Review #420 - New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon - Barrel #12804

This New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon was purchased at a big box liquor retailer; while some brands choose to bottle their standardized single barrel bourbons all at the same proof point, New Riff doesn't add any water, leaving them at their unique original barrel proof points. For our bottling, that's a respectable strength of 56.2% ABV, or 112.4 proof.

This was aged for 4 years, and it uses the distillery's high-rye bourbon mashbill of 65% corn, 30%, and 5% malted barley, all made from non-GMO grains. New Riff doesn't chill filter any of their whiskies, and this sits at a reasonable spot between $50 and $55.

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon - Barrel #12804

USA - Bourbon

Current Locally Available Price: USD 53 (2024)

Age Statement: 4 Years

Strength: 56.2% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered, barrel no. 12804

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 16 months; bottles at 100%, 40%, 30%, and 20% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Both spirity and oaky - a mixture of dark chocolate, brown sugar, and sweet caramel adds baking scents. That spirity nature is bringing some dusty grain character, and it's a bit dry overall; that said, we do get hints of cherry and orange at times. The oak grows more peppery, and later, there's just a hint of nuttiness.

Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel - warming, velvety, quite oaky. There are some drying tannic notes, but it's balanced by interesting flavors of dark chocolate, savory pepper, and hints of paprika. There's a backbone of sweetness: caramel, brown sugar, almost molasses, but overall, this is a spicier bourbon.

Finish: Sweet and spicy, a mix of milk chocolate, barbecued oak, cinnamon, and dry wood. It still leans a bit toward that spicy side - we also tasted cooking spice and sharp orange - and there's some heat from the strength, too. In the aftertaste, we found hints of cherries and brown sugar; this finish was medium-long.

Final Note: A solid example of New Riff's ever-available single barrel bourbon - relatively spicy, but also balanced by sweet baking flavors. The proof point is great, giving that kick you expect from a barrel proof bourbon, and there's decent complexity for the 4 years of aging.

Value is also very good - these generally hover between $50 and $55, and the sweet spot seems to be $53 in our market. For that reason, we always have one on hand.

Our Average Rating: 6.9 / 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: 7.32

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.