Distillery 'disheartened' that its Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whiskey being used to 'celebrate' not-guilty verdict — and Twitter crushes 'virtue signaling' company

Not surprisingly, a number of leftists were triggered after a jury agreed that Kyle Rittenhouse acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a pair of adult males who attacked him — and blew off the bicep of a third adult male who pointed a gun at the teenager's head — amid rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020.

However, plenty of others were relieved by the not-guilty verdict and celebrated the fact that justice was done.

But take note: If you've raised a glass in tribute to the exonerated defendant, let the record show that one particular distillery really hopes it wasn't done with its Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whiskey.

Say what?

Seems that Heaven Hill Brands of Bardstown, Kentucky, got word that some revelers have been using its spirit, which happens to share Kyle's surname, to celebrate his not-guilty verdict. And Heaven Hill not only wants it to be known that there's "no connection" between Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whiskey and the court case, but also that the outcome is "no cause for celebration."

"We have been disheartened to learn that some individuals and businesses have been using our Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whiskey brand to celebrate the Kyle Rittenhouse case verdict, despite the profound loss of life from those events," Heaven Hill tweeted.

The company added: "There is no link between our Rittenhouse Rye brand, which was started post-prohibition to commemorate Rittenhouse Square, and this case. It is our strongly held belief that in serious matters such as this, where lives were lost and people deeply affected, there is no cause for celebration, but instead deep reflection on how we can make the world a more peaceful and respectful place for all."

How did folks react?

As you might guess, many commenters took Heaven Hill to task for unnecessary hand-wringing and "virtue signaling":

• "I'll celebrate a verdict that reaffirms the American right to self defense all I want with or without your brand," one commenter replied. "The loss of life was caused by the actions of the attackers, not Kyle. This is not a partisan issue, the kid is not a conservative, he was just protecting his town."
• "Never heard of you until this statement," another user noted. "A boy was arrested, charged, became a man, and tried by a jury of his peers. The jury found him not guilty. That is cause for celebration. As you have requested, I will scratch your brands off of my shopping list."
• "And I’m on the board for a nice group of restaurants in Tennessee that spent over $175,000 on your products last year, and we are done doing business now," another commenter declared. "Go woke, go broke."
• "Quit virtue signaling," another user wrote. "I doubt anyone cared whether or not there was a link. They just had the name Rittenhouse on the label and that was enough. This all would have blown over in a few days."
• "Get ready for a marked decline in all Heaven Hill brands at the largest liquor store in southern Maryland. I can and will make that happen," another commenter warned. "Should have stuck to whiskey. There was no reason to insert yourself into this debate. Enjoy your virtue signaling."

But this quippy response — in reference to convicted chid sexual abuser Joseph Rosenbaum, one of the attackers Rittenhouse shot dead — could just be the outright winner: "Maybe you folks can create a pedophilia line of 8-year-old scotch and call it Rosenbaum to offset your feelings."