New Riff Winter Whiskey

I have been on a light search for this whiskey since its initial release. By happenstance wandering into my local liquor store I discovered a few bottles on the shelf. New Riff has always intrigued me and has generally been a satisfying pour. The unique mash bill of malted and raw oats with chocolate malt seems just darn unique. Reminiscent of Corsair Distillery that would mash Quinoa and other non-standard grains (they are not as available as they once were, gone off the grid). Similarly, they created Oatrage. This mash bill consists 65% corn, 20% malted oats, 7% pale ale oats, 5% steel cut oats and 3% chocolate malt. N: Soft milk chocolate aroma is initially present. Time presents other aromas of oatmeal, stout beer, root beer and vanilla. Nice and gentle with no harsh elements P: A bit of zesty youth with a mild tingling sensation. Light and thin, earthy and sweet flavors. A winter breakfast. Butterscotch and maple syrup over oatmeal with walnuts with a sprinkle of spicy cinnamon (Red Hots). F: A warming finish with the cinnamon, charred oak and dark chocolate finish which last a good length of time. O: Pleasant is the best description for this whiskey. It’s not flashy or deep in aroma or flavor. But what it presents is enjoyable. The finish quite lengthy and the warming sensation on a cool night makes it that much enjoyable. If it had a bit more depth and dimension it would be a greater (winter) whiskey. [85/100][$59][Tasted: 12/5/24]

I have been wanting to try New Riff for a while and when I read about Winter Whiskey, I loved the name and thought about enjoying a dram by the fire and Christmas tree. This is anything but a traditional bourbon. The corn component is 65% which is a tad on the low side but allows for an oat component of 5% steel cut and 20% malted. Then there's the 7% pale ale malt and 3% chocolate malt. Pretty wild. It's dark in the glass and really chewy. Chocolate jumped from the bottle upon open but went to the background as more of a mocha and other aromas developed. There's a lot going on and hard to nail down but it's a glorious, rich, complex nose. More pronounced when neat and muted on ice but in both cases it varies in intensity with caramel corn, nutmeg and mocha bouncing around. Each sniff a tad different than the last. The palate is a blend of bourbon and well aged Irish Whisky. I get caramel, bitter chocolate, nutmeg, old oak and a touch of vanilla. The old oak lingers briefly. I like this as a change of pace and a bottle to share and critique but it leaves me wanting a more traditional bourbon after. It excels on the aroma which I love. I prefer it neat more as a desert bourbon even though it's not particularly sweet.

Young bourbon made with a stupid gimmick someone's gonna excuse cause they hired a beer guy to make their whisk(e)y? I'll take a case! Nose is light citrus with light ethanol...its bourbon. Oh ok...chocolate, vanilla, oats, hell I'm getting rootbeer. It's not RICH or decadent, but it's really really something nice, a change of pace, and ok...it's kinda awesome. Taste - yeah it's new riff if you know that. But it's young 4 year bourbon with chocolate chip cookie notes, oatmeal notes, hints of toffee. Yeah it's a bit youthful, it's got some citrus which doesn't go with cookies. Look - I'm downplaying this because as a whisky guy....it's not our traditional whisky.I just wanted to have fun. Honestly - this is the best 50 dollar whiskey I've had in years...it's 55 now. Oh well. I do think this year's was a HAIR worse than last. Oh well. If you want a chocolate oatmeal forward young bourbon with more oak notes than you'd expect. Get this. If you don't....still get it! I'm iffy on score but I think 2.75 is about right. I could go higher, and for PRICE, it's a 4 star! But buy this in a second people! It's 125 dollar whisky in 2023 for 55.

Neat. Neck pour. This came out at the distillery today! Quite intrigued by this crazy mash bill. Also, this was distilled in 2015 making this another 5 year New Riff. Okay, this is going to take a bit to break down. There is a meatiness to the front of this nose. Then comes brown sugar, cinnamon, caramel. Almost like a sweet BBQ rub. Very savory. There is a lot of sweetness coming through. Vanilla, hint of milk chocolate. Lots of spices. Pepper, nutmeg. Savory delicious. This is quite unique for New Riff on the nose. The other New Riff special releases, you can find the base New Riff profile. This is its own thing. Super thick and viscous. Very sweet up front. Sweet Christmas. Powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, hint of pepper. Transitions into a crazy chocolate caramel truffle. This chocolate is so rich. Like Godiva chocolate coating caramel cream goodness inside. And then all of those spices. These is even this hint of peppermint on the very back of the finish. This is Christmas in a glass more so than anything else I have ever had. This is unique and delicious. The chocolate note is crazy good. Well done New Riff.

I have begun to enjoy the New Riff offerings quite a bit with the base and single barrel varieties. This special release brings chocolate malt to the table. I was a bit disappointed in the Woodford Master Chocolate Malt so let's see of the team at NR does any better with this one in the mash. Nose is definitely heavy malt and vanilla. I am even getting some interesting shortbread cookie notes on this. First sip is really different on this pour. The oats come rolling in heavy like a breakfast cereal. A soft burn comes in the middle rounded by some caramel and cocoa on the edges. I am just going to tell it how this one tastes and call it a granola bar. You know the ones with some granola, dark chocolate, and a caramel drizzle. That is basically what I am getting out of this dram. Overall this one is a mix for me. It gets points for being different and brings some nice dark cocoa notes to the game. Something just isn't quite right bringing it all together for me personally, but I am definitely glad to have scored a bottle and recommend it if you can find one.

Nose offers toasted oak, nutmeg, caramel, French vanilla, spun sugar, and milk chocolate. Ethanol is low but not non-existent. Overall very appealing. Palate brings Tootsie Roll candy, dark wheat bread, molasses, cookie dough, malt, and some balancing oaky bitterness. Not much of a mid-palate at all; kind of rushes to the finish. That said, flavors punch above their weight class. Not very complex, but what’s here is solid. Medium length finish veers into carbonized notes of charred oak, burnt sugar, cinnamon, clove, dark chocolate, and Whoppers candy. Mouthfeel is a bit of a letdown; lighter side of medium-bodied with some graininess that doesn’t match the flavor profile particularly well. Overall, theres a lot to like here and also a few flaws. Dark, sweet, and smokey, it does provide some uniqueness which I enjoyed with the chocolate notes being exceptionally appealing. At $57.99 that I paid it’s definitely priced appropriately and worthy of a rebuy.