From floor seven of rickhouse L, barrel #7989517 was originally barreled in March of 2018 before bottling just before the year’s end. Put this one in the 4 years and 9/10 month old category. It’s bottled at 100 proof just like the standard Rittenhouse, but this one has some unique character. We didn’t have a huge selection of barrels to choose from, but then again it’s not like there’s a bad bottle of Rittenhouse out there. The standard Rittenhouse is pretty much the perfect rye whiskey for cocktails, even if it’s not the world’s most exciting sipper.
Our job was to find the perfect version of Rittenhouse for sipping as most folks buying a bottle will likely be looking for a deviation from the regular formula. This cask was the obvious pick of the litter. There’s more vanilla and actually less rye spice in this whiskey. It’s creamier from front to back and there’s a lift of baking spices on the finish. Upon the first sip of the standard Rittenhouse rye, the peppery and herbaceous character of the rye is generally front and center with the oak playing second fiddle. The oak and the vanilla are what shine in this bottling.