So why review a whiskey that everyone already knows and loves? Because the Rittenhouse in stores now is completely different whiskey than the stuff that was on shelves a few months ago. After Brad Kaplan of Thirsty South (a great blog) joked Monday night on Twitter about the whiskey-geekiness of comparing the new DSP-1 Ritt to the old DSP-354 stuff, I figured I owed it to my inner geek to take a closer look.
A little background: Rittenhouse is a Heaven Hill brand that was distilled at the old Heaven Hill Distillery (DSP-KY-31) until November 1996 when the place was destroyed by fire. After the fire, the company bought and relocated to the old Bernheim Distillery (DSP-KY-1) but did not produce any rye there until 2008, which is what is now hitting the shelves. The Ritt we've been buying for the last several years was distilled for Heaven Hill at Brown-Forman's Early Times facility (DSP-KY-354).
So, what's the difference? Potentially a lot. It is true that the Brown-Forman and Heaven Hill whiskies were both distilled with the same mashbill, yeast, and under the same conditions. Whiskey is a strange thing, though. Each distillery has its own distinct characteristics, and the differences can be quite noticeable. See, e.g., Buffalo Trace distilled Pappy Van Winkle.
Price: $19
Proof: 50% ABV (100 Proof)
Age: "Bottled in Bond" so at least 4 years old.
Mashbill: 51% Rye, 37% Corn, 12 % Barley per Josh's excellent Whiskey Tree on Straightbourbon.com.
Color: Copper
Nose: Solid rye backbone. Créme brulée, toasted oak, and caramel green apple.
Palate: Slightly thinner than I remember the DSP-354 being. It also has a lot more spice. 'Nilla Wafers, clove, salted caramel, green apple, Sichuan peppercorn, spearmint, and baking spices.
Finish: Long and warming. Some bitterness but not off-putting. More baking spices, cocoa, clove, and a whiff of fennel.
Overall: B+
Rittenhouse is still great whiskey. Hardcore rye drinkers will likely love this as much, if not more, than the DSP-354 juice. You give up some of the great rich mouthfeel from the Brown-Forman whiskey in exchange for much more rye punch. I would probably give a slight edge to the old stuff, but only by a hair. This remains perhaps the best value in all of whiskey. I also think with the added spice will work even better in cocktails than the DSP-354, if that is possible.
*I should note that I am working off of recent memory for the old DSP-354 Rittenhouse.
*I should note that I am working off of recent memory for the old DSP-354 Rittenhouse.
If I see 354 or 1 what one? I did not like WT Rare for example cause of the Thin feel. WT 101 rye atleast had a fuller feel. If new Ritterhose has a filling back palate like high proof OGD I'd be happy if I got DSP-1 anyway. I've had a few different Heaven Hills products years ago and the ones I liked had huge structure with this meaty quality and something smoky and powerfull. I did not fancy other Heaven Hills with this over the top minty assault with pricky porcupine oak and honyish mouth feel.
ReplyDeleteClive, if you like WT101 rye, you will most likely like Ritt (either the 1 or the 354). Because it is a "barely legal" rye with only a 51% rye mashbill content, it still has a lot of body that you don't find with whiskey made from higher rye mashbills. Ritt is more similar to high rye recipe bourbon than it is to 100% rye whiskey like Whistlepig. It is also not intensely minty in the way that some of the LDI/MGPI ryes are these days, though there are still some minty notes as noted in the review.
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