New Riff offers a robust Single Barrel Program that results in the selection of a one-of-a-kind barrel. Selections are bottled at barrel proof without chill filtration, allowing all of the characteristics of the barrel to shine through. No two barrels are the same, each creating their own story. The barrel selection of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is nestled in New Riff's turn-of-the-century tasting room, located among the thousands of aging barrels in their West Newport Warehouse Campus.
From Lee Diaz, Topflight Series Panel Member:
New Riff has quickly become a fan favorite whiskey producer, with standout core releases and single barrel selections in bourbon and rye. Before we even had the opportunity to make our own selection, New Riff found its way to my own backbar thanks to the recommendations of some of my favorite people in the bourbon community.
Just across the river from Cincinnati in Newport, KY, they've built a fantastic modern distillery and converted a historic bus depot into offices, bottling and most important to us, a single barrel selection space. We were fortunate enough to tour their facilities in July of 2022 ahead of our first selection, which sold out in just days. For our second Topflight Series selection, the New Riff team was nice enough to curate a set of samples for us. And while every sample was astounding in its own right, this barrel easily stood apart from the rest.
This is a classic bourbon on the nose with a touch of rye nuance, with rich maple syrup, clove, cashew with a grassy undertone and green apple. The palate is robust in flavor with dark fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon, toast, pepper, and mint. This leads into a finish with stone fruit, citrus, caramel, pepper. At 112.7-proof, it's one of those pours that keeps providing surprises every time you return to the glass. And it continues to evolve, especially with the addition of water or ice. If you were lucky enough to get our first New Riff release, in a side-by-side, you'll enjoy a touch more spice in this higher proof single barrel, and a few new tasting notes that show the range of flavors that New Riff is producing.
TOPFLIGHT: Series 2, Barrel No. 34
PROOF: 112.70
AGE: 4 Years, 5 Months
MASHBILL: 65% Corn, 30% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley
FINISHING BARREL: Charred new oak barrels
BARRELED ON: April 2019
DATE PULLED: September 2023
