New Riff 4yo 2021/2025

New Riff 4yo 2021/2025

#22, The Heart Cut
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber brown
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Walnuts, toffee, coffee, molasses, cough mixture, cherries. With water, walnuts, toffee, molasses. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, volatile, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Mint, cherries, cough mixture, blackcurrant cordial, walnuts, marmalade, hints of coffee. With water, cherries, vanilla, cough mixture, popcorn. 
Finish: Medium. Cough mixture, walnuts, cherries, marmalade. 

Comments: 

Love me a new Heart Cut when they come out. This one is like walnut praline, with lots of mint and cough mixture on the tongue. It’s quite intense, not much of the brown paper note that so many bourbons have.

Verdict:

I like this.

New Riff 8yo

New Riff 8yo

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber red
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, strawberry jam, oak chips, milk chocolate, black pepper, vanilla, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slightly astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honey, strawberry jam, cola nuts, milk chocolate, cream, apricots, black pepper. 
Finish: Long. Apricots, strawberry jam, brown sugar, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

I prefer bourbon to be aged a bit more than 5 years, so this is good for me. Quite chocolatey and sweet, builds to a long fruity finish. A good dram indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

New Riff Single Barrel B16-3518

New Riff Single Barrel B16-3518

Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Amber gold
52.15% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black pepper, rye bread, leather, vanilla, photocopy paper, dried apples, hints of dark chocolate. With water, black pepper, vanilla, coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Black pepper, cherries, honey, cough syrup, cooked rice, dried apples, dark chocolate. With water, sea salt, rye bread, coffee. 
Finish: Short. Dark chocolate, cherries, honey, black pepper. 

Comments: 

A rather sweet rye, but with that black pepper spiciness. Water brings out more of the rye cereal flavour, and a coffee bitterness. Other than that, lots of dried apple notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

New Riff Single Barrel Rye B16-12094

New Riff Single Barrel Rye B16-12094

Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Amber bronze
50.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, toast, fresh baked bread, popcorn, vanilla, nutmeg, sea salt. With water, fresh baked bread, toast, vanilla, magic marker. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, mouth coating, tingly, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Pear drops, popcorn, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, black pepper, black tea. With water, butter, cinnamon, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, pear drops, blackcurrant cordial, cinnamon, nutmeg. 

Comments: 

Buttery and rich, quite a lot of pepper notes. A long fruity finish with lots of spice. A rather good rye, some unusual notes that stand out.

Verdict:

I like this.

New Riff Straight Rye Whiskey

New Riff Straight Rye Whiskey

Official bottling
Single rye - Kentucky
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, photocopy paper, leather, white pepper, blackcurrant cordial, oatcakes, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread, cherries, white pepper, leather, photocopy paper, cloves. 
Finish: Long. Photocopy paper, blackcurrant cordial, raisins, cherries, white pepper. 

Comments: 

A flinty, feinty, spicy rye. Lots of cereal notes too, and there’s a bit of barley in this, if I’m any judge. Lots of fruity cough syrup notes as well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

New Riff Bourbon 4yo

New Riff Bourbon 4yo

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber red
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, toffee, raisins, brown paper, vanilla, golden syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, hot, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Brown paper, golden syrup, orange peel, aluminium foil, nutmeg, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, golden syrup, cloves, aluminium foil. 

Comments: 

A very straightforward, well-defined bourbon, lots of sweet flavours, with a fair bit of spice. I liked the ryes from this distillery more, but this bourbon is decent and no slouch.

Verdict:

I like this.

New Riff Balboa Rye

New Riff Balboa Rye 

Official bottling 
Single rye - Kentucky 
Amber bronze
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, blackcurrant cordial, raisins, sandalwood, cinnamon, peaches, hints of nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, loosens, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, blackcurrant cordial, sandalwood, cloves, white pepper, brown paper, hints of pear drops. 
Finish: Short. White pepper, pear drops, black tea, blackcurrant cordial. 

Comments: 

Quite fragrant and cough syrupy, with a spicy edge. It’s more bourbon-like than other ryes, the classic brown paper note stands out more. Really good quality juice.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

New Riff Single Barrel Rye

New Riff Single Barrel Rye

Official bottling 
Single rye - Kentucky

Amber brown
52.15% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, white pepper, cloves, peaches, nutmeg, gingerbread, honey. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, hot, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White pepper, gingerbread, honey, cloves, orange peel, black tea, nutmeg, blackcurrant cordial. 

Finish: Short. Orange peel, black tea, nutmeg, vanilla, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Barrel 16-3518. New Riff is a newish craft distillery. Their craft isn’t bad - the rye is quite typically spicy and lively, lots of slightly tannic tea notes as well. Quite enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.