New Riff Bourbon from New Riff Distillery is, pun not intended, relatively new. Founded in 2014 by Ken Lewis with a clear mission, from their website, “to someday be counted among the world’s great small distilleries.” As to the name, also from the website, ” We are a new riff on an old tradition, that tradition or theme being Kentucky Bourbon.” New Riff has a lot of things going for it, all of which we have mentioned in the past, so we won’t go over them again. New Riff is a Straight Bourbon, Bottled in Bond, without chill filtration, uses all GMO grains, and is a sour mash.
New Riff Bourbon is pretty easy to find, is 100 proof, aged for at least 4 years, sells for around $40, and comes in a nice, contemporary-looking corked bottle. The mash bill is 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley.
We have had this Bourbon before, but it had to be 6-7 years ago, and neither remembers the experience. We definitely like the idea of small distilleries, but we have had mixed results with them in the past. Here’s hoping New Riff gives us a new appreciation for them, pun intended.
NOSE
Todd: Decent nose of wood, rye, and vanilla. Secondary aromas include cocoa, bread, toffee, and just a very slight hint of green apple. Ice didn’t do much.
Matt: Agree, good nose, smells fresh. I hate to nick-pick with Todd, but where he got wood, I get green wood, and where he got green apple, I get red apple. I am also getting some rye, brown sugar, walnut, and toffee. Ice muted all those aromas.
TASTE
Todd: Kind of rough neat with some rye and wood. Much better with a little ice or water. It brings out pepper and the bread I got on the nose. I am not sure I have ever said this, but it has a good mouth feel.
Matt: A little hot neat with some smokiness, rye, and pepper. With ice, I get vanilla, some butterscotch, and even a touch of cinnamon.
FINISH
Todd: Medium with some heat, spice, and a bit of mint.
Matt: Medium and spicey.
OVERALL
Todd: Very good nose, and while the taste is not real complex, it is pretty good with a little melted ice.
Matt: While the ice dumbed down the nose, it made the taste better. I would buy again for $40.
Nose 4.25 out of 5
Taste 7.75 out of 10
Finish 3 out of 5
Total score 15 out of 20 barrels.
When we were getting ready to taste New Riff, we could not remember the price and didn’t feel like looking it up right then. Seeing that it is a small distillery, Bottled in Bond and a sour mash, we figured the price would be somewhat high. After tasting, and we don’t come across this often, but we feel like $40 is just the right price point for this Bourbon. It has a nice aroma and a decent taste that becomes better with a little water. The finish was nothing to really talk about, but hey, it is $40.
We feel like, at this price point, you should give New Riff Bourbon a shot. Its high rye mash and 100 proof make for a good Old Fashion, and as you all know, we both love us some Old Fashions. It is also a Bourbon that others you know might not have tasted. It is always nice to break out something new. And lastly, it is a cool bottle from a small distillery, and as stated above, we like the idea of small distilleries.