New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt

New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt is a Kentucky single malt whiskey from New Riff in Newport, Kentucky, United States, bottled at 57.6 alcohol by volume (ABV) and 115.2 proof. The 2025 release highlights the creativity and technical approach of New Riff's distilling team, blending three mashbills built on malted barley and Kentucky sour mash traditions, including a Maris Otter malt mashbill, a barleywine-inspired style mashbill, and a Scottish peated malted barley mashbill. The whiskey is distilled twice and matured through a complex aging program that includes new charred oak, multiple styles of used bourbon barrels, Madeira casks, Oloroso sherry casks, and French oak red wine casks, before being rebarreled into used oak for an extended maturation period, a process introduced in this release.

Showcasing some of New Riff's oldest malt whiskeys, aged at least seven years and up to ten years, this layered maturation approach explores new dimensions of malt whiskey by integrating multiple mashbills with six different cask types. The process and profile focus on depth and nuance, combining malt-driven structure, peated influence, and extended wood aging to present a whiskey defined by blending innovation, sour mash heritage, and extended maturation.

New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt can be enjoyed neat or with a small amount of water to open its cask strength profile, and it pairs well with smoked meats, aged cheeses, or dark chocolate. It is well-suited as a slow-sipping whiskey for enthusiasts interested in malt-focused American whiskey or as a gifting option for collectors. The bottle is released without chill filtration, and each annual release includes a lot code on the label that explains the year, number of mashbills, number of malted barleys, and the number of casks used in the blend.

Aroma: Deep and oaky with sherried notes, evolving into malty fruit, citrus, cacao, and smoky layers.

Palate: Bold oak and sherry with chewy texture, bright fruit, cocoa, nutty malt, and warm smoke.

Finish: Zesty and rich with raspberry, citrus, marmalade, and lingering smoky‑leathery peat.