New Riff 4 Year Single Barrel Bourbon

Liquor Locker (Stevensville, MI) store pick, "Charlie's Pick". Neat.

Wasn’t a fan of this bourbon. I gave it away after a few pours.

Nose - butterscotch, mint, anise, vanilla, brine sugar, spiced apple, bubble gum, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, dry oak, walnut, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, orange zest, anise, vanilla, lemon, spicy oak, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, black cherry, ginger, bitter herbal notes, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, citrus, and bitter herbal flavors. The last of my New Riff bottles is this single barrel bourbon. After my mediocre experience with the standard bottled in bond release, I have slightly higher hopes for this. The nose is similar to its counterpart’s with butterscotch, rye spice, mint, and apple aromas. The palate is spicy, citrusy, and herbaceous. There is some dark, red fruit sweetness alongside caramel and brown sugar as well. Unlike my single barrel rye, I find this to be a bit better than the standard bottled in bond bourbon. It seems that single barrel variation is very real with these releases, so I probably got lucky with this one and unlucky with the rye. This bottle isn’t amazing, but I think it falls squarely in good territory. I probably won’t buy another, but at around $50 a bottle, it’s a pretty decent value if you get a good one.

Greatest

Vanilla on the nose. Taste like candied pecans

This bourbon is exceptional and competes with a lot of bourbons costing much more. I will always have this in the bar.