New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon
Distilled February 2019, Bottled March 2023
Barrel 17082
57.7% ABV
$50
Website
What the Distillery Says
BARREL PROOF WITHOUT CHILL FILTRATION
AGED AT LEAST 4 YEARS
HIGH RYE MASH BILL – 30 % RYE
New Riff Distilling’s core Bourbon expression is a genuinely high-rye, full bodied whiskey offering savory, spicy character, bottled at Barrel Proof without Chill Filtration. Featuring a mash bill of non-GMO grains at 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley, it represents a new riff on Kentucky’s most hallowed whiskey traditions. Aged four years in 53-gallon toasted and charred new oak barrels, there are no shortcuts taken in our production. All New Riff whiskeys are made with the full sour mash Kentucky Regimen; all carry an age statement, and are always bottled without chill filtration.
At New Riff, single barrel expressions are a way of life. As former Kentucky liquor retailers, we are intimately familiar with some of Kentucky’s most famed private barrel Bourbon selections ever, and we bring that experience to New Riff. A New Riff Private Barrel selection, whether for trade or private clients, offers an unparalleled experience, replete with tasting notes and an immersive process in our warehouse. Each New Riff single barrel has been tasted and approved by our production panel. Our retail and on-premise partners then select each of their private barrels themselves. In the end, you can taste a New Riff Single Barrel knowing it was fully vetted and thoroughly tasted and approved.
TASTING NOTES
While each Single Barrel owns its specific flavor profile, New Riff Bourbon generally shows big and spicy flavors. This is not a light, delicate, simple whiskey—we have crafted for robust and fulsome flavor from start to finish. Our unfiltered bottling regimen allows all the character of the barrel to shine through in the glass.
Aroma: Polished, dark brown sugar, char, cherries
Palate: Dark cocoa, dark fruit, fruity, cherries
What Gary Says
Nose: Salted caramel, charred oak, vanilla, molasses, cherries, dark chocolate, raw walnuts.
Palate: Bitter dark chocolate, pepper spice (almost chili oil), caramel, cinnamon and walnuts.
Finish: Moderate in length, drying with pepper spice, chocolate and cinnamon.
Comments: There’s a lot of variation in single barrel bourbon, so I don’t necessarily review every one I try. This one was unique in that the first/last New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon I had reviewed was bottled in 2019, and this one was distilled in 2019. Also, a friend brought it to a whiskey tasting where a couple other folks who tried it claimed it “wrecked their palates” (which in my experience is a claim usually associated with a super peaty/smoky scotch). Now this is odd – with a strong pepper bite tending towards chili oil. That can be off putting but it didn’t wreck my palate; and I found that a bit of water tamped it down completely, bringing out notes of leather on the nose and leaving the dark chocolate notes on the palate less bitter. Kevin allowed me to take what was left in the bottle to review and share, although having been sold a year and a half earlier – unlikely you’ll run across it on a shelf.