Rittenhouse 10 Year Bottled in Bond Rye

250th Anniversary Commemorative Edition

MSRP: $99.99

Mash: 51% rye, 35% corn, 14% malted barley

Proof: 100

Age: 10 years

Nose:  you're immediately greeted with overwhelming musty oak and cigar box, its followed by maple sugars, a very very faint mint, grapefruit tanginess, and a hint of leather. But the nose never escapes that musty oak and cigar box presence.

Palate: Not surprisingly, the musty oak and cigar box notes follow through to the palate. From there it begins to change into a sweeter pour, offering some molasses, honeycomb, citrus zest, some soft nuttiness, and a little bit of rose and mint tea, deep below is an almost raspberry fruit like quality if you can find it.

Finish: surprisingly long finish for a bottled in bond, but also it retains that musty oak with an almost caramel aspect. So although I appreciate the long finish, the musty oak aspect isn't what I wish was hanging out on the back of my palate.

Rating: Buy It (Out of Hoard, Buy, Try, Pass)

Thoughts: I have no idea if I love this or hate this. It's taken me a while to write this review because my opinion on this whiskey is ever changing. Realistically I'm being too harsh with love or hate, it's more of love it or think it's just okay. I very much so think that this is worth having a bottle of, but I just wish it was a little more attractive with the profile it offered. It's almost surprising how damp and musty this whiskey tastes for only being 10 years old. What's the Deal?: Rye was the original spirit of the United States. As a result, Heaven Hill wanted to find a way to honor that history. Rittenhouse has been their most prominent rye for a long time, although generally only a 4 year bottled in bond currently, there were previous limited editions released in the early 2000s at 21, 23, and 25 years old. This 10 year release is the first time since that Rittenhouse Rye has received the love of a double digit age statement.

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