American Whiskey Review #21: New Riff Single Barrel /r/Bourbon Pick “Diamond in the R/iff”

Distillery: New Riff

Region: Kentucky

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/MarrowX

ABV: 55.5 % Cask Strength

Barrel Details: Lot 15J30, Barrel #15-5817

Age: 4 years and 1 day. Distilled on 10/30/15 and bottled on 10/31/19.

Color: 1.4, Tawny. Non Chill Filtered.

This is the ninth in my Countdown to Christmas series where I’ll be posting a review a day until Christmas. You can find the entire series here.

Nose: (according to the wife) A bit of fresh cut wood, a hint of ash, some mild smoke and a bit of honey. The smoke and honey combine with something else to smell a lot like honey smoked salmon.

Palate: Mouthfeel is a bit on the fuller side. From the start, you get a nice big helping of honey roasted peanuts. It’s followed by some roasted corn and a bit of crème brûlée. A bit of fresh oak creeps up on you every now and again. It’s a little fiery as well, which likely is just from being a 4 year old whiskey.

Finish: Goes on for seemingly ages. Honey roasted peanuts are here again along with notes of fresh oak. There’s a bit of burn/heat as this whiskey again shows it’s youth.

Conclusion: Many thanks to /u/t8ke and the panel of tasters who put a lot of work into this barrel pick for /r/Bourbon. I have to say, I think all your hard work has paid off. This is a really delightful dram, it’s packed full of flavor starting from the nose all the way through the finish. The honeyed notes tie this all together quite well making for a very enjoyable dram. It is a bit young though, barely clocking in over 4 years, and it does show a bit through some youthful heat. I can’t help but think that another couple of years in the barrel might have really made this dram amazing. Even still, very well done to both New Riff and our barrel selection committee. Would I buy a bottle? I’m kicking myself for not buying one.

Final Score: 81.

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American Whiskey review #21, Bourbon Whiskey Review #18, Whisky Network Review #175