with so many of his contemporaries and used such a high percentage of malted barley in his original mashbill. The malted barley in A. Overholt Straight Rye softens the bite of the rye, and in this case, creates a very balanced and tempered sip. The strong brown butter note on the palate is likely the result of this and makes A. Overholt Straight Rye stand out because of it. Unfortunately age and proof don’t do this whiskey any favors, as its sip tastes ultimately held back, and the whiskey’s true uniqueness isn’t able to fully blossom.
1810 - Abe Overholt assumes the management of the Overholt family-made rye whiskey at the West Overton Farmstead, successfully transforming it into a thriving business.
1843 - Overholt starts to grow and advertise in cities across the East Coast, which was unusual for the time as branding didn’t exist in mainstream.
1859 - The Overholt whiskey enterprise expands for the first of an eventual four times to include an additional distillery in Broad Ford PA.
1881 - Overholt remains in the family as ownership is acquired by Abe’s grandson, a titan of industry, Henry Clay Frick. Henry brings on tycoon Andrew Mellon as his business partner.
1897 - Overholt becomes one of the first brands to adopt the federal Bottled In Bond Act, as a commitment to quality.
1927 - Andrew Mellon, now also Secretary of the Treasury, acquires medicinal license to keep Overholt’s production legal, ensuring its survival during American Prohibition when other brands did not.
1930 - Overholt & Co. utilizes its rare federal permit to produce an additional quarter-million gallons of whiskey during Prohibition for Uncle Sam.
1935 - After Prohibition and an acquisition by National Distiller's Co., to keep up with demand Overholt production expanded to also include the Large Distillery located due north of the Broad Ford Distillery.
1987 - Beam Inc. acquires Overholt as part of the National Distillers brands and relocates its production to Kentucky. This acquisition included brands like Dekuyper, Old Grand Dad, and Old Crow.
47.5% ABV
75cl
