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.