Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye Whisky

Rittenhouse Rye is a whiskey I had seen popping up on my social media feed. Much like Blue Note infiltrated my feed earlier this year, Rittenhouse Rye has been the whiskey of the moment in the virtual space. The taste and value of Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye Whisky has been a hot topic with plenty of lovers and haters expressing their opinions. I figured I’d keep an eye out for a bottle so I could decide for myself.

On my last liquor run, I noticed a couple of bottles of Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye Whisky. They were awkwardly placed, pushed to the rear of a shelf, obscured by other brands of rye whiskey, and just waiting to be discovered. I considered myself lucky to find a bottle.

Normally, when a particular whiskey gets a lot of social media attention, I can no longer find it at the store. A whiskey I might have seen a dozen times is suddenly impossible to find. For instance, Buffalo Trace. The increased popularity leads others to swoop in and grab as many bottles as they are allowed to purchase. While some are well-intentioned and plan to enjoy these bottles, many will sit on a shelf collecting dust. Eventually, when one can no longer find a bottle on the retail market you’ll start getting DMs offering to sell you a bottle for 2x the MSRP or more. Call it capitalism or profiteering. Either way, it sucks if you are a drinker…

Heaven Hill Distillery

Rittenhouse Rye is distilled by Heaven Hill Distillers. Heaven Hill makes a lot of great whiskeys, including a few we have reviewed here. The Heaven Hill collection includes Elijah Craig Small Batch, as well as my favorite daily drinker, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond. If you haven’t read our reviews of those whiskeys, make sure to click the links and check them out. Clearly, we are fans of Heaven Hill products.

Rittenhouse Square Rye

Rittenhouse Rye was originally called Rittenhouse Square Rye. The Rittenhouse Square brand was created in 1933 after the repeal of prohibition. In 1948, “Square” was dropped and the brand simply became Rittenhouse Rye. Rittenhouse Rye was owned by Continental Distilling Company and distilled in Pennsylvania until the company went out of business in the early 1980s. The brand was then bought by Heaven Hill Distillery and production of the Rittenhouse Rye was shipped away to Kentucky.

The Rittenhouse name comes from Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. The squares of Philadelphia are important to the city’s history. William Penn, who founded Pennslyvania, had grown up in 17th century London. He didn’t have access to green spaces in rapidly industrializing England. To ensure Philly’s residents were able to enjoy nature, Penn created five parks, called squares. Today, these squares are well-known landmarks to locals as well as community gathering spaces.

Originally called Southwest Square, Rittenhouse Square was renamed in 1825 after former resident and well-known astronomer David Rittenhouse. In addition to his scientific renown, Rittenhouse was the Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1777 until 1789. In 1791, Rittenhouse was appointed by George Washington to serve as the first director of the United States Mint. It was a fitting honor to rename the square after one of the city’s most notable residents.

Although Rittenhouse is a notable figure, he might not be the area’s most well-known celebrity. That accolade might belong to actor Kevin Bacon. Bacon lived in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood until he moved to a small town to teach rebellious youth to dance and break unjust laws. At least I think that’s how the story goes. In a true six-degrees of separation, everyone can be connected back to Kevin Bacon including David Rittenhouse. This makes me wonder; does Kevin Bacon like Rittenhouse Rye?

Rittenhouse Rye

Rittenhouse Rye Whisky is aged for 4 years and bottled at 100 proof per the B-i-B guidelines. The mash bill contains 51% rye, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. Because the mash bill contains the bare minimum of 51% rye, it is considered a low rye whiskey. The lower rye content compared to other rye whiskeys we have tried does mute the rye spices. Depending on your palate, you might find Rittenhouse Rye doesn’t live up to your expectations. However, we enjoyed the muted notes and fruitiness.

Tasting Notes

My first impression was banana and malted barely on the nose. I noticed a little fruitiness in the taste followed by a hint of traditional rye spice. Alie also picked up a fruity scent. She thought it smelled like a white wine sangria with pear and apple. Both of us felt the whiskey was surprisingly smooth for a 100-proof whiskey.

For Alie, the sweetness found on the nose didn’t carry over to the taste. She said Rittenhouse Rye tasted a little musky. She described it as a natural, old taste. It reminded her of the wilderness and a little of an old playhouse at her grandparents’ house. If you notice the smell in late fall of decomposing leaves and moisture in the air, that might be similar to what Alie tasted. She said these tasting notes were in a “good old way,” like an aged cheese.

I can’t say I picked up the same flavors as Alie. Rittenhouse Rye was smooth with light intensity and a touch of rye spice. There were light hints of malty grain and fruit, but nothing too overpowering.

Our Ratings

Drinkability: 3.9

Intensity: 2.9

Personal Preference: 3.5

Beginner Friendly: 3

Availability: 4

Overall: 3.4

Final Thoughts

This was a pleasing rye whiskey that was surprisingly fruity with less rye spice than we had anticipated. The flavor and whiskey burn/intensity were not as strong either. For a 100-proof whiskey, it lacks a certain bite we’ve come to expect.

Where Rittenhouse Rye Whisky really shines is in cocktails. We picked up this bottle for under $25, so you won’t feel bad mixing it in a drink. It was excellent as the base for our Blood Orange Crush. You can find the recipe here. Even our new whiskey friends remarked the Blood Orange Crush with Rittenhouse Rye as the base was better than most cocktails they pay for at the bar. One of the highest compliments!

If you are a big rye whiskey fan, you will enjoy this whiskey. If you haven’t tried a lot of rye whiskeys, this is a good place to start since the rye flavor isn’t overpowering. The light fruity notes and smoothness make this a good whiskey for a new enthusiast.

When you factor in the price, flavor, and proof, this is a bottle you’ll want to add to your collection, even if you only use it for cocktails.

Happy Exploring!