This made me curious, so I shook up a few mini versions — one with Jack and one with Rittenhouse — and the Rittenhouse one tasted a bit duller to me, too! There was a back palate spice from the whiskey, but it wasn't as assertive of a drink as the one with Jack. Maybe, oddly, because the higher-proof Rittenhouse tames the Angostura a bit? Regardless, sounds like you'd like this Manhattanified riff, Le Fatigue. It calls for rye in a 2:1:1 ratio, stirred: https://imbibemagazine.com/recipe/le-fatigue-a-rye-whiskey-cocktail/
This made me curious, so I shook up a few mini versions — one with Jack and one with Rittenhouse — and the Rittenhouse one tasted a bit duller to me, too! There was a back palate spice from the whiskey, but it wasn't as assertive of a drink as the one with Jack. Maybe, oddly, because the higher-proof Rittenhouse tames the Angostura a bit? Regardless, sounds like you'd like this Manhattanified riff, Le Fatigue. It calls for rye in a 2:1:1 ratio, stirred: https://imbibemagazine.com/recipe/le-fatigue-a-rye-whiskey-cocktail/