When you think about Kentucky bourbons, you’re probably imagining products from the region between Louisville and Lexington, plus the hotbed of great distilleries around the small town of Bardstown. You probably don’t consider Newport, a suburb of Cincinnati just across the Ohio River. But that’s where New Riff Distilling has been operating since 2014, and their whiskeys are just now starting to show some really nice maturity and making a name in the Tennessee market.
I recently had the chance to sample a couple of bottles, and I was duly impressed by both the Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and the special Single Barrel selection. New Riff offers a nod to history with its standard bourbon, employing a sour mash process without chill filtration. The New Riff folks bottle the bourbon at 100 proof, the standard for bottled-in-bond designation that also requires that the release come from a single distilling season. More unusual and innovative is the mash bill that features an abnormally high rye content — 30 percent in this case, along with 65 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley. The resulting four-year-old whiskey exhibits a surprising maturity and complexity for a relatively young bourbon, and the notes of baking spices from the rye grain and vanilla from the oak are absolutely lovely. If you’re a fan of both bourbon and rye whiskeys, this is one you should certainly try. The long peppery finish makes for a great neat pour and also adds extra spice to bourbon cocktails.
The Single Barrel expression takes those same ingredients and turns the volume up to 11, in part thanks to the higher proof, which varies from barrel to barrel depending on how greedy the angels were with their share. The bottle I sampled clocked in at 110.8 proof, and that extra 5-plus percent of ABV really adds a lot to an already excellent whiskey. The bite of alcohol doesn’t detract from a nice round mouthfeel, and the cinnamon and clove notes of the rye were only intensified in a good way — perfect for a cold winter’s eve around the firepit. They even offer the opportunity to pick your own single barrel, providing you’re willing to buy the whole barrel of plus-or-minus 200 bottles and have an extra 10 grand burning a hole in your pocket.
If you’re not feeling quite that froggy, New Riff did offer to share a recipe for a lovely holiday punch that you can make with a couple bottles. Pick one up up for sipping and two more for the party and you’ll definitely have some happy holidays!
YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT, KID
Makes 24-26 servings
- 2 750 mL bottles New Riff BIB Bourbon
- 2 cups Torani brown sugar cinnamon syrup
- 2 12-ounce cans lemonade concentrate
- 1 46-ounce bottle cranberry juice
- 2 cups ginger beer
- Garnish (cinnamon sticks, orange slices, cranberries), optional
Mix first four ingredients in a punch bowl. Add ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish bowl with cinnamon sticks, orange slices and cranberries.
