Peanut brittle | Grilled peach | Baking spices | Light dried tobacco | Charred oak | Faint burnt caramel | Vanilla blossom | Touch of molasses

Rye spice | White peppercorn | Cinnamon cake | Lemon meringue | Tart stone fruit | Vanilla syrup

Flash of summer fruits | Bold rye spice | Cinnamon apple pie | Chewy oak | Caramel | Touch of leather | Pleasant lingering spice

In 2020, Suntory Global Spirits overhauled its Old Overholt brand. In addition to moving its standard bottle from 80 to 86 proof and making it non-chill filtered, they also announced two limited edition ryes, a 4 year old at 114 proof and a 11 year old at 92.6 proof. As a nod to Old Overholt’s original heritage, the limited edition ryes were released in the Ohio and Pennsylvania markets only. In ‍‍2023, the company released Old Overholt Cask Strength 10 Year Rye, the first cask strength release from the brand since the 1940s.

Since the release of Old Overholt Cask Strength 10 Year Rye, Suntory Global Spirits has released a new cask strength Old Overholt limited edition every year that varies in age and proof. While 2024 was released as an 11 year expression, and 2025 as a 12 year expression, 2026 saw the brand reverse course and go back down to 11 years. This signals that the brand is less interested in increasing the age annually and instead aims to bottle the bourbon when they feel it’s reached its best age. This year’s expression was barreled in the fall of 2014, bottled in the summer of 2026, and comprises barrels from warehouses J, K, and M.

This year’s release opens with a scent of classic Beam peanut note in the form of peanut brittle. The rest of the aroma is composed of delightful scents of grilled peach, vanilla blossom, and molasses. Faint burnt caramel and charred oak add more grounding scents, but the direction of the whiskey swings back to spicy and sweet on the palate, where spice and dessert notes take hold. A flash of summer fruits starts off its ending before more classic spice and chewy oak take hold to round things out.

While Beam is known more for their bourbons, they’ve slowly built Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye into their main rye showcase. Since the release of the 10 year old expression in 2023, Old Overholt has consistently delivered an excellent sip, and this year’s edition continues that tradition. The step back in age saw no detriment in quality and cements Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye as an annual release all rye lovers should seek out.