Review #633 - New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon - Total Wine Pick

New Riff's bourbon uses a mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley; that high-rye mashbill often contributes to a strong spicy note in their bourbon, at least in our experience. These single barrel variants, while only 4 years old, often have a strong oak influence, as well - more than you might expect given the age.

This single barrel selection was done by big box retailer Total Wine; it's barrel 17-1459, distilled in 2017 and bottled in 2021. The barrel comes with an unusually low strength for the distillery - most often, we see whiskies from New Riff with a barrel proof between 55% ABV and 60% ABV, but this example sits at 52.6% ABV (105.2 proof).

Back in 2022 when we purchased this bottle, the price was $50; unlike much of the whisky industry, New Riff has kept their pricing in check, and the single barrel bourbon price has risen to just $53.

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon - Total Wine Pick

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 50 (2022)

Age Statement: 4 Years

Strength: 52.6% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered; barrel 17-1459; distilled March 7, 2017; bottled October 9, 2021

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 14 months; bottles at 100%, 60% (blind tasting), and 20% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: A bit closed up at first - leans dry, with a decent amount of oak. Dusty grains and soft vanilla combine with caramel and brown sugar; over time, cinnamon and cardamom arrive, and there's a hint of rye spice.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; more flavor on the palate, with toasted sugars and caramel, some drying oak - tannins and bitterness build. Vanilla bean, candied pecans, and rye grain arrive; there's a hint of anise and black pepper, and overall, it becomes quite astringent.

Finish: Dry oak and dry grain, almost a hint of wheat-like grain; plenty of oak, which still has tannins, as well as wood smoke. Light brown sugar and molasses add a muted sweetness, and there is nice texture from the strength; it's a medium length finish.

Final Note: Not our favorite New Riff single barrel bourbon selection - this one was quite muted on the nose, and the palate and finish were a bit over-oaked, bordering on astringent. There were some nice baking notes in the mix as well, but the sweetness really struggled to step up and balance that dry oak. Still an okay bourbon, but we've enjoyed the other whiskies from New Riff more than this one.

Value is still alright, and don't let this one single barrel convince you that New Riff single barrels aren't worth buying - most of them are much better than this, and they present awesome value. This just goes to show that, in the land of single barrels, every distillery might have a dud on occasion.

Our Average Rating: 5.7 / 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: 6.11

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.