Tasting Tuesday:
Howdy Junior’s Bourbon Hall. Today we are starting a Tasting Tuesday. Will pick a bottle from my collection give it a taste, a story, and a cocktail that I think would go great with the tasting pick. My name is Junior, I enjoy great cocktails and Whiskey. Especially bourbon. I have been “collecting” and drinking for the last ten years and by no means an expert taster but, I will give you an honest opinion of the whiskey I am tasting based on my pallet.
Story Time:
The first tasting I am going to do is New Riff Winter Whiskey. New Riff is in Newport KY just over the Ohio River from Cincy. The owner sold The Party Source liquor store that is adjacent to the distillery to the employees and used the funds to build New Riff. When you visit New Riff, you really need to go into The Liquor Source and walk around. This store has everything you need from beer to wine and everything in-between. They even have a humidor with a great selection of cigars.
The new Riff Winter Whiskey is released once a year on Black Friday. This is key as I was emailed this release and was excited as I went to Kentucky the week of Thanksgiving and was staying in Covington about 5 min. from the distillery. This was great, I could pop over and get a bottle from the distillery. Well, I did this on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and was informed it doesn’t come out until Friday. I know just come back well we were going to Louisville that day for the rest of the week. I figure I would just get a bottle back home. That didn’t go as planned either as this was an allocated bottle and I didn’t think about that. I finally was able to get into a raffle and won a bottle so here we are going to taste it.
The Facts Nothing but the Facts:
The Winter Whiskey
BiB without chill filtration
Aged at least 4 years
100 Proof
Mashbill
65% Corn
20% Malted Oats
7 % pale ale malt
5% Steel Cut Raw Oats
3% Chocolate Malt
Tasting Notes:
As I poured the whiskey it has a nice Carmel dark brown color. With this being four years old it is nice and dark. It has taken the barrel nicely.
The first smell comes across has heavy chocolate and malty. There is a hint of sweet like toffee.
Taking the first sip, the chocolate comes through again. The second and third sips the toffee and oak comes through.
With this being 100 proof, the Kentucky Hug is there on the back end of the sip and as you swallow the sip. While you do get a hug it is a really nice sip and pour.
To me this would be great in a chocolate old-fashioned or any cocktail that you need a heavier chocolate presence.
Conclusion:
This was a fun bottle to go, find, and pick up. When I was at the distillery, I did try the 2023 bottle and that bottle was very cinnamon and star anise flavor. This bottle was not, and they are different. If you liked the 2023 bottle grab a 2024 bottle you won’t be disappointed.
Junior
