New Riff Maltster Malted Wheat Bourbon

The nose starts with malted chocolate, coffee, caramelized fruit, charred oak and a bit of astringency. Overall the nose is pretty soft but it all melds together very nicely and is quite unlike your usual New Riff. The palate is somewhat rich that gradually reaches the corners of the mouth with a nice wave malted milk, chocolate, coffee grounds and some hints of vanilla, charred oak and some astringency. It’s just as subtle as the nose was but is rather delicious and intensifies as you chew on it. The finish is medium and has a lingering vanilla chocolate note with some hints of malt and a short lived astringency. It leaves behind a pleasantly creamy finish that definitely leaves you wanting more.

The nose reminds me of orange rind, or orange aromatic bitters. It also could be pear brandy with sweet lemon or orange zest. Some of the brandy definitely carries across into the flavor, with an almost too bitter, too citrusy quality to this. It drinks young, interesting, and nice in that it is definitely different and zesty. I wouldn't peg this as a wheated bourbon at all because the flavors are atypical, however I recently had something very similar from Kinsey - an unreleased wheated bourbon with very similar qualities that I liked. I want to add that I think wheat is still underutilized in that everyone was using wheat to try and make the next Weller.But if you use it the right way like this, or like Kinsey is doing, it can pick up an intense fruity character. For people who like brandy, there may really be something here with this mashbill. But I think it needs more age

Huge honey nose with bits of vanilla, chocolate malt balls, and graham cracker. Smooth and oily with tons of sweetness on back end. Honey again on finish.

Smooth. Vanilla taste. Little smoke. Nice flavor.