Distiller Notes
2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Gold Medal Winner
#17 Whisky Advocate Top 20 Whiskies of 2019
Extra rich, unfiltered deep amber color. The aromas are spicy and detailed, showing mint, black pepper, and vanilla with hints of orange and oak. Flavors of cinnamon spice, vanilla and sweet toffee moving into a bold mouth feel with rich Rye spice, caramel and toasted oak. Complex flavors drink older than four-year-old. Bold Rye spice on the finish, with vanilla buttercream and lingering brown sugar, plus a mineral-grassy Rye tone that fades slowly.
Professional Ratings
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Whisky Advocate
New Riff’s first whiskey releases were all bottled in bond from the start—a bold move for a brand new distillery. This rye proves it was the right decision. Complex and compelling, it shows maturity while retaining liveliness and verve. Grassy and herbal on the nose, it also has orange, cedar, sassafras, rose petals, and syrupy blackberries. The medium-weight palate balances clove, cedar oil, orange, berries, bubble gum, and cinnamon, which melt into an herbaceous, nutty, chocolate-rich finish. The patient drinker is rewarded, as aromas and flavors develop beautifully in the glass.
Known for its peppery, spicy bite, Rye serves as the ideal base for cocktails like the Sazerac, Manhattan or Old Fashioned. In order for a spirit to be labeled an American Rye Whiskey, the mash bill must be comprised of at least 51% rye grain. The remainder of the mash is most often a combination of malted barley, wheat or corn. After distillation is complete, the spirit is transferred to unused, charred white oak barrels for a minimum of two years, though many producers choose to age longer.