polyamnesia Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 i've definitely cut WAY back on my sipping this year...i've only gone through one bottle of the Rittenhouse (80) this last month or so...and decided to stick with rye for holiday sipping.always a fan of most WT products (that i've had). here's my two cent review:looking at it: bright butterscotch orange. some hesitant spider legs give way shortly to slow, big drops. not quite a sticky, 101 viscosity, but still looks to be decent at 90 proof.the nose: let it sit awhile in this cozy room and i am sensing nuts, leather, marshmallows, something earthy/organic, too, like some sort of olfactory spalting (must be the oak). mushrooms?taste: has the spicey kick i'd expect of rye. not in a cinnamon sense, but more (again) earthy, peppery. more old book leather and a subtle creaminess beneath the never-ending spice sparkles. not quite sour or sweet, but suggesting both. i assume this mixes well, but i wouldn't waste it on that. isn't baby saz 90 proof? delicious stuff, but more like candy compared to this 90. this seems much more complex, but then it's been a year since i had any sazerac. the finish is still lingering on my palate, namely the spice...after that settles, the earthy, almost musty (in a good sense) note returns or is what remains. i'm out of practice for sure, but i'm fairly impressed with this bottle. i still prefer the 101 rye by far for complexity, impact, for all the reasons we sip these nectars. there are alot of dynamics going on with RR90 for sure...i can't say it is extremely complex (maybe the proof just won't let it)...but i bet this would vat very interestingly with some other choice ryes (or bourbons).i think, perhaps, the nose is the most complex thing going on here. it suggests something of a much higher proof. taste is intriguingly both spicey/sharp and smooth, easy to sip and savor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polyamnesia Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 this bottle, as it has opened up and breathed a bit, is getting better. definitely worth the ticket price. a kind of nice midway station between the extremes of another great distillery: handy and baby saz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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