Rittenhouse Rye Bottled in Bond

This is probably my favorite Rye as the value is outstanding. I've paid up for other ryes and they just don't excited me as much as this one. This is a staple in my cabinet

$25

Rittenhouse Rye is a straight rye whiskey from Heaven Hill. It comes in a standard 40% ABV as well as the 50% ABV BiB version. This review is of the BiB version. Rittenhouse Rye BiB is a fairly unique offering in the rye world, as it is only one of two BiB rye whiskeys on the market. The other is Col. EH Taylor rye which is roughly three times the price of Rittenhouse. I purchased this bottle locally for $26; any decent whiskey under $30 is a win in my book, and this is definitely decent. First thing I noticed about this pour was the color: it's a gorgeous dark amber with copper tones, really beautiful. This is apparently a "barely legal" rye with a mash bill of 51% rye, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. In the glass it produces a thick oily coating with nice strong legs. Nice pleasant aromas from the bottle on opening. The nose was a little surprising with a strong fruity character, bananas and peaches. There was a little alcohol burn that faded after about 15 minutes. Also a malty grain tone and an underlying sweetness with little to no rye spice. Fairly mild but pleasant. The palate makes up for the nose a bit with a strong malty, sweet flavor like burnt sugar in oatmeal. There's a buttery character to the palate with the rye spice finally making an appearance on the back end of the palate. Thick mouthfeel. Again, not what I expected from a rye whiskey but not bad. The finish is decent, warm and medium length with some peppery rye notes to round out the caramel/burnt sugar notes on the palate. Overall, this is an unusual rye whiskey, but a good one that will work equally well neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. At $26 you can't go wrong. 4.5/5. Cheers!