New Riff Balboa Rye

Cherry bomb

Back with a return to a generally reliable distillery, New Riff. I say generally because, although their standard bourbon and rye is consistently great for the price, and the single barrels (which I'll always buy directly at the distillery after tasting) are fantastic and flavorful, the "experimental" whiskeys that are made for the "Whiskey Club" lean heavily towards marketing and profit making only. When this first released (perhaps almost a year ago now), I attempted to order it immediately after receiving the email; although my shopping took no more than 5 minutes, I was unable to finalize payment because it had sold out. When I purchased this nearly a year later, an employee at the distillery distinctly remembered the release and confirmed it had sold out in 4 minutes. At first I thought it was due to an extremely small amount of bottles available at the time, since only so many people were available to purchase online 4 minutes after an email release, and wondered how a distillery could release less liquid than your average 7-year-old's lemonade stand. Then I saw it pop back up for sale here and there throughout last year, and realized the decision was all in the money, and they had pulled a "Buffalo Trace" hype plan in exchange for a revenue spike. Honestly, I really didn't want to buy this for that reason, but considering everything at the distillery is priced essentially the same, and that I already have several single barrels of their rye, this was a nice new addition to everything else. The color here is quite dark, at the same level of the single barrels that New Riff has, but this is somewhat shocking for this one, considering it's only 100 proof. The expected fresh rye grain and cinnamon is complimented by a candied fruitiness, but still doesn't smell sweet. There's a hint of lemon oil, like it's in the air near the glass, but the main focus appears to be mixed berries of almost all kinds. I had quickly skimmed the back label of this bottle to see if it was any different, and did notice the tasting notice of red and blue fruit, but really didn't expect to be able to pick it out so quickly and suddenly. Knowing that this is full rye whiskey with no other distractions in the mash, it's surprising to me that the spice of it stays only on the tongue, entering the gums only slightly and long into the finish. Initial flavors are fruity and even identifiable as berries, but nothing specific. Even the slightest bit of air added drops a cinnamon bomb, but only for a moment, as the fruitiness returns to compliment the medium age of the grains. The finish is medium-short, with the only real reminents starting to seep into the gums as a familiar spice, yet not as strong as New Riff's regular rye. With the flavor here being fairly unique, although fairly less appealing than the regular rye whiskey, the most exciting appeal to me is the history it can tell. With the balboa strain being grown in a time where rye whiskey was a common (if not overplayed) medicine used in the USA, it humbles me to sit here and drink casually what may have required a prescription or illness to sip almost a century ago. With far more rye and other whiskey options today, I'm happy to taste what may have been the first real experimentation for rye whiskey, at a time where people were expanding and creating new whiskeys without an overwhelming concern of sales and marketing, letting the distilled and aged grain speak it's wonders all by itself. This may not be the best tasting rye out right now, and in fact, it's not even close to being a contender, but the story it tells, if you're willing to listen, is worth a glass or two.

Nose: candied apple. Sugary. Exceptionally fruity. Palate: green apple. Orange zest. Little lemon. Very fruity. Not the boldest flavor but definitely polished. Mouth feel: smooth and watery, in a good way. Short finish.

Drakes house for rue blind tasting. Maple on nose, strong but drinkable, lingers on tongue

N - (have a cold…not a good judge right now) P - dark and deep… thicker mouthfeel, smoky, strong rye spices F - hot finish, nice spices on the end Tainted due to some nasal crap