Review #650 - New Riff Headliner 2025 Release

New Riff first released a Headliner blend in 2024; this is the second edition, bottled and released in the summer of 2025. Headliner is a blend of different components from a variety of vintages; therefore, it doesn't fit into a specific category such as bourbon or rye, and it can't be bottled-in-bond, a designation which most of the distillery's whiskies carry.

For the 2025 release, these are the components used in the blending process:

8 year old Aroostook malted rye whisky
10 year old rye whisky (95% rye, 5% malted rye)
10 year old Balboa rye whisky
11 year old corn whisky
11 year old bourbon whisky (65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley)

As New Riff was established in 2014, just 11 years ago, we know that the corn whisky and bourbon components involved are from some of the distillery's earliest distillations, some of their oldest remaining stock; all of the components are relatively old given the age of the distillery, though. On a personal note, we're excited to see how the heritage rye grains involved in this blend affect the flavor profile as a whole.

One point of contention with these Headliner releases has been the price - the original blend debuted with a cost of $250, though that dropped to $150 for the 2025 version. That is much more expensive than any of New Riff's other releases, and arguably very expensive for a blend of 8 to 11 year old whisky, but New Riff does specify that a large chunk of the proceeds from these bottles goes to charitable causes.

The original 2024 release was sold by ballot - tickets could be purchased to enter into the drawing, and there was no guarantee of the opportunity to purchase. For 2025, New Riff changed this process: instead of a ballot, the brand offered this bottle for purchase through their free online whiskey club. Due to the limited number of bottles (746 for the 2025 release), the release sold out online in about an hour.

The Headliner 2025 Release is bottled at a strength of 55.5% ABV (111 proof), and as always with New Riff, the whisky is not chill filtered.

New Riff Headliner 2025 Release

USA - Blend

Price: USD 150 (2025)

Age Statement: 8 Years

Strength: 55.5% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered; bottled 2025; 746 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 1 month; bottles at 100%, 80%, 70%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Heavy old oak and a bit of sharp alcohol - the strength shows. It's quite leathery, but behind that, we get sweeter notes of butterscotch and orange soda. Corn spirit, caramel popcorn, and vanilla bring a lighter complexion; there are some soft floral and cinnamon notes, too.

Palate: Lots of leathery oak, plenty of peppery spice, a bit of heat too. Red fruit comes next - tart cherry, then a bit of orange. Mint and more black pepper add a rye kick, and we get some lighter notes of vanilla and cotton; brown sugar and bitter amaro lead into the finish. It's a medium-thick mouthfeel.

Finish: Leather, barbecued oak, a bit of rye spice; there's also subtle butterscotch and caramel, maybe a hint of cream soda. Corn, dried grass, lavender, and a hint of plum are accent notes; it's generally quite dry, and it's a medium-long finish.

Final Note: This pour perplexed us a bit - sometimes, we got strong alcohol notes, especially in the nose, but other times, it was more integrated and complex. It definitely leans a bit dry and oaky overall to us, with lots of leather notes. The corn spirit note is strong as well, but we did get nice details of baking spice, some rye spice, a little bit of fruit. A decent pour, but not one of our favorites from New Riff. We're hoping that it will continue to open up over time with more air space in the bottle.

As for value - this is much more expensive than other New Riff whiskies, but it's also their flagship annual release. Due to the high price, the value score suffers a bit; one redeeming factor is that, if you were one of the 746 people to originally purchase this bottle from New Riff, a portion of that purchase went to support charitable causes in the Cincinnati area.

Our Average Rating: 6.6 / 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: 4.96

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.