New Riff 4 Year Single Barrel Rye

distilled spring 2017 barrel #2618... Rye and baking spices in the nose plus vanilla. Oily mouthfeel with leather, oak, and maybe caramel on the palate. Fairly short finish with spices, oak and a really mild burn at the end. This bottle weighs in at 106 proof though you don't taste much of the alcohol or get a burn. This, to me is what a rye should be.

I am a pretty big fan of rye's and this is one of the best. If you have not tried New Riff it's a great newer company putting out some excellent product. This single barrel, barrel proof rye is top notch with the nice nose and spicy rye finish that I love, but not overly grainy. Good value IMO.

Nose - anise, caramel, clove, earthy mint, vanilla, spiced apple, cinnamon, dry herbal notes, tobacco, hay, sawdust, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - green apple, anise, caramel, white pepper, vanilla, underripe banana, leather, brown sugar, tobacco, mint, grass, clove, bitter oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with bitter oak, apple, pepper, and rye spice flavors. For a while now, I’ve stocked New Riff BiB Rye as my house rye mixer, and it makes delicious Old Fashioneds and Manhattans. Over the coming days, I’ll be reviewing the rest of the New Riffs I own. We’ll start with this Single Barrel Rye bottled at 52%. The nose is distinctly rye. There’s a strong herbal quality with spiced apples, tobacco, and sawdust. The palate arrives with some strong mint, pepper, bitter oak, and grass flavors. The mouthfeel is medium thin and the finish is relatively short and bitter. So this is certainly worse than the standard New Riff BiB Rye I enjoy. However, I’m keenly aware that there is significant barrel variation with this offering. I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and assume that I got one from an off barrel. I’d happily try another bottle, because I know New Riff can produce some high quality whiskey. As for this one, it’s better than average but just barely.

This bottle was a gift from a friend, I've been to the New Riff distillery in KY many times. I lived quite close to there and enjoyed their product when they were 8-Ball Brewing and making beer for the bar inside Party Source. I've not tasted NR rye before this. The pour is a polished walnut. A swirl shows slow, thick legs running down the side of the glencairn. This bottle has been open for a few weeks, but I've managed to control myself to only a few tastes. On the nose this is rye bread and vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon. Slight mint appears as a ghostly echo. There's a bit of barrel char and some cedar plank hinting at a younger age, but the nose is remarkably well formed and smoothly rounded. On the palate this is a bit sharper and spicier than the Sagamore Double Oak. There is a note of toasted almond, maple, baking spices, slight ginger, a bit of mint and a trace of dill weed. Alcohol is present, you won't mistake this for a 90 proof wannabe but it is in the right proportion. This is a really good rye. Its just not as good as the Sagamore Double Oak as a neat drinker, nor as boldly versatile as Wild Turkey Rare Breed rye, which I prefer for Manhattans and the like. I like this rye a lot, but it's not readily available in my area and I think (think!) its the same price as the Sagamore Spirit. Regardless, there is competition for this one from quite a few directions. I'm loving every sip and I'd likely buy another bottle if it were available and under $60 retail. That said, it's not a world beater by any definition of the term. Good. Very good. Just not great. Maybe after a few more years in the barrel..