FWIW, I’ve had the opportunity to try a number of different labels of rye recently. Here are some very brief comments on my impressions.
Old Overholt: Cheap, drinkable, and easily accessible. A perfectly fine everyday rye, but not for serving to someone you’d want to impress. This is what I keep in my cupboard on a regular basis.
Jim Beam: Cheap, drinkable, and easily accessible. But given a choice between the Overholt and the Beam, I’d go for the Overholt.
Wild Turkey 101: I’ve had this in sazeracs and it worked, but served neat it’s definitely in the “floor cleaner” category. Avoid.
Rittenhouse 80 proof: Mostly harmless. Very light-flavored. Worth picking up if you happen to see it and the price works for you, but nothing special.
Rittenhouse bonded: Waaay better than the 80 proof. Still cheap, though. Grab a bottle if you see one.
Van Winkle 13-year rye: Good stuff. Worth serving to someone you want to impress. I would get this on a regular basis if it were carried in my local liquor stores.
Old Potrero (I forget what it was called specifically, but it was the 20-bucks-a-shot version): Tasty, but pure fire. Definitely not worth it unless you want to impress one of those people who thinks they know about booze but actually don’t.
A.J. Hirsch: Very very expensive (in the neighborhood of $150/bottle), but good. If you can afford it, go for it. If the price shocks you, don’t bother.
Black Maple Hill: Holy crap, this stuff is good. Get a bottle, keep it to yourself, and snarl at anybody who gets too close. Worth sharing only with people who have offered to perform deviant sexual acts with you. Even then, you should probably think twice about it.
