Review #495 - New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Anthony Salerno'

Another Wiseguy Lounge pick that follows the speakeasy-style bar's gangster theme: here we have a New Riff bourbon selection called 'Anthony Salerno.' Salerno was an infamous mobster who served as the boss of the Genovese crime family, one of New York's 'five families,' during the 1980s.

Like most New Riff single barrel selections, this barrel was aged for 4 years (4 years and 3 months, specifically), and it was bottled at a barrel proof of 58.15% ABV (116.3 proof) without any chill filtration.

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Anthony Salerno'

USA - Bourbon

Price Paid: USD 65 (2023)

Current Locally Available Price: USD 65 (2025, equivalent bottling)

Age Statement: 4 Years

Strength: 58.15% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered, warehouse P, barrel no. 18294, distilled April 7, 2019, bottled July 14, 2023

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 12 months; bottles at 80%, 100%, 90% (blind tasting), and 80% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Strong oak, both sweet and peppery. The complexion is dark and rich; there is a hint of ethanol up front from the strength, but then it leans into strong baking spices: cardamom, black pepper, brown sugar, nutmeg, molasses. There's a nice red fruit like medicinal cherry, and we also find some orange; later, soft bitter notes like amaro and leather arrive. Very mature.

Palate: Rich and sugary, spicy and hot. Wood smoke, tannins, and cinnamon show that strong oak profile; lots of orange, cherries, cranberries, and other berries add a nice fruit side. Grape adds a darker flavor, and then we get sweetness from brown sugar; in the background, there's a soft floral note. The mouthfeel is medium-thick.

Finish: Lots of lingering wood smoke and leather notes. Oak is still a dominant theme, bring black pepper and tannins, but it is balanced by oranges, cranberry, and vanilla. More baking spice comes from cinnamon and anise; it's a long, oily finish.

Final Note: Wow, one of the best single barrels that we've tried from New Riff. The amount of maturity here despite only 4 years of aging is surprising - New Riff often does well in that regard, but this is a lot of leathery oak, even for them. The strong fruit component in this bourbon is also a bit atypical for New Riff, but we love it for that - a really nice fruity sweetness to balance out the spice.

Value is very good, too - that's generally the case with single barrels from New Riff, and the fact that this one is better than average just means it's an even better value.

Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 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: 7.46

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.