Rittenhouse Straight Rye, 100 Proof - Bottled-In-Bond (Label-Redesign)
ABV: 50.0%
Region: United States
Price per bottle: °
Bottling: Distillery (Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc., Kentucky)
Cask type: --

 

Colour: Bright amber.
Nose: First thing you get on the nose is loads of toffee and vanilla, mixed with a lovely sweetness of lingering dried fruits. Behind that sweet curtain, notes of red pepper emerge, complemented by cocoa and tender oranges. Slightly spicy with nutmeg, cloves and subtle rye in the background. Very aromatic.
Palate: Rich and vibrant! Sweet start on the palate with toffee, nougat and candied orange peel. The rye slowly emerges and begins to grow and grow with every sip, complemented by a very warming spiciness of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper. Mouth-watering with dry notes of cocoa and oak towards the finish. Becomes very spicy indeed!
Finish: The finish shows medium length with tender sweet toffee and warming peppery notes. Lime with oil of cloves, dry cocoa and spiced oak on tail.
With water: The toffee sweetness and dried fruitiness are slightly tamed when adding a few drops of water, whereas notes of sweet red pepper, nutmeg and oak increase. Less sweet on the palate as well, while the warming spiciness continues to emerge with black pepper, prickling oak, cloves and rye. Slightly drying notes of cocoa in the back. The finish is medium long, very dry and mouth-watering with spiced oak, nutmeg, rye and cloves.
Comments: Wow - what a surprise! This is a big, full-bodied, and sensuous rye whisky. Deliciously sweet and fervid. Lovely complex flavour profile with a bold peppery spiciness one would expect from a predominantly rye mash bill. This one might do well in a Manhattan Rye but the much better choice for me is enjoying this beauty neat in front of a fireplace.

 

I thank Borco-Marken-Import for the sample and the photograph!