I don't know there's a good single word for it, but bourbon does have that sickly-sweet undertone. I really think the lack of that flavor in rye and Scotch is why they are better in so many contexts. That sweetness just overpowers too many things.
I mean, good bourbon can still be excellent. I've posted before about the Jefferson's Presidential Select, which was the bottling of the last Stitzel-Weller batch, and that bourbon was, I'm sorry, f***ing awesome. I mean, just amazing. But overall, ignoring specifics, I'd still take rye over bourbon on balance, because it's more flexible, and less overpowering.