Whisky: New Riff Single Barrel (Barrel 16-11015)
Producer: New Riff Distilling
Distillery: New Riff Distillery
Whisky Type: Single Barrel Straight Bourbon/ Cask Strentgh/Non-Chill Filtered
Mash Bill: 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley
Age: 4+ years
Region: Kentucky
ABV: 52.7% (105.4% proof)
Aged in Cask: Toasted and new charred oak
Price Range: $$
In 2014 Ken Lewis opened New Riff Distillery in Newport, Kentucky. Today, the company is family-owned and focuses on sour mash, high rye bourbons, and does not use chill-filtration.
The sour mash process is not exclusive to New Riff Distillery. Many U.S. distillers use sour mash by adding the backset (leftover beer from distillation) to the mash (liquid with starches resulting from cooking the grain) of the next batch to control the bacteria during fermentation and to maintain a certain level of acidity (PH) in the mash.
The goal of the sour mash step is to create a consistent flavor and avoid bacteria damaging the mash.
The distillery also claims that all of its whiskies are non-chill filtered, which means that whiskies are not exposed to low temperatures and passed through filters to remove the organic flavor compounds (a.k.a. congeners) to keep the whisky from becoming cloudy in the glass. Distilleries use chill-filtration to remove the cloudiness and make their whiskies more aesthetically pleasing to customers. However, whiskey purists will tell you that chill-filtration hurts the flavor of the whiskey.
Tasting notes for New Riff Single Barrel
Nose: Beautiful intense crème brûlée nose.
Palate: Caramel, cinnamon, and baking spice right from the start, but the alcohol and corn are not letting me taste anything else. Ten drops of water make the bourbon more manageable, but it is still hot for me. I can’t taste anything else. A full-bodied bourbon, but not my favorite.
Finish: Rye spice, short finish.
Conclusion: Like any cask-strength whiskey, the alcohol is going to dominate the experience here. This bourbon is just too hot when drunk neat, and if you add several drops of water, the corn is just too bold for my taste. Adding an ice cube might help keep the bourbon in check, but it is up to you to decide how you want to drink it. This bourbon won double gold in the San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2019. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Cheers!
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Score: 2.5/5 ⭐
Legend
$50 or less $
$51-$100 $$
$101-$150 $$$
$151 or more $$$$
