Like many people I got my introduction to Rittenhouse Rye years ago as great base for cocktails. It wasn’t long after my foray into rye as a mixer that I started trying it neat. It didn’t take long after that for my love or rye whiskey to be born. Even after straying the path for other ryes over the years my preferences always led me back to Rittenhouse so I have a lot of nostalgia for the product. I’m not sure what changed, either myself or the whiskey, but these days my enthusiasm for standard Rittenhouse has waned. Despite the increased cost, my biggest gripe is that my last few bottles have tasted overly young - so much such that I strictly regulated them to cocktail duty rather than as a sipper. Because of that, I was very excited when Heaven Hill announced that it was releasing Pikesville rye which is essentially a higher proof and extra aged Rittenhouse.
Aged 6 years; 55% ABV; $52
Nose: Menthol and anise spice. Vanilla and caramel sweets. Good amount of woodiness and only a touch of furniture polish.
Taste: Blast of woody sweetness up front, big dose of spice in the back. Mid-palate has some nice cinnamon bubblegum sweetness as things transition from sweet to spice. After the spice in the finish backs down some bitter and sweet dark fruits linger, something like dark chocolate covered raisins. Really nice balance here though it is a touch warm.
Thoughts: Great, great stuff. Drinks like a no bullshit, classic, barely legal rye. Lots of sweet, lots of spice, and not too much wood but no real grainy young notes either. The age and proof have given it a huge improvement over the standard Rittenhouse. With just a little more proof I think this could giving Thomas Handy a run for its money and it’s certainly better than the Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye which costs about $20 more. I can see where some might be bitter about paying almost double for an extra 2 years and 5% ABV over standard Rittenhouse but I think it’s entirely worth it.
Rating: B+
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