something wrong with Rittenhouse?

[Mattk]

6 hours ago, Phil T said:

I am so grateful that 2 people joined just to complain about Rittenhouse. My life is complete now.

You know what? I just opened a new rittenhouse tonight. And it was just spoiled rye, corn and barley. I doubt it even contained any house, Let alone any rittens, which are my favorites.

[Harry in WashDC]

On 1/15/2022 at 2:57 PM, smokinjoe said:

Picked one up earlier today, to see if I’ve missed something. Sipping on it now.  Not a thing off with it.  

Pulled one from the bunker (put there circa April 2021).  Good news is -- it is fine if "homogenized" for a rye.  Works well in Manhattans when Baby Saz is not enough.

[Megan B]

On 1/16/2022 at 1:27 PM, Phil T said:

I am so grateful that 2 people joined just to complain about Rittenhouse. My life is complete now.

Ah so this is that kind of community. I thought bourbon lovers would want a consistent product so I was trying to help. Sorry I haven't been around long enough to contribute 

 

Anyway, I got a reply from Rittenhouse where they acknowledged that they detected "notes that aren't always present" and they offered a refund. I wasn't looking for a refund, just alerting them to what I assume are supply chain or labor-related QC issues. I'll be buying again in a month or two as it's my favorite cocktail rye and I'd love to have it back on my shelf.

[Harry in WashDC]

1 hour ago, Megan B said:

Ah so this is that kind of community. I thought bourbon lovers would want a consistent product so I was trying to help. Sorry I haven't been around long enough to contribute 

 

Anyway, I got a reply from Rittenhouse where they acknowledged that they detected "notes that aren't always present" and they offered a refund. I wasn't looking for a refund, just alerting them to what I assume are supply chain or labor-related QC issues. I'll be buying again in a month or two as it's my favorite cocktail rye and I'd love to have it back on my shelf.

Yes!  THAT kind of community.  And, thanks for joining us.

 

We have and need thousands of different palates contributing here.  Most of those palates change hourly depending on mood, food, time of day, and what's on HBO, and EVERY ONE of us obsesses about every detail of and about bourbon, rye, and some other stuff.  SEE, for example, the recent thread discussing the quality of wax dippings on various brands.   AND DON'T MENTION corks vs. screw tops.

 

A few years ago, we all had a discussion about Wild Turkey's consistency, and it did seem to quite a few of us, even the early doubters, that there was a six-month or so period where notes were "other" than expected.  I personally witnessed this with some Evan Williams 86 handles that hit Virginia ABC stores in 2018 - more than a few regular EW 86 drinkers were bringing back their handles, but not their 750s, because it tasted "off" according to more than one store clerk I talked to.

 

So, welcome.  EDIT - Nice cat pic, BTW.  Looks like our Molly, sort of.

Edited January 27, 2022 by Harry in WashDC
Well, it IS a nice-looking cat.

[Marekv8]

Good thread-- I went out and picked up a Rittenhouse in hopes of scoring the new “strong moldy” note-- spot-on in my Malört-tainted wheelhouse.

 

Alas, it was in line with the profile I remember-- bummer.

[fishnbowljoe]

11 minutes ago, Marekv8 said:

Good thread-- I went out and picked up a Rittenhouse in hopes of scoring the new “strong moldy” note-- spot-on in my Malört-tainted wheelhouse.

 

Alas, it was in line with the profile I remember-- bummer.

Malört?!?
 

Biba! Joe

[Kepler]

This was such a sh!t troll post thread.  Moderators need to step in and shut this crap down. Obviously someone decided to join SB just to crap on Rittenhouse.  The OP never posted anything but to fabricate a sketchy story about sub-quality Rittenhouse.  Maybe someone who has it out for Heaven Hill for whatever reason, or else dare I say it, some deranged political hack that is trying to make a statement about Rittenhouse.  Why else would someone create an account only to post negative comments and add ZERO to the community conversation.  Someone definitely had an agenda here; we just don't know what it was.

