New Riff Winter Whiskey

I have been wanting to try New Riff for a while and when I read about Winter Whiskey, I loved the name and thought about enjoying a dram by the fire and Christmas tree. This is anything but a traditional bourbon. The corn component is 65% which is a tad on the low side but allows for an oat component of 5% steel cut and 20% malted. Then there's the 7% pale ale malt and 3% chocolate malt. Pretty wild. It's dark in the glass and really chewy. Chocolate jumped from the bottle upon open but went to the background as more of a mocha and other aromas developed. There's a lot going on and hard to nail down but it's a glorious, rich, complex nose. More pronounced when neat and muted on ice but in both cases it varies in intensity with caramel corn, nutmeg and mocha bouncing around. Each sniff a tad different than the last. The palate is a blend of bourbon and well aged Irish Whisky. I get caramel, bitter chocolate, nutmeg, old oak and a touch of vanilla. The old oak lingers briefly. I like this as a change of pace and a bottle to share and critique but it leaves me wanting a more traditional bourbon after. It excels on the aroma which I love. I prefer it neat more as a desert bourbon even though it's not particularly sweet.

Hint of chocolate on the back end. Very smooth with very little/if any burn.

Neat. Neck pour. This came out at the distillery today! Quite intrigued by this crazy mash bill. Also, this was distilled in 2015 making this another 5 year New Riff. Okay, this is going to take a bit to break down. There is a meatiness to the front of this nose. Then comes brown sugar, cinnamon, caramel. Almost like a sweet BBQ rub. Very savory. There is a lot of sweetness coming through. Vanilla, hint of milk chocolate. Lots of spices. Pepper, nutmeg. Savory delicious. This is quite unique for New Riff on the nose. The other New Riff special releases, you can find the base New Riff profile. This is its own thing. Super thick and viscous. Very sweet up front. Sweet Christmas. Powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, hint of pepper. Transitions into a crazy chocolate caramel truffle. This chocolate is so rich. Like Godiva chocolate coating caramel cream goodness inside. And then all of those spices. These is even this hint of peppermint on the very back of the finish. This is Christmas in a glass more so than anything else I have ever had. This is unique and delicious. The chocolate note is crazy good. Well done New Riff.