New Riff 6 Year Malted Rye Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight Malted Rye Whiskey
50% ABV
$65
Website
What the Distillery Says
This style of whiskey is made of 100% malted rye grain, which is quite rare, even in today’s craft distilling scene. Plump, medium-full palate; finely dovetailed elegant spices; saltwater taffy, fruits, clove, and an interesting toasty – malty note. The finish is focused spice with clove and pink peppercorn. At six years old, our New Riff Malted Rye Bottled in Bond Without Chill Filtration is the oldest New Riff whiskey yet released, and will remain at six years as something of an exclamation point atop our standard portfolio.
What Gary Says
Nose: Thick, cloves, figs, raisins, anise, tangerine, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar with a hint of toasted orange zest.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruity with blood orange, ginger, apples, vanilla, hint of grapefruit, cinnamon, anise, clove and mint.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with honey, citrus and a bit of caramel.
Comments: As a rye fan, I’m absolutely loving this. My first taste of any kind of malted rye was a dusty Lot 40 (which to be clear, this doesn’t remind me of in the least – entirely different beast but in a great way). New Riff is right that 100% malted rye is pretty rare. The act of malting any grain is going to add some complexity and costs versus simply milling dried grain and mashing. Given that, this price point is quite reasonable, and I’m excited that New Riff is planning to continue this (and maybe even offer some limited barrels with more age, not that this is immature by any stretch?) This is more heavy on the spice notes of clove and anise than a non-malted rye. I would speculate that this would be an excellent cocktail rye, but I enjoyed it way too damn much neat to find out. Another delightful offering from the fine folks at New Riff.