New Riff Balboa Rye

Back with a return to a generally reliable distillery, New Riff. I say generally because, although their standard bourbon and rye is consistently great for the price, and the single barrels (which I'll always buy directly at the distillery after tasting) are fantastic and flavorful, the "experimental" whiskeys that are made for the "Whiskey Club" lean heavily towards marketing and profit making only. When this first released (perhaps almost a year ago now), I attempted to order it immediately after receiving the email; although my shopping took no more than 5 minutes, I was unable to finalize payment because it had sold out. When I purchased this nearly a year later, an employee at the distillery distinctly remembered the release and confirmed it had sold out in 4 minutes. At first I thought it was due to an extremely small amount of bottles available at the time, since only so many people were available to purchase online 4 minutes after an email release, and wondered how a distillery could release less liquid than your average 7-year-old's lemonade stand. Then I saw it pop back up for sale here and there throughout last year, and realized the decision was all in the money, and they had pulled a "Buffalo Trace" hype plan in exchange for a revenue spike. Honestly, I really didn't want to buy this for that reason, but considering everything at the distillery is priced essentially the same, and that I already have several single barrels of their rye, this was a nice new addition to everything else. The color here is quite dark, at the same level of the single barrels that New Riff has, but this is somewhat shocking for this one, considering it's only 100 proof. The expected fresh rye grain and cinnamon is complimented by a candied fruitiness, but still doesn't smell sweet. There's a hint of lemon oil, like it's in the air near the glass, but the main focus appears to be mixed berries of almost all kinds. I had quickly skimmed the back label of this bottle to see if it was any different, and did notice the tasting notice of red and blue fruit, but really didn't expect to be able to pick it out so quickly and suddenly. Knowing that this is full rye whiskey with no other distractions in the mash, it's surprising to me that the spice of it stays only on the tongue, entering the gums only slightly and long into the finish. Initial flavors are fruity and even identifiable as berries, but nothing specific. Even the slightest bit of air added drops a cinnamon bomb, but only for a moment, as the fruitiness returns to compliment the medium age of the grains. The finish is medium-short, with the only real reminents starting to seep into the gums as a familiar spice, yet not as strong as New Riff's regular rye. With the flavor here being fairly unique, although fairly less appealing than the regular rye whiskey, the most exciting appeal to me is the history it can tell. With the balboa strain being grown in a time where rye whiskey was a common (if not overplayed) medicine used in the USA, it humbles me to sit here and drink casually what may have required a prescription or illness to sip almost a century ago. With far more rye and other whiskey options today, I'm happy to taste what may have been the first real experimentation for rye whiskey, at a time where people were expanding and creating new whiskeys without an overwhelming concern of sales and marketing, letting the distilled and aged grain speak it's wonders all by itself. This may not be the best tasting rye out right now, and in fact, it's not even close to being a contender, but the story it tells, if you're willing to listen, is worth a glass or two.

I love rye and I love rye distilleries that are getting things right, whether they’re producing their own stuff or MGP. In a recent review, I gave a shoutout to Sagamore, one of the rye distilleries doing it right. Here I’m going to give a shout out to New Riff, another. The only difference is New Riff has a single barrel bourbon that in my experience is very good, and a BiB bourbon that is decent enough, though not my favorite BiB bourbon. The commonality between Sagamore and New Riff is the limited selection in my area. With Sagamore, we get the standard rye bottling and every once in a while, one of the special finishes. This means, whenever I’m in Jersey or Delaware and I hit a store, I keep an eye out for Sagamore bottles. I also look for New Riff, though the selection in my region has the New Riff Rye BiB, Bourbon BiB, Rye Single Barrel and Bourbon Single Barrel. That said, I’m always jealous when I see specialty versions of New Riff reviewed on the sites I visit. Malted Rye, Heirloom Grain, Red Wheat…I believe they even do something involving a peated version. I have no idea what effect these specialty grains or methods have on the rye, but I want to find out, oh, how I want to find out. So this summer I was in Jersey, and they had the Malted Rye 6 Year New Riff and the Balboa Rye, and I bought both of them for around 60$. This is what their reputation does, makes me buy cold, without sampling, at $60 thinking I’m probably getting a deal. And all the time I’m wondering, is this so much better than the standard BiB Rye or Single Barrel that I should pay more? Well, on the nose this is definitely a New Riff Rye. It’s resinous and malty. The aroma is strong with pine and spearmint, which I remember the BiB being, but I think the intensity is on the upswing here, particularly if you like the nose on your rye full of mint and pine. It smells like a freshly cut tree pouring sap on top of nutmeg, for there’s an underlying spice element here that’s rather closer to a savory spice than a sweet one. The palate itself is spicy caramel with a bit of milk chocolate, and quite frankly, amazing. While the nose is an enhanced version of the BiB, the palate on this one is where it’s at. It’s so rich at 100 proof as to remind you of a cask strength rye without the burn. There’s a sort of switch from the palate where what’s prominent is the caramel and spice while the mint and pine move to the background. The finish then mingles the two balancing what you find on the nose with what you find on the palate in a perfect ratio. All in all, a very fine rye, one I don’t regret picking up and would buy again. Actually, I don’t have the New Riff BiB Rye and maybe need to pick up a bottle when the credit card rolls over, though I have my eye on the Single Barrel bourbon, which was a favorite the last time I had it. So many choices, so limited my cash.

