Rittenhouse Rye BiB

Grand plans!  Hey, I'll start a whiskey blog.  Oh I like a lot more than whiskey, I may as well throw all that in too.  If I'm at one post a week during my fresh new blog push I might not last too long at this.  Lets drink a cheap rye.

Cheap and rare is an interesting combination.  Rittenhouse is $20 a bottle, but the release is limited.  Even the local retailer marks it limit 3.  And while it's put out by Heaven Hill, it was distilled by Brown-Forman, and soon enough that will be changing to Bernheim.  No one knows how that change will effect the whiskey, but the current iteration will be gone.  That makes Rittenhouse BiB a candidate for the next hot discontinued whiskey.

The mash for Rittenhouse is 51% rye.  In the glass it's a deep bronze.  Smelling it I get golden raisin, black pepper, vanilla, and a mustiness that's reminiscent of an old attic.  Becca, who doesn't drink whiskey but does like to play "the tasting game", pulls out pineapple that I don't get.  The fruit note changes from raisins to orange  rind when taking a sip.  The pepper and rye spice remains.  The 100 proof makes itself known with a bit of burn while vanilla notes round out the flavor.  I'd say it's slightly unrefined, but there is big flavor that's not often found in this price bracket.  This was a test bottle for me, but I will be grabbing a few next time.  It's a good sipper neat when you're feeling spicy and a great base for Manhattans.

Rating:  Spicy Meatball!