A little background
Rittenhouse Rye Bottled in Bond is distilled by Heaven Hill and according to the website, it commemorates Philadelphia’s famous Rittenhouse Square. Since it’s bottled-in-bond, we know it’s at least 4 years old, bottled at 100 Proof, and etcetera, etcetera. Retail price of around $25.
(Tasted neat from a Glencairn.)
Color
Medium Copper
Nose
Immediate Strawberry licorice, caramel, and white pepper. More like a high rye bourbon than a rye whiskey with the sweetness and a little light given the proof.
Palate
Oh, now I see it’s a rye! Allspice, cardamom, and star anise dominate with just enough toffee sweetness to balance the spice.
Finish
Spice prickles lingers on the tongue and the sweetness all but disappears. Nice but simple compared to the nose and palate.
In closing
This is a bottle that’s always had a place in my liquor cabinet. There are some days that I’m just itching for a rye whiskey with a little heat that won’t break the bank. It’s nice that a few labels like Rittenhouse BiB can scratch that itch.
Rittenhouse Rye Bottled in Bond
100 Proof
The Good
- Availability
- Cost
The Bad
- Lack of Complexity
Complexity
7.5
Nose
8
Palate
8.5
Finish
8
Value
10
You’ve got to adjust this rating. You’re at 7.3 which, according to your scale is “not for us” when you admit in the review that Rittenhouse “always had a place in my liquor cabinet” – a statement that is true for almost every person who is serious about treating their guests well. Meanwhile, the value is the lowest mark, when you claim that it’s an excellent value for the dollar in the review. I agree 100% with your thoughtful and accurate write-up (I think maybe a smidge more highly of this whisky, though you’ve nailed the essentials of its status as a reliable quality staple) but I think that the scoring falls down. Should be solidly somewhere between 8 and 9 – according to your very helpful scale.
Really nice site, by the way.
Hi Joel! We really appreciate this fantastic feedback. One of the most difficult parts of making a great review site for us has been the rating scale. We’re probably on our tenth iteration after making quite a few tweeks. You made a couple points that proved valuable to us and we acted on them. We raised the Value rating on the Rittenhouse to better represent our tasting notes and experience. Additionally, we made some changes to our rating scale a few weeks ago that I think better reflect how a user can translate our scores into something meaningful. Take a look and let us know what you think. Cheers!