Review #318 - New Riff Kentucky Straight Rye
The counterpart to New Riff's Kentucky Straight Bourbon - this is their standardized rye release. It's a bottled-in-bond product, presented at 50% ABV (100 proof), and it's aged for 4 years in new oak barrels that are both toasted and charred.
The mashbill for New Riff's rye was heavily influenced by the most widely used rye whisky mashbill: MGP's 95/5, or 95% rye and 5% malted barley. That's due to the fact that Larry Ebersold, previously of Seagrams/Midwest Grain Products and creator of the 95/5 mashbill, was consultant to New Riff during their founding years, when they were developing their whiskies. True to their name, New Riff put their own twist on the famous recipe, opting to replace the 5% malted barley portion with 5% malted rye grain, making this a 100% rye mashbill.
New Riff Kentucky Straight Rye
USA - Rye
Current Locally Available Price: USD 46 (2024)
Age Statement: 4 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered, bottled-in-bond
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 9 months; bottles at 30%, 40%, and 20% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Classic rye notes: light pepper spice, anise, menthol and soft mint, some herbal eucalyptus. There's an earthy character as well, before barbecued wood arrives; sweetness comes from peppermint and caramel. In time, subtle dill notes arrive, and the oak grows stronger and slightly dusty.
Palate: Warming, with a mouthfeel that's medium or so in thickness. A nice mix of sweet and rye spice notes: peppermint and spearmint, caramel, hard peppermint candies, white pepper, hints of black pepper, and some earthy tones. The strong mint turns to a menthol sensation as the palate lingers, and we found hints of salt at times.
Finish: Medium-long, and now it's decently sweet. Tons of peppermint, candy canes, and menthol notes, but also oak influence: vanilla, hints of char, grainy brown sugar, some butterscotch in one tasting.
Final Note: The mint notes are really the star of the show here - they were dominant in the palate, adding lots of menthol and sweet/spice notes. A lot of the classic herbal rye notes are on display - we like the way that this mashbill was used. Decent maturity in the tasting notes for a 4 year age statement, and the mouthfeel is nice with that bottled-in-bond strength.
Value is quite good - on brand for New Riff. You can get the single barrel variant for a hair over $50 in our area, too, which comes with barrel proof strength - that's a nice step up from this bottle if you're looking for something more punchy.
Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.26
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
