Rye Whiskey

New Riff 8 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

50% ABV
$70-75
Website

What the Distillery Says

From our founding in 2014, New Riff Distilling has carefully set back whiskey for long-term aging. This addition to our core lineup of products is the first older expression of our award-winning flagship rye whiskey. It is bottled without chill filtration at 100 proof.

Drawing on our own experience as well as the sour mash traditions of the Kentucky whiskey-making regimen, this rye whiskey is full of character and delivers rich, spicy flavors. The freshness evident here is exception, suggesting a barrel of New Riff Rye at eight years old has a long life of aging ahead of it.

While New Riff is committed to bottled-in-bond standards, we made the difficult decision to waive that status for this release, focusing on a wider distribution network that previous specialty releases. Despite meeting all other requirements of a bonded whiskey, due to the comparatively small production from the earliest years of New Riff, this release blends whiskeys from two distilling seasons aged a minimum of 8 years.

Tasting Notes
BOTTLED WITHOUT CHILL FILTRATION
AGED AT LEAST 8 YEARS
100 PROOF (50% Alc/Vol)
Appearance: Medium amber, golden highlights.
Nose: Rounded and ripe with rye grass, notes of cinnamon, clove, red apple.
Palate: Fulsome, medium body; drying entry, lightly oaky with a sweeter core; slow development of spicy flavors; juicy, intense midpalate of spearmint/clove/apple, along with a lovely, aged grassy-mineral quality.
Finish: Long-lasting notes of clove, mint, peppercorn.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rye spice with mint, thyme, orange zest, lime, cloves and oak.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, drying with orange, mint, vanilla, oak, apple and cloves.
Finish: Moderately long and drying with pepper, mint and citrus zest.
Comments: This is a lovely high-rye rye whiskey! The only rye I tried in the “bottled in bond – almost” series, so not fair to compare. However like the New Riff 8 Year Bourbon, this shows that the early promise from New Riff continues to pan out. I’ve been a big fan of a 95% rye mashbill ever since I first tried a popular one from Indiana. Not to knock the ‘barely legal’ ryes out there (as I enjoy many of those), but the 95% rye delivers a more crisp differentiation from bourbon. Most importantly, this is just a really damned nice whiskey all on its own!

Rating: Must Try

Sagamore Spirit Barrel Select Rye Whiskey
Total Wine Selection

52.5% ABV
$65-80
Website

What the Producer Says

Barrel Select Rye Whiskey
The Sagamore Spirit Barrel Select program is a unique Maryland-style blend of 7-year-old straight rye whiskies. Each barrel of high-rye is expertly blended with a low-rye mash bill by our distilling team. No two expressions taste the same, and you are guaranteed to enjoy a one-of-a-kind product. The Sagamore Spirit Barrel Select program showcases the uniqueness of our distillers’ favorite barrels in each bottle.

Tasting Notes
Palate: Classic tasting notes include hints of caramel and vanilla with cinnamon and clove.
Age: 7 Years

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rye spice with fennel, dill, tarragon, mint, toasted oak, bright citrus with notes of lemon and lime.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, vanilla then sharpens to grapefruit, lemon, a bit of orange, toffee, cinnamon and honey.
Finish:  Moderately long with grapefruit, cinnamon and vanilla.
Comments:  Just delightful! Honestly I am normally not a fan of grapefruit notes in my whiskey, but this has a lot going on beyond that. From what I see the price points on these vary quite a bit, with some folks snagging for $65 but $80 seems to be the SRP.

Rating: Must Try

West Overton Keystone Rye
Special Collaboration with Stoll & Wolfe Distillery

54% ABV
$75 (375 ml)
Website

We would like to thank Stoll & Wolfe Distillery and The Whiskey Bard for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Age: 3 Years
Mash Bill: A blend of 95% Stoll & Wolfe (60% Rye, 30% Corn, 10% Malt) and 5% WO Monongahela Rye (80% Rye, 20% Malt)
Cask Types: 53 gallon barrel 2 yr air dried staves for the S&W (American oak); WO is American oak
Things to Note: Historic collaboration with West Overton (Distillery of Abraham Overholt)

Tasting Notes
Nose: Aromas of citrus oil, dried mint, and stone fruit rise from the glass, layered with toasted oak and a hint of cherry.
Palate: The palate opens with bold rye spice—black pepper, clove, and ginger—balanced by the depth and natural sweetness of the Rosen rye. Notes of fig, dark honey, and rye bread develop into warm oak and leather.
Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is full and slightly chewy, with a firm structure that carries through to the finish.
Finish: Lingering notes of cinnamon, cocoa, and dry oak round it out with warmth and complexity.

What Gary Says

Nose: Strong rye spice notes with mint, time, oak funk and cedar.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel with caramel, honey, cloves, cinnamon, mint and orange bitters.
Finish: Long, slightly drying with rye spice notes trailing.
Comments: Apologies in advance for this note which many of you may not be able to relate to very well (just not sure how else to describe it), but this reminds me of ‘dusty rye; – like how rye tasted before rye started making a comeback a dozen or more years ago. It leaves me super curious about how the Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey tastes at this ABV (as that’s 95% of the blend) versus what the West Overton Monongahela rye. This drinks like a more mature whiskey than 3 years old. It is a tad sharp, but I don’t mind that in a rye whiskey (in fact expect a certain amount of that). Just a delicious, spicy spirit perfect for a crisp fall day! This is a limited release, on sale only at the distillery – so if you’re in the area get it while you can!

Rating: Must Try