New Riff Single Barrel 17-3170

Barrel #3170 Smells good. Sweetness, burnt sugar, vanilla bean, tart citrus. Also spice cake, cookies. Like baked goods from the holidays. Taste has wood, spice, sugar, burnt sugar. Wood shavings. A little cherry, but it’s off. Like medicine. There’s also grape drink, and that part is nice. Taste lingers with heat, tingling on the lips. Seems much stronger than it is. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, more spice. Coffee. Even more grape drink. I enjoy this more as I continue drinking. The grape flavors are becoming more appealing, and considering it costs less than $50, I believe this bourbon is worth considering. However, some of the rye whiskeys from this distillery are so exceptional that it’s difficult not to be disappointed by this one, which is only decent. Is that the consequence of being too successful? It's hard not to compare.