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New Riff. It finally happened...


smokinjoe
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I must give credit where credit is due.  New Riff Bourbon is the first bourbon from a “craft” distillery that actually smells and tastes like a good bourbon.  It’s a 4yo Single Barrel non chill filtered Barrel Proof selection.  It’s quite good.  Not saying it’s great, but the fact that it does taste like a similarly matured bourbon from a legacy distillery, and not like some sawdusty, thin, young....is a HUGE step for me.  I’ve not had one craft bourbon that has been even remotely close to meeting this qualification.  I am duly impressed.  Perhaps, this is just lightning in a bottle, and I got lucky (I did buy another bottle from a different barrel to test—results later), but even so, if it can be done once it can be done again.  

 

I’ve trashed the craft’s bourbon efforts for years, and I won’t take any of that back.  But, New Riff is no longer part of that, now.  

D5253D4A-06E3-4616-BFFD-97BEFEFBE096.jpeg

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I must give credit where credit is due.  New Riff Bourbon is the first bourbon from a “craft” distillery that actually smells and tastes like a good bourbon.  It’s a 4yo Single Barrel non chill filtered Barrel Proof selection.  It’s quite good.  Not saying it’s great, but the fact that it does taste like a similarly matured bourbon from a legacy distillery, and not like some sawdusty, thin, young....is a HUGE step for me.  I’ve not had one craft bourbon that has been even remotely close to meeting this qualification.  I am duly impressed.  Perhaps, this is just lightning in a bottle, and I got lucky (I did buy another bottle from a different barrel to test—results later), but even so, if it can be done once it can be done again.  
 
I’ve trashed the craft’s bourbon efforts for years, and I won’t take any of that back.  But, New Riff is no longer part of that, now.  
D5253D4A-06E3-4616-BFFD-97BEFEFBE096.thumb.jpeg.028c68d8b69fea73bccc9ed1bad6b9e6.jpeg


I agree 100%, was really surprised and impressed by the Single Barrel.
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8 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

I must give credit where credit is due.  New Riff Bourbon is the first bourbon from a “craft” distillery that actually smells and tastes like a good bourbon.  It’s a 4yo Single Barrel non chill filtered Barrel Proof selection.  It’s quite good.  Not saying it’s great, but the fact that it does taste like a similarly matured bourbon from a legacy distillery, and not like some sawdusty, thin, young....is a HUGE step for me.  I’ve not had one craft bourbon that has been even remotely close to meeting this qualification.  I am duly impressed.  Perhaps, this is just lightning in a bottle, and I got lucky (I did buy another bottle from a different barrel to test—results later), but even so, if it can be done once it can be done again.  

 

I’ve trashed the craft’s bourbon efforts for years, and I won’t take any of that back.  But, New Riff is no longer part of that, now.  

D5253D4A-06E3-4616-BFFD-97BEFEFBE096.jpeg

Definitely agree.  My first post on here was drinking a Single Barrel PS of theirs.  I'm looking forward to seeing how much better they get as the barrels get on in age because they have a nice foundation right now.

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I'm with you, Joe! We picked up a bottle at the Cincinnati airport on our way home. I was expecting something decent as the folks at Party Source have a history of good barrel selections, but I wasn't expecting to genuinely enjoy it as much as I do. It's a little hot, and I attribute that to its youth, but it's very tasty and, as you mentioned, tastes like bourbon! I think this stuff is going to be fantastic as it ages further.

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I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. I hope they can widen their distribution as they grow

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What are these running?  Glad to hear results are positive.  Just hoping the price is somewhere between typical craft (which is waaay expensive for garbage)) and typical quality bourbon (which is way better, and half the price usually).  

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7 minutes ago, GaryT said:

What are these running?  Glad to hear results are positive.  Just hoping the price is somewhere between typical craft (which is waaay expensive for garbage)) and typical quality bourbon (which is way better, and half the price usually).  

~$50.  Their standard BiB is $40.

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12 minutes ago, JMFH said:

~$50.  Their standard BiB is $40.

That’s where it was for me.  

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37 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

That’s where it was for me.  

I’m with you. Perfect price point. I really enjoyed the SiB. They also have a rye that apparently did really well at the SF world whisky competition. I haven’t tried that yet but it’s next on my list. Anybody else try the rye?

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2 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

I must give credit where credit is due.  New Riff Bourbon is the first bourbon from a “craft” distillery that actually smells and tastes like a good bourbon.  It’s a 4yo Single Barrel non chill filtered Barrel Proof selection.  It’s quite good.  Not saying it’s great, but the fact that it does taste like a similarly matured bourbon from a legacy distillery, and not like some sawdusty, thin, young....is a HUGE step for me.  I’ve not had one craft bourbon that has been even remotely close to meeting this qualification.  I am duly impressed.  Perhaps, this is just lightning in a bottle, and I got lucky (I did buy another bottle from a different barrel to test—results later), but even so, if it can be done once it can be done again.  