So I took a trip to Newport today and among others things stopped at New Riff hoping to fin some winter whiskey. No luck but the lady in the gift shop suggested I try the Balboa Rye. It's 95%Balboa rye and 5% malted rye. Distilled, aged and bottled in Newport. At least 4 years old This one has a deep amber color. A swirl leaves a thick coat on the glass and legs are slow to form. Oh what a nose! It's lemon dill forward and a light caramel background. I sniffed it for nearly an hour before I tasted it. It does not evolve much but the dill becomes more pronounced and the lemon fades a bit. It's a touch hot as you roll it on the palate and it numbs the roof of my mouth. No doubt it's great for a sore throat. First taste, dill leads the way and there's a nice black pepper finish and boy does it last. A couple sips later and I get caramel and citrus.The peppery back end persists. (Did I mention that fabulous nose). There's a chewy mouth feel and the finish really goes. Love that black pepper. This is a neck pour so it may be different in a couple weeks. When at my son's for Thanksgiving, I found the last two ounces of The Winter Whiskey from last year's bottle. Wow that was fabulous and I expect this one to get better too.

Nose is unique with cereal grains, lemon pepper, musty cellar, sugar cookie, pumpernickel bread, and grassy rye in the vein of a field of fresh rye stalks. Ethanol next to nil. On the palate, much sweeter than the nose would indicate (thankfully) and there is a LOT going on here but the flavors are so rounded and well integrated that picking out individual notes is a bit of a challenge, but I’ll try; key lime, pancake batter, caramel, nutmeg, vanilla, cola nut, green apple, and a hint of ginger. If that sounds like a bizarre mix, it is. It’s also delicious. Finish is quite long for the proof and is a continuation of the palate with a slow morph into cinnamon, grains of paradise, cookie dough, and pear. Mild chocolate note after everything else fades. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy which is a real compliment. Jesus H, this is outstanding. A perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and herbal notes. I spent $94 on this and regret nothing. New Riff as a distillery is a total sleeper as their standard releases are substantially above average, and their limited releases are truly exceptional. Will seek a replacement when this one is gone.

Neat. Neck pour. Immediately reminds me of Little Book Ch. 2 on the nose. There is this lemon Mr. Clean smell on the top. More time with the nose reveals this deep, intense rye. Most intense, pure rye smell on memory. Behind the spice is a nice vanilla that can find its way back to the citrus and lemon. Some barrel spice folded around the experience. Initial impression was odd, but 5 minutes with it has really opened it up. Zero licorice, but a hint of dill. Very thick and spicy on the tongue. Almost all spice and dark up front. Dark cocoa even. Gets brighter met on the taste. Kick of rye and dill, dominate. That dark cocoa lightens up into a smoother milk chocolate. Exits with the vanilla and barrel spice on the legs. Legs are moderate. It’ll come back in waves if you allow it. The experience becomes noticeably brighter as I spend more time with it. This won me over as the experience continued. Initial impression was “uh oh....” but now I am sitting here thinking “this is damn tasty.”

Neat. Opened almost a year. This one got lost in the back of my collection but the fall season has really put me in the mood to re-explore some ryes. I know I loved this when it first came out but I can’t remember why. It’s incredibly citrus forward on the nose. Like a lemon orange combo, almost like a cleaning product but not in a bad way. No artificial but really exaggerated. Slight dill. Vanilla buttercream. Charred oak. What is interesting about this nose is that it has this light, bright notes but then these dark notes. Nothing in the middle. A refreshing rye though. Nice oily texture. Cinnamon icing on the tongue. Oh then those bright notes take over on the taste. Vanilla frosting, the orange, the lemon. And finish blends those all together for a nice dreamsicle. The rye on the legs lingers for quite a while. This is a delicious rye. The dessert notes are turned way up and the rye never overwhelms. I need to blind this against some other ryes, but would take this over a MGP.