New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Bottled In Bond

When I want to get a bottle only available online from the PA Fine Wine & Good Spirits site, I sometimes face a dilemma. The bottle costs $65 and shipping is around $12. If I buy $99 worth of whisky, shipping is free. Since I'll likely be buying more whisky this month anyway, why waste $12 when I can put that amount toward another bottle by spending an additional $35? I'm essentially spending $23 more, but it's all going towards something I desire instead of a portion going to a desired item and another portion going to its delivery. So, what's my plan? I browse the site for bottles that pique my interest, starting my search with options around $35 and moving up. I won't add something I don't want just for free shipping; I'll buy a bottle I actually desire, just starting with the most affordable choices. I can't recall what this bottle was an addition to. It was likely about six months back, and I probably enjoyed the whisky I truly wanted first, saving this for when I was in the mood for a New Riff. After all, I found the New Riff Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye and the Barrel Proof Bourbon to be excellent values. The Bottled-in-Bond Rye was also quite good. Getting the Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon might have been a step backward, as it's the least expensive of the four and has the lowest rating here, but that rating is still a 3.8, which is respectable for a $40 bottle. I must confess I haven't sampled many bottled-in-bond bourbons, so this is an area I need to explore further. I tried Evan Williams BiB, which is praised as a great value, but it didn't impress me. It was acceptable and the price was fantastic, but for me, it served better as a mixer, and I don't often make cocktails (unless my wife desires one, then I might mix two and join her). I also had the new Jack Bonded, which is similarly priced to this New Riff BiB and was good, though not as remarkable as its hype suggested. I always wanted to try the Henry McKenna when it was $50, but it was consistently unavailable, and now it's priced at $68. Based on reviews from people I respect on this site, that price seems unjustified by its quality. Old Granddad remains on my list; it's widely available and affordable, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. My usual choices, when they were $17 in PA, were either Jim Beam Bonded or Old Tub. They seemed like the same whisky, with Beam Bonded being chill-filtered and Old Tub non-chill-filtered. Both evoked memories of summer fairs after baseball games, combining caramel corn and peanuts with oak, sawdust, and leather. They're likely not as good as Jack Bonded, but significantly better than Evan Williams, and priced accordingly. Regarding this New Riff, I'd place it on par with Jack Bonded, though the New Riff presents a very different flavor profile. While Jack Bonded offered cherry syrup sweetness, bananas, and a general fruity sweetness, New Riff Bonded, much like other New Riff releases, emphasizes spice. What I appreciate about New Riff is their consistent spicy rye character in both their rye and bourbon expressions; favoring spice over sweetness aligns perfectly with my preferences. The aroma of this New Riff Bonded features a blend of spice and caramel, quite peppery, with the caramel providing a subtle sweetness and a hint of leather. The taste follows suit, intensifying the caramel and adding a touch of cherry, less pronounced than in JD Bonded but a very pleasant, subtle addition. The finish is particularly noteworthy; as it fades, you experience a mix of spice, mint, and tobacco, akin to a menthol cigarette without the unpleasantness of smoke inhalation. Ultimately, even if this surpasses Beam Bonded or Old Tub, it's only by a small margin. While I'm far more inclined to buy this again than JD Bonded due to its spice profile over fruitiness, I'm uncertain if either warrants an immediate repurchase, and they might not be repurchased at all, which is fine. I just wish more New Riff expressions were available in my area beyond these four. I keep reading about new New Riff releases like Balboa Rye, Winter Whisky, Malted Wheat, or Malted Rye, but they rarely make it to Pennsylvania or Jersey. Oh well. I'll keep looking whenever I travel. I always do.

Event last evening with a co-founder from a distillery. He mentioned that the distillery's water comes from a deep underground well beneath their parking lot. He noted that the distillery's mashbill is quite similar to a popular bourbon's. He openly admitted to having no prior knowledge of distilling when he began. He and a partner decided it would be interesting to build a distillery on-site. They succeeded. It was pleasant to hear about the initial challenges and to witness his enthusiasm for his product and its future. He discussed his rye, noting they produce enough that rye is their primary grain. My preference was the bottled-in-bond bourbon. At four years old, the alcohol is subtle. He attributes this to the 110 proof barrel entry. The aroma is initially butterscotch, followed by hints of nutmeg and green apple. The single barrel version is comparable, with the alcohol being more noticeable. The flavors are prominent vanilla and caramel, possibly a hint of cherry pie. There's not much heat in the bottled-in-bond, but the single barrel, at just eight more proof, is quite strong. A few drops of water enhance the flavor. The finish is somewhat brief for my preference. Both are good bourbons. The single barrel costs about half again as much and offers me only heat, which is absent in the bottled-in-bond. The bottled-in-bond is slightly more expensive than a certain 10-year-old offering, so I plan to compare them directly. It was a wonderful evening, and I truly enjoyed the samples and particularly the anecdotes.

A straight sour mash bourbon with a high rye content (65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley), distilled in Fall 2020, aged for at least 4 years, and bottled in bond at 50% ABV. Tasted neat. It has a browned copper hue and leaves average coating legs in the glass. The nose offers sweet grain, dried fruit, light maple syrup, and a background hint of spicy grass. The palate begins with dry tannic oak and burnt brown sugar. It's dry and oily. Notes of dark leather, cigar box, and earthiness are present, alongside some floral cherry vanilla and an ethanol burst leading to the finish. The finish is dominated by the spicy, grassy, peppery qualities of the high rye content. It leaves a tingling sensation, is sweet yet slightly sour, and remains dry. It's not astringent or puckering, but dry. It's pleasant and lasts a long time. An ice cube softens the tannins and rye spice but doesn't eliminate them; it remains dry. This is a complex, mature bourbon, not just a simple sweet/vanilla profile. The first taste was surprising, but I enjoyed it more as I continued. It's more akin to a double-oaked rye. A great sipping whiskey at a fair price for those who enjoy a robust initial experience before adding ice, or moving to something else. I will continue to taste and reflect on this, revisiting it as I do. Initial thought? Quite potent.

Nose- Oak and vanilla are the primary notes. Slight cinnamon and spice. Palate- Oak and vanilla dominate initially, then give way to the spice notes. Somewhat dry. Baking spices linger. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Finish- A spicy finish that lasts for a while. Oak and spice dominate. Vanilla reappears during the long lingering finish. Overall- A nice bottled-in-bond whiskey from a smaller distillery. A high rye offering that possesses plenty of spice. It has all the hallmarks of a bourbon: oak, vanilla, spice. A little more complexity would elevate this bourbon to the next level, but this is a great whisky nonetheless.

Pretty good. Not much on the nose - quite cut and dry young oak and vanilla. A bit of jammy peach-like notes are present too. Vanilla is prominent on the palate with a honey sweetness. It tastes like a high rye profile - a little of that jammy fruit with green tea flavor / rye spice emerges, mostly on the tail end. Its youth is slightly apparent on the tail end, but only if you're not paying close attention. The finish lingers for a bit, dissipating into a white pepper spice.

The aroma seems light; I do notice a medicinal note and a hint of a floral note, and it concludes with rye spice. On the palate, that medicinal note is prominent, overwhelming anything else except the rye spice it merges into. There's another flavor, possibly the floral note or vanilla, attempting to break through the strong medicinal taste. It's still not a bad pour, but it lacks some complexity.