Hey, I get it. I too hand out likes by the bushel on F-RYE-day to all the pictures of MWND, Handy, OF Single Barrel, and other awesome ryes that will populate the feed today.

But spare a thought and maybe $24 for Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond.

I’ve previously talked about Rittenhouse’s history of starting as Rittenhouse Square Rye with Colonial Distillers before it eventually ended up in the Heaven Hill empire under a quite different mashbill, but today I wanted to focus on its qualities. Much like its equally under-appreciated peer Old Forester 100 Proof Rye, this is a bourbon drinker’s rye (as most Kentucky-style ryes tend to be) that emphasizes the honey and sweet mint aspects of rye over the herbal and spice flavors that dominate in Lawrenceburg-style ryes.

But if you’re not a 95/5 mashbill addict, what $24 gets you is a balanced, do-it-all rye equally adept at neat pours as it is in a Manhattan. I frequently call this bottle the Wild Turkey 101 of Rye — ultra-accessible, great value for the price, and generally great however you want to pour/mix/drink it.

So I’ll be right there with you liking all the pictures of the 4,389 different rye bottlings produced by High West. But next time you’re in the store, I think Rittenhouse might be the smart bet.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

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