Day 15

New Riff 8 Year Rye

Style: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Mashbill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley

Aged: 8 Years

Proof: 100.0

MRSP: $74.99

Why I chose it: I knew I wanted to put a New Riff in the calendar, but I couldn't decide between a Bourbon or Rye. I opted to do both, so you can decide which you like better (as I like them both a whole lot)!

This is the second time this year we've tasted the popular 95/5 rye mashbill (see day 12). However, it's not the familiar IN MGP variant; it's New Riff's own distillate from Newport, KY (just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati). I was surprised to see these bottles weren't bottled in bond, as all the previous ones I've enjoyed were. From their site:

"Despite meeting all other requirements of a bonded whiskey, due to the comparatively small production from the earliest years of New Riff, this release blends whiskeys from two distilling seasons aged a minimum of 8 years." Nice to see them opt to keep the age and availability instead of holding stiffly to the BIB title.

Distiller's page: https://www.newriffdistilling.com/spirits/8-year-old-kentucky-straight-rye-whiskey/