Review #922 - New Riff High Note 10 Year Rye (2026)

To go along with the High Note 10 Year Bourbon that we looked at a few days ago, New Riff also released this 10 Year Rye as a part of their Spring 2026 Whiskey Club bottlings. This rye uses New Riff's standard rye mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted rye, quite similar to the famous MGP 95/5 mashbill (which uses 5% malted barley instead of malted rye).

After the full 10 years of maturation, this rye was bottled at a barrel proof strength of 59.4% ABV (118.8 proof), and it's not chill filtered.

New Riff High Note 10 Year Rye (2026)

USA - Rye

Price: USD 90 (2026)

Age Statement: 10 Years

Strength: 59.4% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered; bottled 2026

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 100%, 90%, and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Brown sugar and lots of leathery oak, orange peel, and some hints of tobacco; a soft herbal side like age and subtle mint. Maple syrup, candied pecan, caramel, and more oak notes build; that tobacco-like side builds in strength, showing good age.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick, full of oak, tobacco, and rye spice. Black pepper, spearmint, dark brown sugar, and lots of leather come first, then oranges, blackberries, nutmeg, cardamom, and a strong cola note. Subtle dark cherry builds, and we get lots of caramel, too.

Finish: Warming peppery spice, a nice savory side - rosemary, hints of dill, and drying cinnamon. A decent amount of rye at this point, but we also get strong oaky notes like tobacco and tannins. Brown sugar, spiced caramel, and effervescent eucalyptus linger in the aftertaste... it's a medium-long finish.

Final Note: This is a great, bold rye whisky - a decent amount of that rye grain character like spicy and herbal notes, but also strong oak. That oak is bringing drying flavors like tobacco and tannins, but also a really nice sweetness with the brown sugar and caramel. Good balance, and this really shows some decent age.

Value is also very good since the price is quite reasonable for a special release at $90. New Riff is a great value brand in general - we'll continue to look for their bottles because of it.

Our Rating: 8.2 / 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: 7.29

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.