The first release of New Riff’s Straight Bourbon is a dram ahead of its time.
Ken Lewis has been selling Spirits for more than thirty years. He owned and ran one of the most successful retail stores in the country — The Party Source in Bellevue, Kentucky. He sold the company to his employees in 2014 and used the funds to launch New Riff Distillery with co-founder Jay Erisman in Newport that same year — just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. As head distiller Brian Sprance was distilling Spirits and laying down casks for aging, they sourced Spirits from MGP in Indiana and sold them under the O.K.I. band (now retired). They are now releasing their own complete line of house-crafted Spirits and are an official stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon is taking a bit of a different approach. To begin with, this new and modern distillery is embracing the oldest of designations. Their Straight Bourbon (and Rye) has "Bottled In Bond" pressed into the glass. That means that the Spirit meets a bunch of specifications for strength, purity, and labeling and that this process is overseen by federal agents in their warehouse. This is uncommon at start-up craft distillers. The Bourbon has a mash bill of 65% corn, 30% Rye, and 5% malted barley that are certified 100% non-GMO. This Double-Gold winner is aged four year and bottled at 50% without chill-filtration, so let’s get the party started.
What does New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon taste like?
The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
Dog Dogson's
Smartass Corner
Straight Bourbon must be matured for at least 2 years. If a bottle has no age statement, it’s at least 4 years old.
Nose / Aroma / Smell
On the nose you will find classic high-rye Bourbon notes of caramel and baking spices with a touch of currant.
Flavor / Taste / Palate
The palate opens up bright a rich — especially for a four-year-old — with notes of CrackerJacks, plenty of vanilla, mint, clove, and sweet oak.
Finish
The finish is long and warm with a peppery bite and a menthol sweetness on the back palate.
Really awful... too young, way out of balance. I hear the single barrel is better, but I will not get the small batch again
Todd,
I thought it was a fine young Bourbon. A little hot with a nice bite. Nice, clean crisp flavor of caramel and slight leather, clean mouthfeel with no body. Very little finish. Nice young offering from a new distillery.
Ronald,
I love New Riff neat or on the rocks. I love putting in the fridge. A shot of ice cold whiskey makes my evening.
Joshua,
one of the newer additions to my collection, and I was very impressed. bourbon isn't necessarily my favorite branch of whiskey, though I have had quite a few seeing its availability/average price. This one ranks pretty close to the top of the list of favorite bourbons.
Michael,
Delicious, smooth, and sweet. Amazing bourbon
Greg,
Liked it, but a little smoky for my tastes. Would definitely drink at someone's house but unlikely to order again.
Alexander,
Hands down my favorite bourbon
NATHANIEL,
Great bourbon. I like the mild spices. No extra flavors I wasn't expecting.
Chris,
Very smooth with a nice finish. Impressed!
Billy,
Nice and sweet with a spicy finish
Carl,
Superb balance.
Bret,
Extremely happy with this purchase. High rye bourbon has a nice spicey finish, which I like. Great first taste of caramel and vanilla. Just a really good everyday drinker.
Marilyn,
Too harsh, not a good flavor
Alan,
Solid daily drinker.
Brian,
Very nice full flavored with a great caramel finish that is not too sweet.
Tim,
Delicious. Sweet and complex, with a light spice.
Billy,
Love it sweet spicy with a crispy bite
Mike,
Wonderful had a glass last night and it’s a new favorite
guest,
.
Dean,
Nice finish and easy to drink with full flavor. More of an everyday drinker, I'll be adding another bottle to the collection.
Doug,
Smooth!!!
Fabian,
Not the best bourbon, but not the worse. It does have that bite!
Todd,
This one was a little disappointing. I read how good it was, but I found it really did not have any real flavors. It took several sips to finally get a taste of something. It's definatley not a bad bourbon for the price, but i feel it was a little lacking.
Tyler,
Solid Bourbon. Full Kentucky Kick. Nice finish.
Thomas,
Very good, full taste with bite
Dennis,
The whiskey 100 club loved it, we killed the bottle at the meeting, definitely worth the try.
Conner,
Solid, bold, full bodied, and yet still smooth and very sippable. Surprisingly easy drinking at this level of ABV
John,
I definitely liked this bottle. With it being such a young distillery I was a bit apprehensive. I was pleasantly surprised and really liked it.
Ray,
Very smooth and very enjoyable
Thomas,
Very flavorful and a nice expression. I can’t get it locally, so I’m glad I have this as an option. My usual go-to’s are various expressions from Buffalo Trace, and this really fills the void and is becoming a staple in my cabinet.
Mike,
Solid stuff from a smaller "unknown" brand. Definitely agree its a weird balance of is it rye or bourbon. You get plenty of both with a great aftertaste. 50 is a very well thought out price for the quality. Couldn't find it anywhere in my area so I finally caved in and sign up. Great job with everything Flaviar.
William,
It was okay but not something I would buy again.
Ben,
A realll well balanced high rye bourbon.
Christopher,
Tasty. Good profile and mouth feel.
Guy,
they did something fun here. I have never had something that combines rye and bourbon qualities in such a way. Both rye and bourbon burns are present but subdued making this very palatable. I get some sweetness throughout and appreciate both neat and with a splash of cool water.
Bruce,
Easy on the palate. Very tasty. Well done.
Robert,
I appreciate the smoothness. Do you have the Rye Blend?
Bruce,
Took awhile to get it but, well worth the wait. This bottle won't last long.