 

I’ve trashed the craft’s bourbon efforts for years, and I won’t take any of that back.  But, New Riff is no longer part of that, now.  

D5253D4A-06E3-4616-BFFD-97BEFEFBE096.jpeg

Agree 100%. Had this on my KY trip in early April. Brought some back home too.

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9 hours ago, JMFH said:

~$50.  Their standard BiB is $40.

Wow - that's encouraging!  Already cheaper than Willett for 4 yr cask strength stuff (which folks are tripping over themselves for)!  

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22 hours ago, Adam777 said:

I’m with you. Perfect price point. I really enjoyed the SiB. They also have a rye that apparently did really well at the SF world whisky competition. I haven’t tried that yet but it’s next on my list. Anybody else try the rye?

 

Someone generously brought a bottle of the rye to our gathering in Bardstown and I tried it there. It was very good and gave me the confidence to buy the bourbon without trying first. I paid $55 for the Cork 'n Bottle PS at the Cincinnati airport assuming that was a little higher than regular retail. 

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On 5/1/2019 at 7:30 PM, afinchmustang said:

I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. I hope they can widen their distribution as they grow

 seelbachs.com had a few barrels in stock. The rec’g store is in DC and will ship. 

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On 5/1/2019 at 7:03 PM, smokinjoe said:

I must give credit where credit is due.  New Riff Bourbon is the first bourbon from a “craft” distillery that actually smells and tastes like a good bourbon.  It’s a 4yo Single Barrel non chill filtered Barrel Proof selection.  It’s quite good.  Not saying it’s great, but the fact that it does taste like a similarly matured bourbon from a legacy distillery, and not like some sawdusty, thin, young....is a HUGE step for me.  I’ve not had one craft bourbon that has been even remotely close to meeting this qualification.  I am duly impressed.  Perhaps, this is just lightning in a bottle, and I got lucky (I did buy another bottle from a different barrel to test—results later), but even so, if it can be done once it can be done again.  

 

I’ve trashed the craft’s bourbon efforts for years, and I won’t take any of that back.  But, New Riff is no longer part of that, now.  

D5253D4A-06E3-4616-BFFD-97BEFEFBE096.jpeg

I've gone through 4 bottles, including a  barrel pick.  $34.00

 

I'm all in.

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Inspired by this thread, I ordered a bottle of the single barrel. The specs suggest they did things right, so while still a four year old whiskey, I'm willing to give it a shot. Also, happy to support a craft distillery doing it the right way. Prices are high, but not totally ridiculous. I mean the SiB is $55, but Blanton's is $60 for a single barrel that's not likely to be much more than 6 or 7 years old, 93 proof versus barrel proof, and as far as I know chill-filtered. And $40 for the BiB puts it against some of the fancier BiB releases (CEHT SmB, 1792, etc.), but I don't see why it should be worse than those because I'm not convinced they are much older than four years old either.

 

Skinsfan - is their stuff available on shelves in Maryland? If so, what part of Maryland (what stores even, if you are willing to share).

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I passed on all the NR expressions only because I was/am really trying to regulate my purchases, I am doing well in that regard but may have overstepped on this one. Next month I have a road trip to Indiana and on the way up or back me thinkxt a New Riff Rye might join me on the trip :).

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New Riff appears to have hit the Indy market in early April.  I have seen the BIB for $39.99 and the Rye for $44.99. I checked with the distiller and distributor and to date no retailer SB BP has been released. However,  at least, one retailer in southern Indiana has made a barrel pick. Not sure when it will be available. Some cases of standard BP have been shipped to retailers who dont want to purchase a barrel.

 

I found the BIB at Costco today for $29.99 so I bought one.

 

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7 hours ago, mbroo5880i said:

New Riff appears to have hit the Indy market in early April.  I have seen the BIB for $39.99 and the Rye for $44.99. I checked with the distiller and distributor and to date no retailer SB BP has been released. However,  at least, one retailer in southern Indiana has made a barrel pick. Not sure when it will be available. Some cases of standard BP have been shipped to retailers who dont want to purchase a barrel.

 

I found the BIB at Costco today for $29.99 so I bought one.

 

 

I can say that the ‘standard single barrels’ are often remaining bottles from partial barrels that a group purchased. My group bought a half barrel (120 bottles) and a member saw bottles from the same barrel on shelves in DC a few weeks later. 

 

I can say I was very impressed by the whole experience at New Riff. They are committed to ‘doing it right’. No short cuts. 53 gallon barrels. NCF. Every drop 4 years old. One of the fine folks I talked to their said they do not consider themselves a ‘craft distillery’ so much as a small distillery. I was impressed by the facilities and attention to detail. 

 

The tasting set up is quality, top to bottom. The tasting room is in a 19th C building that was formerly the garage for Cincinatti street cars. Oak tables. Leather chairs. 5 spey dram glasses (with covers), pens, notebooks, plenty of water, and pretzels. 

 

New Riff realizes they dont have an Eddie and a 125 yr old rickhouse so they embrace that as opposed to  trying to replicate and nake their own experience. 

