Grabbed a bottle of Rittenhouse, one of my go to bottles, and first rye I ever had. Look: the label is red, so the spirit looks especially dark in the bottle, but in the glass comes out a more light brown, slightly golden. The rye sticks to the glass once moved around my Glencairn, with alcohol legs dissipating pretty quickly. Nose: I get a lot of butterscotch, cinnamon, clove, really a bunch of spice, with that butterscotch sweetness. Slight nuttiness Palate: my first taste was like eating potpourri: cinnamon all over the place, but not in a super spicy note but almost a cinnamon granola bar. Wonderful. The second sip brings the sweet butterscotch notes more, sugars, and clove cinnamon. Finish: Almost no bitterness at all, and a medium amount of heat. The taste that lingers most would be the cinnamon that dominates the whole dram, with some earthy notes hitting a minute or so in. Overall: While I’ve had Rittenhouse a number of times, I never really had much of an ability to pick apart flavors, but finally having this with a little more experience, I love it. The cinnamon is beautiful, with little cloying bitterness in the finish makes this about perfect for me. I’m excited to try the big brother, Pikesville, in the near future.