I tried to give Ritual a chance. I emailed them twice never getting back a response. After spending 20 years in the wine & liquor industry, this concoction has "zero" resemblance to whiskey. Save your money and try another brand.
When you first open the bottle, the nose resembles strong Apple Cider Vinegar. When you drink this, it has an intense taste of apple cider vinegar on the tongue. Wine folks would say "A nose of apple cider vinegar leaps from the glass to welcome you with a sour burn on the tongue!" While there are some overlapping compounds between Whiskey & Apple Cider Vinegar, the overall flavor profiles of apple cider vinegar and whiskey are distinctly different due to their unique production methods and ingredients. I mean they are, in a way, both fermented products however their fermentation process is night and day different. Whiskey : corn, barley, wheat. The base grains are fermented into something that resembles beer. Next it is put into a still of some type, finally it is aged in oak (real oak and not oak chips if you are lucky these days). Apple Cider Vinegar : apples were fermented to create an alcoholic beverage of around 5% alcohol by volume. Then a secondary fermentation called acetic acid fermentation which turns the ethanol (stuff that makes you feel funny) to acetic acid, which gives vinegar its characteristic sour flavor.
I mean do the people at this company even have some type of palate? Or, were they raised on mountain dew and hot wings and developed their own unique opinion of what things taste like? Did they mix this stuff up and it originally tasted like whiskey but then it spoiled somehow? Open a bottle of wine. Let it sit. It magically turns to vinegar. Did this stuff go through some unexpected fermentation? Did they make a whole bunch of the stuff and are just trying to dump it on the market. Happens all the time in the wine and liquor industry.
Strike one : this stuff is not worth your time, money, or palate. It is junk with a fancy marketing campaign.
Strike two : you buy a bottle from Amazon and you realize that it is non-refundable.
Strike three : the company does not have any interest in developing a relationship with you as a long term
customer. Proof is that they don't respond to emails.
Would you guys like some sales tips on how to treat your customers? I charge a flat rate of $250 hour as an experienced consultant. Feel free to contact me. Here's something for free : don't make a product that smells like apple cider and call it whiskey. That is total nonsense. But there you have it folks : the proof that with the right marketing campaign you can even sell "alternative" whiskey although it screams of Apple Cider Vinegar.
Filtered water, cane sugar, natural flavors, xanthan gum, citric acid, caramel color, sodium benzoate & potassium sorbate as preservatives
