Review #537 - New Riff Headliner (2024)

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

In 2024, to both celebrate their 10th anniversary and benefit local charities, New Riff released a limited bottling called 'Headliner,' a blend of several styles of whisky. Based on the brand's website, this is planned to be an annual release, and the blend makeup will change each time; for 2024, this was the breakdown:

  • 45% was 10 year old bourbon (distilled in their inaugural year)

  • 20% was 9 year old bourbon

  • 30% was 9 year old rye

  • 5% was 7 year old single malt whisky

The reasoning behind this breakdown was to mimic their bourbon mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley; therefore, our blend is 65% bourbon, 30% rye whisky, and 5% single malt. Actually, because their bourbon includes all 3 grains, we can derive the real mashbill makeup of this blend: roughly 42% corn, 50% rye, and 8% barley.

Because they give us the age of each component, we can also figure the average age: 9.4 years, which makes this the oldest New Riff release to date, too. That age and exclusivity came at a cost, though: the pricing for this whisky was set at $250, quite a departure from New Riff's typical pricing scheme, which is generally very reasonable. Part of the reason for that high price is the fact that half of the price ($125) of each bottle was donated to charities in the Cincinnati, Ohio/Newport, Kentucky area.

New Riff Headliner (2024)

USA - Blend

Price: USD 250 (2024)

Age Statement: 7 Years

Strength: 58.85% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered, bottled 2024

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 60% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Dark and complex - several facets. Sweet cherry cordial adds red fruit, amaro notes add some classic New Riff spice; cardamom and anise add a bit of baking spice. There's a little whiff of wood smoke hinting at the age, and sweetness arrives from caramel.

Palate: A thick mouthfeel, and there's a fizzy element to the texture. Oak is strong, bringing lots of spice: pepper, anise like black licorice. Subtle orange fruit and a bit of barbecue arrive, and then caramel again adds a bit of sweetness. Overall, it's quite rich and nicely rounded.

Finish: Medium-long, and it begins to mellow out; plenty of oak still remains, but vanilla and caramel add more sweetness. There's some light fruit like pear and a bit of rye spice; in the aftertaste, the oak takes on a polished dimension.

Final Note: Very tasty whisky - this one was complex due to that blend of different types of whiskies, offering spicy notes, sweet notes, and plenty of oak influence. While a lot of New Riff products have a stronger oak influence for their age, this one took that up a notch without overdoing it - nicely measured.

Value, though, is a bit tricky - from a pure price perspective, it's mediocre due to the high cost. Because half of the cost did go to charitable organizations, that makes the price slightly easier to swallow, but there are better values in the New Riff range.

Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.08

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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