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Kepler

[fishnbowljoe]

Relax @Kepler, it’s all good. I understand your frustrations all too well. Believe it or not, there are times like this where it can be even more frustrating being a moderator here. We have to do our best to be fair and above board, yet we have new folks that join, and seemingly expect us to bow down to them. It’s some of these folks that come across as a bit distant and/or demanding. What’s a mother to do?  It’s these folks that are the ones that more than likely didn’t read the users agreement they agreed to in order to become a member here. Along with that, they probably didn’t check out the new member guidelines/helpful hints for new members threads. In most cases, they also haven’t filled out their profiles with any information at all, so we have no idea at all where they’re coming from, or what their preferences might be. Yet, as @Megan B posted, “Ah, so this is that kind of community.” Sorry to disappoint you @Megan B, but Straightbourbon.com is our community/website, and not yours. It isn’t some entity that you wish or think it should be. Oh, one more thing. It’s been almost a month since this thread was started. Funny, but this is the only thread  that you or the op have posted in. ‘Nuff Ced. Apologies to @JohnR.

 

Joe

 

 

[LCWoody]

HaHa!!! 

[The Muddler]

I'm a big fan of Rittenhouse and am a regular purchaser.  The last bottle I purchased in January at the PA LCB Store has the distinct moldy note.  I put it aside for a week, same taste, put it aside for month and tried again.  Same.  Scofflaw mix cannot disguise moldy note.  Obviously with 50% alcohol actual mold us extremely unlikely.

 

Will try another bottle, but disappointed with inability to determine what went wrong with this bottle. 

 

At any rate, you're not alone.

[Epee]

I am a new member who found this site by looking for issues with Rittenhouse. 

 

I love Rittenhouse.  I'm sure I've bought 30+ bottles in the last 5 years.  It's my "go to" rye for cocktails.   I purchased 2 bottles 4-5 months ago in NC.  The first bottle was undrinkable.  It's literally the first bottle of liquor that I've poured down the drain.  Thinking this was an anomaly, I opened the next bottle, and it had the same disgusting moldy taste.  Hoping for the best, I bought another bottle a month ago.  It, too, is undrinkable.   This evening I joined a good friend for drinks, and we tasted my latest bottle against one he'd had for quite a while.  OMG!  Night and day.  My buddy almost spit out my latest bottle! There is definitely something wrong with some batches of Rittenhouse.

 

The batches for the 2 bad bottles I have are B27711251 and B27711314.  I have no animus toward Rittenhouse; there's nothing I'd like better than to be able to purchase the Rittenhouse I used to love.  I'll be contacting Rittenhouse and will report back what they say.

 

In any event, the OP is not an outlier. 

 

I'm looking forward to spending some time on straightbourbon.com!  Thanks.

[lemonman]

It's disappointing to read these issues. I'm about out of Ritt for cocktails and now I'm getting leery of picking some up.

 

 

[smokinjoe]

Picked up another bottle today, and  putting it through its paces on the front patio.  Again, it’s delivering nothing but deliciousness.  

[Harry in WashDC]

On 3/24/2022 at 8:59 PM, Epee said:

I am a new member who found this site by looking for issues with Rittenhouse. 

 

I love Rittenhouse.  I'm sure I've bought 30+ bottles in the last 5 years.  It's my "go to" rye for cocktails.   I purchased 2 bottles 4-5 months ago in NC.  The first bottle was undrinkable.  It's literally the first bottle of liquor that I've poured down the drain.  Thinking this was an anomaly, I opened the next bottle, and it had the same disgusting moldy taste.  Hoping for the best, I bought another bottle a month ago.  It, too, is undrinkable.   This evening I joined a good friend for drinks, and we tasted my latest bottle against one he'd had for quite a while.  OMG!  Night and day.  My buddy almost spit out my latest bottle! There is definitely something wrong with some batches of Rittenhouse.

 

The batches for the 2 bad bottles I have are B27711251 and B27711314.  I have no animus toward Rittenhouse; there's nothing I'd like better than to be able to purchase the Rittenhouse I used to love.  I'll be contacting Rittenhouse and will report back what they say.

 

In any event, the OP is not an outlier. 

