Meet the Makers

Spirits · Clermont, Kentucky

Old Overholt

America's oldest continually maintained whiskey brand, born in Pennsylvania rye country.

Founded
1810
Founded by
Abraham Overholt
Based in
Clermont, Kentucky

Making it since

1810

Their story

Old Overholt traces back to West Overton, Pennsylvania, where Henry Oberholtzer settled in 1800 and began distilling rye. In 1810 his son Abraham Overholt took over and built it into a real business, later adding a second distillery at Broad Ford.

Abraham's grandson Henry Clay Frick took over in 1881, and Andrew Mellon became a partner. After Frick died in 1919, family ownership ended. The West Overton site never reopened after Prohibition and is now a museum.

James B. Beam Distilling bought the brand in 1987, and today it is owned by Suntory Global Spirits and made at the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky.

How it's made

Old Overholt is an American rye whiskey distilled at the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. In 2024 the brand added A. Overholt Monongahela Mash, a nod to its Pennsylvania roots made from 80 percent rye and 20 percent malted barley.

Why we carry them

We keep Old Overholt around for classic rye cocktails like the Manhattan and Sazerac. It is a direct line to the earliest days of American whiskey.

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