Old Overholt Bottled in Bond...

Old Overholt Bottled in Bond (50.0%): Most of the times it's hard to break the habits, especially when it comes to changing your in-house well whiskeys. I always try to keep a bottle of Rittenhouse BiB in my spirits cabinet for all my cocktail needs but this time I decided to give a shot to Old Overholt BiB instead. After being acquired by Jim Beam in 1987 and got moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky the brand was limited only to an 80 proof expression which wasn't very appealing for me. But not long ago when they finally decided to pull the trigger to release a bottled in bond version they got my attention. Even though I tasted it before in bars and cocktails this is the very first bottle I purchased... Well, let's pour some and see if it can be an acceptable alternative to my Rittenhouse BiB. By the way I really liked the idea of summarizing the whole Bottled in Bond act of 1897 in a single sentence on the back label. Nice thinking...

Color: Light amber, copper pennies color with very persistent, thick and oily teardrops simply refusing to turn into legs. 

Nose: A little thin... Mineral and metallic. Stainless steel hip flask, sparkling water and breakfast cereals. Dried figs, cinnamon apples and candied pecans.

Palate: Still quite thin in texture but spicy and also tad bitter. Black licorice, black pepper and peanut brittles. Cornflakes and apple strudel. Corn in the mash-bill is more pronounced than I would ever expect: Toffee candies, some dried mint and toasted oak. A very thin dusting of baking spices: Allspice, nutmeg and cloves.

Finish: Short with corn on the cob, peanut butter and black pepper.

Overall: I am underwhelmed to say the least... I don't want it sound worse than it is but I believe I was expecting a bigger step-up from the 80 proof version. Yes, I purchased this whiskey solely for mixing purposes but I also believe that every bottle in my spirits cabinet has to be enjoyable to sip. This one really came close to that line to be honest... There are definitely other options out there I would reach before even in this price category.

Price: $23 (1 liter bottle)

82/100