 

I'm looking forward to spending some time on straightbourbon.com!  Thanks.

Maybe HH (uh. Heaven Hill) distillery competing with itself by releasing Pikesville Rye (nationally available at 110 proof and around six (6) years) AND releasing in the Maryland market its Pikesville Rye 80 proof (which I have not seen here locally for several years even in Maryland stores) had something to do with the inconsistencies in Ritt's profile.  WHATEVER!  I bought a Ritt several months ago just to see if it was what I remembered after passing for maybe two years  Yup, it was as I remembered, I think.  When that one bit the dust (like, two weeks ago when I made a batch of Manhattans to use up some old sweet vermouth), I bought a new one.  IT IS JUST FINE!  In my not so humble opinion.

[hughewil]

Rittenhouse BiB is my go to mixer.  Current bottle I got in Dec has about 1/4 left and it has tasted fine.

[MM818]

I had a neighbor over last night that has been trying to recreate a certain cocktail. In 2019 while at the United club in the Istanbul airport he was served an old fashioned with Rittenhouse. He swears this was the best cocktail of his life. He was lamenting to me how he couldn’t find any Rittenhouse in LA for months. 
 

I remembered this thread but not the details. Rereading pretty interesting.
 

I made the neighbor a Final Ward w Ritt so it’s hard to tell about quality of the Ritt but I’m sure it’s fine.  Neighbor hadn't told me this story about the Ritt until I was telling him the ingredients of the Final Ward. 
 

It was getting late so I kicked him out instead of attempting the Ritt Old Fashioned. 
 

Next time. 

[flahute]

I've got a bunch of cocktail recipes that call for Rittenhouse as the preferred whiskey base so I bought one last week for the first time in a really long time. Just tried it neat and it tastes perfectly fine.

So, whatever quality issues they were having seemed to be limited.

[Kepler]

On 3/24/2022 at 7:59 PM, Epee said:

I am a new member who found this site by looking for issues with Rittenhouse. 

...

In any event, the OP is not an outlier. 

...

I'm looking forward to spending some time on straightbourbon.com!  Thanks.

 

Oh yeah, you have really spend a lot of time on straightbourbon.com alright.  Exactly one post ever.  And that one post was to say something bad about Rittenhouse Rye.  Sorry, Heaven Hill Distillery has a long and reliable history, unlike your history here.

 

 

[Kepler]

On 5/29/2022 at 9:51 PM, flahute said:

I've got a bunch of cocktail recipes that call for Rittenhouse as the preferred whiskey base so I bought one last week for the first time in a really long time. Just tried it neat and it tastes perfectly fine.

So, whatever quality issues they were having seemed to be limited.

 

Exactly as I expected.  There was never an issue reported by an actual reliable source.

[The Muddler]

As I said earlier, my experience with Rittenhouse Rye has always been good... except for last 2 bottles purchased.   Distinct moldy taste.   Imprint B28111048 both bottles.  Thought I could find some insight here, since https://heavenhilldistillery.com/contact-us.php not accepting any Contact Us questions.  Tried to submit several times on different computers over the past few weeks.  No luck.  Perhaps I'll try snail mail to the distillery.  No other info on web about similar experiences, so I came here.  Thought such a large forum might provide practical insight.

 

I'm sure these taste issues are anomalies.  I certainly hadn't experienced them before.

 

See that a few folks here have experienced same issue, but seems that some long time forum users have disdain for those with questions that don't support their personal experience.   I'd be happy to purchase Rittenhouse Rye again, if I could get some kind of feedback from the distiller on what went wrong with these bottles.  I've got nothing against HH Distillery.  I was just seeking answers.

 

To other experiencing this same issue with the moldy taste, you have my empathy.

The rest, I simply hope you enjoy your tipple of choice.

 

This is obviously not the forum to discuss or seek guidance on product quality issues. 

One taste from one of the bottles I purchased would make even the worst skeptic into a believer.

