Review by: Raygun

An older release from New Riff with a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted rye, not the malted barley of most 95/5 ryes. Sounds interesting. I don’t think I’ve had a rye made this way. Aged 8 years and bottled at 50%. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes.

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Distillery: New Riff

Brand: New Riff   

Region/style: Kentucky straight rye

ABV: 50% 

Age: 8 years 

Cask type: New oak

Color: 1.4 tawny. Natural color.

Price: Around $75

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Nose: Unmistakably rye. Caramel, pine, caraway seed, clove, and even a hint of cherry. Almost like an ice cream sundae, if it had toasted rye crumbs on top.   

Palate: Very nice nose, but I’d call the palate a little step down. There’s the caramel and rye bread flavor, but there’s a kind of roughness now. A touch of turpentine. More vanilla and some apple. Gets better with some time in the glass, as it mellows some of the initial rough edge.   

Finish: Picks up on the finish. Very woody. More vanilla, caramel,  and toasted rye bread. Caraway. Spiciness is amped up. Missing the cherry or something to brighten it up; it feels heavy. On the plus side, the roughness of the palate isn’t as noticeable. 

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Conclusion: Good, but I won’t say one of my favorite ryes. A solid entry, about on par with Pikesville I’d say. The vanilla is very appealing. There’s a nice spicy character, as one would expect from a 100% rye, but the palate gets a little rough and that’s not so appealing. Very good start with the nose, but the rest doesn’t quite live up. 

Buy a bottle? Not for me 

Score: 78

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Stagg Jr batch 12)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (new))
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Pikesville Rye)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Wild Turkey 101)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Maker’s Mark)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Grandad 114)
• 0-49: Blech. (High West Yippee-ki-yay)