Rittenhouse BIB question

[weller_tex]

The only thing I have in the house right now is Rittenhouse BIB. I had not had it for about 2 years but decided to try it again. Man this is amazing stuff! Very complex..love the chocolate notes. My question is, it claims to be a Pennsylvania style rye. How accurate is that claim? It is definitely different from WT 101 Rye, KC Rye..and way different than the 95% ryes..

[Parkersback]

"Paging Dr. Gillman... Dr. Gillman..."

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/search.php?searchid=392199

[weller_tex]

That link did not return anything but I will search his posts..

[HighInTheMtns]

I have tasted a dusty Ritt BIB from Pennsylvania alongside the current DSP-KY-354 release. They're not remotely the same. Take the "Pennsylvania style rye" claim with the same grain of salt you'd take with anything on a bourbon label whose meaning isn't mandated by law.

I personally find the current juice to be very bourbon like in its character. I'd also say it's definitely closer to WT101 rye than to the PA dusty.

[weller_tex]

I have tasted a dusty Ritt BIB from Pennsylvania alongside the current DSP-KY-354 release. They're not remotely the same. Take the "Pennsylvania style rye" claim with the same grain of salt you'd take with anything on a bourbon label whose meaning isn't mandated by law.

I personally find the current juice to be very bourbon like in its character. I'd also say it's definitely closer to WT101 rye than to the PA dusty.

That's kind of what I thought in just reading Sku's dusty reviews..but he was reviewing really old whiskey. I thought maybe Pennsylvania ryes from the 50's and 60's might be different. Rittenhouse does have more of a bourbon quality to it..but it sure is good stuff.

[squire]

Rittenhouse has an historical claim due to it's origins but what it is now is a different product. It is to Heaven Hill's credit the brand is still around and still in such fine shape. It is a Rye in the Kentucky style and a good one.

[TheNovaMan]

I personally find the current juice to be very bourbon like in its character.

[Pikesville]

It's great rye. Is it true PA style? I don't know, I've never had any dusties from the olden days. I do know that it is different from Maryland style. If it is a third style, KY rye, then it carries the banner well.

[squire]

I've had a few older bottles of Rye and think the current production compares right well.

[T Comp]

At our Binny's get together back in November 2011 (the "last fling" say goodbye to Joe party...who thankfully never left) Tommyboy shared his 1955 Rittenhouse. It was superb and nothing similar to the current. Spicy and thick is what I remember...not bourbon like or mint rye like. Among other valued '50 and 60's dusties that evening it was a standout.

[squire]

Now that's a beautiful thing. I've had some Overholt from the 60s but never a vintage Rittenhouse.

[Lost Pollito]

At our Binny's get together back in November 2011 (the "last fling" say goodbye to Joe party...who thankfully never left) Tommyboy shared his 1955 Rittenhouse. It was superb and nothing similar to the current. Spicy and thick is what I remember...not bourbon like or mint rye like. Among other valued '50 and 60's dusties that evening it was a standout.

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Totally agree with Thad. Never tasted anything like it before, or after.

[bad_scientist]

Has anyone had any Ritt from the '80s? I have a 375 of Pikesville rye from that period but I'm reserving it for a rye dusty tasting at some point in the future, i.e. when I have more than a couple of rye dusties!

[ethangsmith]

Keep in mind too there are several different styles of rye that came from Pennsylvania. The Monongahela ryes of the western portion of the state contained a significant amount of rye and were quite potent. The eastern ryes, like what Rittenhouse was, were often no more than 65% rye grain and were a little easier to drink. I can say that Michter's/Pennco in Schaefferstown used either 51% or 65% rye grain depending on what product was to be distilled. I would assume Rittenhouse was the same.

[weller_tex]

At our Binny's get together back in November 2011 (the "last fling" say goodbye to Joe party...who thankfully never left) Tommyboy shared his 1955 Rittenhouse. It was superb and nothing similar to the current. Spicy and thick is what I remember...not bourbon like or mint rye like. Among other valued '50 and 60's dusties that evening it was a standout.

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Oh wow sure would be nice if that one could be duplicated although I am sure it can't sounds amazing

[cowdery]

Ethan gave a good summary of about all we really know about the different styles of Pennsylvania rye. There are even some reasons to believe that what was being produced in the East was largely compound whiskey, what today we would call blended, that wouldn't even meet modern definitions of straight rye. That is something I learned from EllenJ.

It's worth noting that under Publicker, the whiskey sold as Rittenhouse was sourced from different distilleries (including Michter's) and as such wasn't necessarily consistent. When they closed their own distilleries and ran out of sources in Pennsylvania, they contracted with Heaven Hill to make it. The 21-25 year old Rittenhouse expressions that Heaven Hill sold a few years ago were from a stock at HH that the successor company still owned. When Heaven Hill determined that it had probably peaked, they offered to buy it back from that company and they company complied.

Although I'm not 100% certain of this, I believe Heaven Hill was making rye before they got the Rittenhouse contract, but I am 100% certain that Heaven Hill has only ever made one rye recipe. Since it probably originated with Earl Beam (Parker's father), I assume it owed a lot to the Jim Beam rye recipe he made when he worked at Beam with his father and brother.

Kentucky rye, to the extent it's a style, tends to be more bourbony than any of the eastern styles, but again that kind of very general statement is about all we can say with confidence.