[flahute]

2 hours ago, The Muddler said:

As I said earlier, my experience with Rittenhouse Rye has always been good... except for last 2 bottles purchased.   Distinct moldy taste.   Imprint B28111048 both bottles.  Thought I could find some insight here, since https://heavenhilldistillery.com/contact-us.php not accepting any Contact Us questions.  Tried to submit several times on different computers over the past few weeks.  No luck.  Perhaps I'll try snail mail to the distillery.  No other info on web about similar experiences, so I came here.  Thought such a large forum might provide practical insight.

 

I'm sure these taste issues are anomalies.  I certainly hadn't experienced them before.

 

See that a few folks here have experienced same issue, but seems that some long time forum users have disdain for those with questions that don't support their personal experience.   I'd be happy to purchase Rittenhouse Rye again, if I could get some kind of feedback from the distiller on what went wrong with these bottles.  I've got nothing against HH Distillery.  I was just seeking answers.

 

To other experiencing this same issue with the moldy taste, you have my empathy.

The rest, I simply hope you enjoy your tipple of choice.

 

This is obviously not the forum to discuss or seek guidance on product quality issues. 

One taste from one of the bottles I purchased would make even the worst skeptic into a believer.

You are fine. Please stick around.

This place has been around since long before the bourbon boom - before social media existed. The new school of bourbon enthusiast lives primarily on social media where it’s a very different environment than here. The older timers here approach bourbon very differently and can sometimes have knee jerk reactions to new members. We tend to celebrate the bottom shelf bottles as much as the LE’s so a new member criticizing a bottom shelf favorite can easily be taken out of context and as a swipe against a bourbon we love from someone who only chases top shelf. We are very protective here which is not always right.

 

There’s a lot to learn here and and enjoy.

[Kepler]

Except you have to wonder about someone who creates a profile only to plant a bad review. 

[TunnelTiger]

Well my curiousity is up now.  Been a couple years since I've had a bottle of Rittenhouse so I'll look for one this week and report back.

[smokinjoe]

I really have no desire to extend this thread further, but I have to make a couple points.  
There have been a number of comments from these boards that have indeed provided practical insights as Meghan hoped for. It seems though, that these did not provide the smoking gun as to the reason for off tasting Rittenhouse that our newest members had hoped to find here.  Sorry that you didn’t get what you were looking for, but you did receive first hand experiences, possibilities of what may be the issues, and practical suggestions and insight.  
And speaking personally, when the OP starts off that he is a long time Bourbon drinker

and after finding his purchase of Ritt he states:

 

“I plan to returnthe bottle, not to get a refund, but to hopefullyconvince people to not stock it any longer.”

 

Really?  Convince stores to not stock it anymore because you have a bottle that doesn’t agree with you?  Sorry, but color me skeptical of the intent here.  It looks like others expressed this same skepticism on the posters intent, and perhaps expressed things somewhat directly. 
 

But, y’all stick around and let’s continue to talk!

 

 
 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by smokinjoe

[Mattk]

2 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

I really have no desire to extend this thread further, but I have to make a couple points.  
There have been a number of comments from these boards that have indeed provided practical insights as Meghan hoped for. It seems though, that these did not provide the smoking gun as to the reason for off tasting Rittenhouse that our newest members had hoped to find here.  Sorry that you didn’t get what you were looking for, but you did receive first hand experiences, possibilities of what may be the issues, and practical suggestions and insight.  
And speaking personally, when the OP starts off that he is a long time Bourbon drinker

and after finding his purchase of Ritt he states:

 

“I plan to returnthe bottle, not to get a refund, but to hopefullyconvince people to not stock it any longer.”

 

Really?  Convince stores to not stock it anymore because you have a bottle that doesn’t agree with you?  Sorry, but color me skeptical of the intent here.  It looks like others expressed this same skepticism on the posters intent, and perhaps expressed things somewhat directly. 
 

But, y’all stick around and let’s continue to talk!

 

 
 

 

Yeah we are repeating ourselves. But tonight I did a quality assurance check on yet another bottle. It was just the same as most of the others. Good as always. I paired it with some grilled new york strips. I actually always preferred the off ones. But when I get them its a more floral batch. Think rose petals. And im overjoyed.