Heaven Hill is well-known as a bourbon powerhouse, but over the past decade or so they’ve started seriously exploring the whiskey and rye worlds. We were a big fan of their Bernheim wheat whiskey, and so were curious to see how Heaven Hill would handle a rye.
Rittenhouse Rye is Heaven Hill’s Bottled-in-Bond rye, meaning it’s aged at least 4 years and carries a 100 proof. The whiskey commemorates the famous Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, which as far as we could learn, isn’t really famous for anything having to do with whiskey. But moving on.
In order for a whiskey to legally be considered rye, it must have a mash bill of at least 51% rye. Now rumor has it that Rittenhouse just barely squeaks over the legal 51% limit and well, it tastes like it. On the one hand, Rittenhouse Rye has a deliciously dry, nutty, sweetness to it like dark chocolate and hazelnuts. But on the other hand, it lacks a lot of that signature, herbal spiciness that you want in a rye, minus a slightly peppery finish. Surprisingly for a Bottled-in-Bond, Rittenhouse is smooth with only a mild heat that fits together perfectly with that pepper. All together, it’s an interesting and satisfying drink. But would we really call it a rye? Well, legally yes, but in a blind taste we would call this a peppery bourbon, rather than a rye whiskey. But for just $26 a bottle, we aren’t really complaining. While we wouldn’t recommend using it for a signature rye cocktail like a Sazerac, Rittenhouse makes for an affordable and easy, neat sipper. But at the end of the day for us, Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey still proves that Heaven Hill is a bourbon giant after all.
STATS: Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
- Price for us: $26 for 750 mL
- Proof: 100
- Aged: 4 Years
- Distillery: Heaven Hill
- Recommendation: Neat
