Review #6 - New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon
Another single barrel bourbon - this one from a newer distillery, New Riff, established in 2014, which uses the Bottled-in-Bond act as a standard for all of their whisky releases. No chill filtering here either - there is a definite quality to the production of this spirit, and plenty of flavor to go around with the higher bottling strength.
This high-rye bourbon (mash bill: 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley) should offer some spice; with several years in new oak and cask strength bottling, there should be a nice mouthfeel as well, even if it isn't the oldest product in the market. So, how does this 'new riff' on Kentucky's centuries-old tradition of sour mash bourbon hold up against the competition?
New Riff Single Barrel
USA - Bourbon
Price Paid: USD 50 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 51 (2023)
Age Statement: 4 Years
Strength: Varies - Cask Strength (51% - 56% ABV, generally)
Details: Non-chill filtered
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 5 months; bottles at 70% (barrel no. 2554), 100% (barrel no. 17-1459, bottled 2021), 90% (local bar barrel pick; barrel no. 14-940, bottled 2018), and 60% (barrel no. 17-1459, bottled 2021, tasted semi-blind) fill level at times of review. Tasted neat in a Glencairn glass or brandy snifter each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: This varied, of course, between barrels/bottles, but there were some common themes: brown sugar, especially light brown sugar (although not too sweet overall), was always there, along with vanilla bean, mild to medium oak influence, and a little bit of cooking spice. When the spice shows up, it's often in the form of cardamom and nutmeg, and more occasionally clove and cinnamon.
One bottle had much more spice and varied fruit: there were red pepper flakes, black pepper, and some prune and sweet fig; we liked this one a lot. Another bottle was more muted and took a long time to open up in the glass; it had hints of caramel, cookies and baking spice, even candied pecans. Yet another bottle had fresh leather, and quite a strong cherry note as the nose mixed longer with the ambient air; like a dark Bing cherry, with a hint of grain.
Palate: Very well balanced across the range of bottles, with sweet notes from the nose carrying over, and some wood tannins that grow with time, just slightly astringent in the end. It's a medium-thick mouthfeel, nice and oily with that cask strength ABV, and we get sweetness in the form of brown sugar, vanilla, and toasted wood sugars. The spice is peppery, and there is a little anise tickle near the end.
While one bottle was heavier on the spicy (nutmeg) and nutty side, another had a deep syrupy texture and boozy Luxardo cherries; yet another had some paprika, lots of dark purple fruits, and a bit of caramel sweetness.
Finish: All of the bottles had a medium length finish, and there is a bit of warmth to this, the heat builds up across the palate and into the finish in the throat. The finish is definitely the oakiest part of the experience, both dry and with a bit of that wood sugar from the palate; this is probably the least complex part of the overall experience as well, with the sweetness coming from brown sugar and vanilla across the board, sometimes with added barrel char, molasses, or a tiny bitter fruit note, like unripe cherry.
Final Note: For us, this is a 'go-to' bourbon, essentially always in our collection, and a favorite casual sipper, both for us together, and with family and friends. A crowd pleaser as well, this generally gets very positive comments when others try it with us; as one of the more reasonably priced single barrel bourbons, and bottled at barrel strength, we foresee this bottle continuing to inhabit our shelfs for a long time to come.
There is some definite variation between the barrels, and while some of our individual reviews were around a rating of 6 to 6.5, others were up at 7.5; generally, we're choosing to sip this neat, or to put it in a whisky-forward cocktail such as an old fashioned.
Our Average Rating: 6.8 / 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: 7.55
