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Heaven Hill Gives Rittenhouse Rye New Focus

Rittenhouse Rye 100 Proof. Image courtesy Heaven Hill. April 15, 2014 – Heaven Hill’s Rittenhouse Rye has long been a favorite of bartenders and Rye whisky fans, but has also been in short supply for many years. When the resurgence in Rye whisky began in the mid-2000’s, Heaven Hill and other Kentucky distillers were only producing small amounts of Rye each year, but quickly ramped up production as it became clear that Rye’s popularity would be more than just a short-lived fad. Now, Heaven Hill’s stocks of Rittenhouse from those years are reaching maturity, and the distiller plans a major focus for the brand with increased distribution and a new bottle design.

The new packaging is a return to Rittenhouse’s early post-Prohibition years, when it was called Rittenhouse Square Rye and had an Art Deco-inspired label design. In a news release, Heaven Hill’s Susan Wahl said the past 8 to 10 years have seen more growth in Rye whiskey than the previous 70 years.

“There has been an amazing and truly unprecedented resurgence in straight rye, and for those few of us who have made it for decades in limited quantities, it is both an opportunity and a challenge to produce enough to meet sudden record demand.  We are now starting to see our stocks come in line, so we can begin to more aggressively pursue new distribution, and this package redesign is the best evidence of that growth.”

The new packaging for what is officially termed Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond Straight Rye Whisky (without the “e”) will debut in June at retailers and bars, but pricing will remain the same at $24.99 per 750ml bottle.

Links: Heaven Hill