Rittenhouse Straight Rye 100 Proof

Absolutely agree, this is my "always stock" American rye. I don't know what some people don't like about it...it's consistently good band-for-buck rye. I think some people just don't like rye.

@OdysseusUnbound thank you for your review. I think you described Rittenhouse BIB very similarly to my own experience of it. Those who don't like it? Rittenhouse BIB Rye can be a little rough around the edges as a sipper sometimes. It may be somewhat mood dependent. If you are in the mood for a lot of refinement in your sipper, this is for many people not the place to go. Don't forget too that this is a big production mass release product from one of the four mega-capacity US distilleries, so batches will have significant differences.

You are far from alone in liking Rittenhouse Rye, though, no matter how vociferous some of the naysayers may be. It was specifically Rittenhouse BIB Rye (yes, there used to be a 40% version of Rittenhouse Rye too) and Wild Turkey 101 Rye which led US bartenders to almost "singlehandedly" bring US rye back as an entire category. The US bartenders fell in love with these two standard ryes. Then Wild Turkey debauched 101 rye by putting out an 81 proof version in about 2012 because it could not keep rye production up to demand. The explosion of 100-101 proof straight rye cocktails from the US bartending profession then won over the US public to enjoying rye whiskey.

The rarest standard issue whiski I own is a bottle of Rittenhouse 21 year old Rye. I've tasted about 5 of the old Rittenhouse 21-23-25 yo ryes and they are in their own category of interesting, and delicious. They have a kind of deep dark fruitiness which exists in no other style of whiski, and which exists in balance to an enourmous amount of oak influence. I have been eager for years to get a taste from my bottle, but have been reluctant to so far because I may not affordably be able to replace this bottle anytime soon. I paid about $ 130 for it in 2011. That seemed to me to be a huge extravagant risky whim at the time, which I questioned immediately, and for several years to come. Current wine-searcher.com world secondary market average asking price for Rittenhouse 21 yo Rye is $ 3,405. In perfect hindsight, my biggest single whiski regret is passing up the opportunity to buy 3 bottles of Rittenhouse 21 and 2 bottles of Rittenhouse 25 Rye for under $ 200 each in January of 2013. I never saw them offered for sale in a liquor store again.

@Victor The road not taken….

@OdysseusUnbound - thanks for the enjoyable review. I have an unopened one in the stash and it's a toss up between it and Sazarec for which rye I'll open next.

I absolutely adore Pikesville rye and, if memory serves, this is the younger iteration of that bottling(?). If so, I'll no doubt enjoy it and your notes suggest similarities in style i.e. a sweeter then usual and well-balanced rye.

@RianC Rittenhouse is Heaven Hill's standard line of rye whiskey. Pikesville was a totally separate brand of rye which Heaven Hill bought out in about 1974. They are advertised by Heaven Hill to be two different styles of Rye, but Heaven Hill has not been open about what elements in the production process or composition differentiate Rittenhouse from Pikesville. They taste different, for sure. And the young Pikesville Supreme, a 40% ABV 3 year old, tasted quite a bit different from the 6 yo 55% ABV Pikesville. Pikesville Rye 55% ABV 6 years old was first released in 2015. Pikesville Rye Whiskey has been produced and consumed since the 1890s.

@RianC US ryes do extremely well with air exposure, in fact they almost always improve with it. There is no downside to opening both your Rittenhouse and Sazerac Ryes at the same time, and no downside in keeping them both open for the next 6-10 years. But it won't take you that long to drink them, will it?

@Victor your insights are always a delight to read.

@casualtorture thank you very much!