 

The juice is quality for its age and you can tell where it is heading. 

F37AF456-524B-4FEA-8BFA-95451A24EDE8.jpeg

48B9793B-796B-40E4-9E41-3AFB7FCFCD90.jpeg

07ED448D-FBAB-46DF-85F4-1F7B055913CD.jpeg

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3 minutes ago, Mako254 said:

 

I can say that the ‘standard single barrels’ are often remaining bottles from partial barrels that a group purchased. My group bought a half barrel (120 bottles) and a member saw bottles from the same barrel on shelves in DC a few weeks later. 

 

I can say I was very impressed by the whole experience at New Riff. They are committed to ‘doing it right’. No short cuts. 53 gallon barrels. NCF. Every drop 4 years old. One of the fine folks I talked to their said they do not consider themselves a ‘craft distillery’ so much as a small distillery. I was impressed by the facilities and attention to detail. 

 

The tasting set up is quality, top to bottom. The tasting room is in a 19th C building that was formerly the garage for Cincinatti street cars. Oak tables. Leather chairs. 5 spey dram glasses (with covers), pens, notebooks, plenty of water, and pretzels. 

 

New Riff realizes they dont have an Eddie and a 125 yr old rickhouse so they embrace that as opposed to  trying to replicate and nake their own experience. 

 

The juice is quality for its age and you can tell where it is heading. 

 

Thanks for the very informative post Mako. It’s also a bit nostalgic for me. Long story short, my paternal grandfather (who passed before I was even born) was actually a street car operator in Cincy way back in the day. 

 

Cheers! Joe

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1 hour ago, Mako254 said:

 

I can say that the ‘standard single barrels’ are often remaining bottles from partial barrels that a group purchased. My group bought a half barrel (120 bottles) and a member saw bottles from the same barrel on shelves in DC a few weeks later. 

 

I can say I was very impressed by the whole experience at New Riff. They are committed to ‘doing it right’. No short cuts. 53 gallon barrels. NCF. Every drop 4 years old. One of the fine folks I talked to their said they do not consider themselves a ‘craft distillery’ so much as a small distillery. I was impressed by the facilities and attention to detail. 

 

The tasting set up is quality, top to bottom. The tasting room is in a 19th C building that was formerly the garage for Cincinatti street cars. Oak tables. Leather chairs. 5 spey dram glasses (with covers), pens, notebooks, plenty of water, and pretzels. 

 

New Riff realizes they dont have an Eddie and a 125 yr old rickhouse so they embrace that as opposed to  trying to replicate and nake their own experience. 

 

The juice is quality for its age and you can tell where it is heading. 

F37AF456-524B-4FEA-8BFA-95451A24EDE8.jpeg

48B9793B-796B-40E4-9E41-3AFB7FCFCD90.jpeg

07ED448D-FBAB-46DF-85F4-1F7B055913CD.jpeg

Great insight!  This makes sense.  The distillery rep indicated they split SBs among different retailers.  

 

After a sniff, taste, then a pour.  My initial impression is positive.  I opened the bottle for about 10 minutes before tasting.  The nose in the bottle was a strong cinnamon donut.  The nose in the glass was much more muted.  The initial taste was very astringent and had a strong cinnamon red hots flavor from start to finish.  As the bourbon sat in the glass, the cinnamon profile became more pleasing and resembled a strong cinnamon roll profile.  

 

I don't believe it is a $40 bourbon right now.  However, that may be the price to help keep them going.  Certainly worth $30.  Another couple of years age and this will be a stellar bourbon.  

 

 

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On 5/4/2019 at 9:18 PM, Jazz June said:

Inspired by this thread, I ordered a bottle of the single barrel. The specs suggest they did things right, so while still a four year old whiskey, I'm willing to give it a shot. Also, happy to support a craft distillery doing it the right way. Prices are high, but not totally ridiculous. I mean the SiB is $55, but Blanton's is $60 for a single barrel that's not likely to be much more than 6 or 7 years old, 93 proof versus barrel proof, and as far as I know chill-filtered. And $40 for the BiB puts it against some of the fancier BiB releases (CEHT SmB, 1792, etc.), but I don't see why it should be worse than those because I'm not convinced they are much older than four years old either.

 

Skinsfan - is their stuff available on shelves in Maryland? If so, what part of Maryland (what stores even, if you are willing to share).

I haven't seen it in MD.   I imagine that when,(if), it show up, it'll be a little pricey.

 

"1 West Dupont Circle" in DC carries it.  

 

I  paid $34.00 for the barrel proof single barrel at a Kroger's grocery store near Lexington.

 

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My second pour of New Riff was very good.  After a little air time, the nose was more substantial and the flavor more pleasing.

 

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  • 1 month later...

I really liked my first bottle of New Riff.  I plan to add another.  Just curious on others thoughts on the single barrel version compared to the standard 100 proof version.  I sometimes find younger bourbons are better at lower proofs.  I am wondering if the single barrel (non store pick) version is worth the extra $20.

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