Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whiskey

Wine information: Founded shortly after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Heaven Hill became the largest independent, family-owned producer and marketer of distilled spirits in the United States.Located in Bardstown, Kentucky, Heaven Hill is the world’s second largest holder of bourbon whiskey with over 675,000 charred white oak barrels ageing in 42 open-rick warehouses. Double-distillation takes place at the modern Bernheim facility where Craig and Parker Beam produce rye and wheat influenced bourbons as well as straight rye, corn and wheat whiskies, using their own family yeast strain—now in its fifth generation! In the United States, "rye whiskey" is, by law, made from a mash of at least 51 percent rye. (The other ingredients of the mash are usually corn and malted barley.) Rye whiskey was the prevalent whiskey of the northeastern states, especially Pennsylvania, but had largely disappeared after Prohibition, with only a few remaining producers. Produced in the tradition of the classic Pennsylvania or “Monongahela” rye whiskies, Rittenhouse is a tribute to the classic rye whiskies that were once the preeminent American whiskey style, kept alive through the many lean years by Heaven Hill and two other Kentucky distilleries. Crisp and striking nose with the rye hitting early followed up swiftly by a sweet mintiness. On the palate the rye comes in hard with a little heat and some vibrant pepper—a hell of a drink.

 
     

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