Review #: 450
Description: New Riff Single Barrel: Costco Louisville
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: A single barrel of New RIff Bourbon selected by the Costco in Louisville, KY. This is barrel 16-2163 that was distilled on October 5th, 2016 and bottled June 8th, 2021. A bit of a risk trying a single barrel from a big store, but it was $45ish so significantly cheaper than other SiB so why not.
Distillery – New Riff
Bottler – New Riff
Brand – New Riff
Selection – Costco
ABV – 52.45%
Age – 4 Years
Nose – There’s a strong smell that reminds me of my dad’s freshly baked, homemade pizza dough in there, gingerbread, cooked onions, spiced hot chocolate. It’s savory and spicy like no bourbon I’ve smelled before (and I quite enjoy it)
Taste – Spiced christmas cake, brownie, rich caramel, dark cherry, gingerbread
Finish – Just beats your tongue with baking spices. A tad dry, and not really overwhelming, but that’s pretty much all that is there. Maybe some candied ginger in the back of the throat
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? Yes (thank you Costco pricing)
Thoughts: A really solid bottle, but that pizza note threw me for a loop. My dad making pizza from scratch was always an exciting event (even to this day) and that smell is so well established in my brain that I knew it immediately. Those are the times when tasting and reviewing make you feel nostalgic and just smile to yourself that two things so different still make a connection in your head.