Review #547 - New Riff Backsetter Bourbon

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

In the production of their single malt, a third edition of which has just been released, New Riff uses some peated malted barley. For this Backsetter bourbon, the distillery experimented by adding some of that peated malted barley backset into their bourbon mash in an attempt to add a smoky flavor to the whisky.

Backset refers to liquid that is held back from a prior mash and added to a later one - the process of using backset on future batches of whisky mash is known as the sour mash process, and it's used in most bourbon distilleries. The goal of using backset is to control the acidity of the later mash, which can help with fermentation and the prevention of unwanted bacterial infections during the fermentation process.

As far as we can tell, other than the addition of peated backset from single malt batches, the rest of the production of this New Riff bourbon is the same as their typical style - a mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley; aged for 4 years in new American white oak; bottled in bond; and it isn't chill filtered at bottling time.

New Riff Backsetter Bourbon

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 75 (2025, based on recent auction results)

Age Statement: 4 Years

Strength: 50% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered; bottled 2020

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 40% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Caramel and orange peel, with a decent amount of rich oak, though it isn't too spicy. There is a soft smoky scent - wood smoke more than peat, and it's subtle. Creamy vanilla and bubblegum develop with air time.

Palate: This has a medium thickness mouthfeel; much more smoky on the palate, with both peat and wood smoke. Barbecued wood, a bit of savory orange... then hints of cinnamon and bruleed sugar add a baking dimension.

Finish: Cinnamon and prickly oak continue - a bit spicy. The oak brings a savory or umami side, and we get more orange - both sweet orange slices and some tart orange oil. It's a medium-long finish.

Final Note: Interesting experiment - the nose didn't show too much of a change for us, but the taste definitely contained more of that peat smoke flavor. It wasn't an overwhelming peat influence at any point, but a nice added dimension - those who like peaty Scotch whiskies might give this one a shot.

Despite this being an old limited release, it's still available at auction with some frequency, and prices haven't increased too much from the original MSRP of $50 - recent results show this selling for about $75, so value is decent.

Our Average Rating: 7.0 / 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: 6.64

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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