This is a bourbon I am reviewing as part of the /r/bourbon community review series. While I am moderator of that forum, I did not participate in the selection of this single barrel.
Things sure have changed a lot in the last ten years of American whiskey. I remember a time not too long ago when enthusiasts were all joking we would be seeing tons of shuttered "distilleries" once the craft whiskey glut hit. Yet here we are in 2020 where I go into my local and I don't even know what half the shit on the bourbon shelf is. While I am sure some of these upstart "distilleries" are putting out decent stuff, a lot new products are just bad.
Despite the abundance of crap craft whiskey out there today, one new distiller that has been garnering a better reputation is New Riff out of Newport Kentucky. They hit the ground running with their sourced OKI products and that reputation carried over into their own products which starting coming out at the barely no age statement mark (four years old) last year. Having experienced a lot of hype in previous non distiller producers that never translated into produced product (I'm looking at you, Smooth Ambler), I was cautiously optimistic.
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Aged 4 years; 55.5% ABV, $57
Nose: Nice, classic, young to middle aged bourbon scents: caramel, vanilla, toasted marshmallow, and light fruits such as pears. In a way the nose reminds me of EHT Taylor Small Batch.
Taste: More of the same from the nose with more wood influence plus some honey and slight rye spice bite in the finish. There is a considerable amount of wood depth for this being only a few days over four years old. Also notable is the lack of overbearing grainy new make notes that you usually find in bourbons this age. It's surprisingly robust and drinks older than it should. Heat is well balanced for the proof and the mouthfeel is as thick or slightly thicker than you'd expect for a 111 proof bourbon.
Thoughts: This was my first experience with New Riff and I'm really impressed. Granted, this is a single barrel so quality may vary but this is one of the better / best four year old bourbons I've had in a long time. The ceiling is only so high for a whiskey of these stats and it's ultimately limited by the age but all in all I've had older, more expensive bourbons from well established distilleries that were not as good as this.
Rating: B- (82/100)
Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.
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