I've written about American Rye as the quintessentially American whisky. I'm particularly fond of Rittenhouse Rye, and have a distinct fondness for Old Overholt. The other day, we tried Jim Beam's "Yellow Label" Rye. It's a bit more expensive than Old Overholt, which in turn is a bit more than Rittenhouse Rye.

Jim Beam's Yellow Label Rye is a bit harsher, a bit more on the petroleum side than the pepper side, when sipped straight up or on the rocks than either Rittenhouse or Old Overholt. I note that that's not necessarily a bad thing; I think in fact that were I making Rye cocktails, say a Manhattan, I'd reach for the Jim Beam Yellow Label first. That said, I'd also likely, if given a choice reach for Old Overholt in preference to Jim Beam Yellow label, and Rittenhouse Rye is fast proving my favorite of the three Ryes I've tried.

You should know that Jim Beam's distillers produce both Old Overholt, and Jim Beam Yellow Label Rye. A New York Times story about Rye notes that in 2005 32,000 cases Yellow Label and Old Overholt were shipped in 2005. A review of several Ryes in The Cocktail Chronicles blog quotes a spokesman for Heaven Hill distillery, who makes Rittenhouse Rye, estimated that they shipped 1,000 cases per year. I remember reading an interview with a Jim Beam Distiller who said, and I'm paraphrasing, that they pour out more Bourbon in a day than they ship Rye in a year. What does that mean for you? Well, it means that if you, like me, are a fan of Rye, you pretty much need to buy what you can, when you can. Bottles of Rye, especially anything other than Old Overholt, or Jim Beam Yellow Label, are a bit scarce on the shelf.