Rating 93
Style
Whiskey
Produced In United States
ABV 57.6%
Availability Year Round
Price $70.00 
Reviewed By
Reviewed 2025-12-02

New Riff Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey (Spring 2025) Review

If American single malt is a category that has struggled to catch on with connoisseurs, New Riff shows here that they are not to be taken lightly. Composed of six different mashbills (including ones used more typically for barleywines and Belgian Trappist ales), fermented and distilled with Kentucky techniques, matured in a multitude of casks for at least seven years, and bottled at cask strength (115.2 proof in this case), this is one complex beast. There are tons of barrel notes on the nose with just a hint of peat smoke and citrus. The palate leans more fruity, alongside hints of chocolate, leather, and oxidized sherry. Even if you ignore the rest of the burgeoning category, do not ignore this — easily the best American single malt out there.

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93
POINTS
New Riff Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey (Spring 2025)
If American single malt is a category that has struggled to catch on with connoisseurs, New Riff shows here that they are not to be taken lightly. Composed of six different mashbills (including ones used more typically for barleywines and Belgian Trappist ales), fermented and distilled with Kentucky techniques, matured in a multitude of casks for at least seven years, and bottled at cask strength (115.2 proof in this case), this is one complex beast. There are tons of barrel notes on the nose with just a hint of peat smoke and citrus. The palate leans more fruity, alongside hints of chocolate, leather, and oxidized sherry. Even if you ignore the rest of the burgeoning category, do not ignore this — easily the best American single malt out there.

Reviewed On: 12-02-2025
93
POINTS
New Riff Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey (Spring 2025)
If American single malt is a category that has struggled to catch on with connoisseurs, New Riff shows here that they are not to be taken lightly. Composed of six different mashbills (including ones used more typically for barleywines and Belgian Trappist ales), fermented and distilled with Kentucky techniques, matured in a multitude of casks for at least seven years, and bottled at cask strength (115.2 proof in this case), this is one complex beast. There are tons of barrel notes on the nose with just a hint of peat smoke and citrus. The palate leans more fruity, alongside hints of chocolate, leather, and oxidized sherry. Even if you ignore the rest of the burgeoning category, do not ignore this — easily the best American single malt out there.

Reviewed On: 12-02-2025