Review #436 - New Riff High Note Bohemian Wheat Bourbon

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Image Credit: New Riff Distilling

Yet another novelty grain experiment from New Riff - this time, it revolved around wheat. This is still a bourbon, not a wheat whisky, but after the 65% corn proportion in the mashbill, the remainder is wheat. It's slightly more complicated than that, though: the 35% wheat is made up of Bohemian wheat (18%), unmalted wheat (10%), and dark wheat (7%).

Both Bohemian wheat and dark wheat are types of malted wheat which are generally used for beer brewing, especially certain German and Czech beer styles. Because of the enzymes added to the mash from the malting process with the wheat, it seems that New Riff no longer felt the need to a malted barley component to this batch of spirit. Some distilleries will also add commercial enzymes to a mash to ensure the starches are broken down and that fermentation is efficient; we're not sure where New Riff stands on that specific topic.

This bottle was available in 2023 through New Riff's online whisky club, and it's long since sold out. Pricing was originally quite reasonable for a special release: $70.

New Riff High Note Bohemian Wheat Bourbon

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 70 (2024)

Age Statement: 8 Years

Strength: 58.95% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered, bottled 2023

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 2 months; bottles at 50% and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Sweet and oaky - lots of caramel, vanilla, cardamom, and nutmeg. The oak is strong but well-integrated into the profile, and it adds a slightly dusty element; brown sugar and syrup add more sweet notes. There's a hint of wood smoke, but then fruit develops: hard cherry candies.

Palate: The mouthfeel is thick and juicy; very rich, with lots of mature oak and sweet baking notes of brown sugar and caramel. That old oak brings some fragrant leather, and then we get a sweet, dark red fruit note - Luxardo cherries. There is a little bit of spice from anise and oak tannins; great texture.

Finish: Classic baking spice bourbon flavors dominate the finish: pepper, old oak, more brown sugar. There's a soft minty flavor later on, and the aftertaste brings linen and more oak tannins. Texture is still great and oily, and this finish is medium-long; it's nicely warming and cozy.

Final Note: This is a very nice wheated bourbon - soft and sweet and times, but a bit more backbone than you get in other wheaters. The baking spices are a classic part of the New Riff profile, and we enjoyed the subtle twist of cherry on the nose and palate. Because of that strength, viscosity is excellent, too.

Value is quite good - while the age of these New Riff products (and special releases, especially) has risen in recent years as the distillery gets older, the prices haven't gotten out of hand. These are still good value if you can find them, and we're looking forward to more interesting experiments from the distillery in the coming years.

Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 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: 7.52

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.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
Previous

Review #437 - Found North Batch 009
Next

Review #435 - Weller Antique 107 Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Organized Crime'