New Riff 6 Year Old Malted Rye Whiskey

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Just last month, the Northern Kentucky-based distillery New Riff released one of their new (and progressively older) bottled in bond whiskeys in the form of a 6 year old, 100% malted rye. Malted ryes of this type have been a growing category in the past four or five years, and New Riff’s release isn’t even the first bottled in bond whiskey made from 100% malted rye. Typically, these whiskeys draw on what I have come to think of as a molasses-meets-pumpernickel flavor profile, but that was surprisingly not the case for New Riff’s new entry.

This whiskey is a very different creature. Co-founder Jay Erisman described it by saying “The typically spicy flavor of the rye becomes polished, refined and subtle.” I couldn’t agree more.

The Whiskey
Rye whiskey tends to have a coppered look to it, and this example nods in that direction with its style of amber that leans heavily into red. The nose smacked of wildflower honey, pears and vanilla, seasoned with nutmeg. If that sounds straight-up while also retaining complexity, well, it does. The palate sits lightly on the tongue, but that subdued texture subtracts nothing from the flavor and sipping experience. It’s spicier than the nose and leads with cloves and accented with a sprig of dill, but is rounded out by full notes of vanilla, malty honey, and apples and pears. The finish takes the spicy aspect, the cloves and dill in particular, and runs with it off into the sunset.

When I first called on New Riff, Erisman liked to self-deprecatingly joke that their stuff was made by people who had never made whiskey before in response to compliments. I think this bonded, malted rye shows some of the virtues of being newcomers (albeit newcomers who got started with an excellent adviser, Larry Ebersold). It is my favorite release of theirs thus far, and I strongly urge any fan of rye whiskey to pick up a bottle. Doubling down on that sentiment, check out the price tag below.

The Price
A bottle of New Riff 6 Year Old Malted Rye won’t set you back that hard at all, coming in at $60.