Review #: 208
Description: New Riff Backsetter Bourbon
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: New Riff’s backsetter series uses the backset of peated malted barley, then uses it for a new fermentation of distiller’s beer. This isn’t like peated scotch, where the barley in the mash is malted using peat, but backset is more akin to a sourdough starter (the use of backset is what makes ‘sour mash’) to maintain consistency of yeast growth, acidity, and to an extent, flavor. Bottled-in-bond as New Riff does with non single barrel products, let’s see how it tastes.
Distillery – New Riff
Bottler – New Riff
Brand – New Riff
Selection – N/A
ABV – 50%
Age – 4 Years
Nose – Sour cherries, plums, oak, heavy sour/must note
Taste – Artificial sweetener, bitter chocolate, sour cherries, stale caramel corn
Finish – Metallic, cigarette ash, the acidic taste left in your mouth after you throw up
Score: 2
Would I buy a bottle? No
Thoughts: Well then. I applaud New Riff for trying different things and experimenting, but this was just gross to me. I got none of the peat notes that I love in scotch, but just a heavy sour and acidic flavor throughout. The finish to me should make me want to have another sip, but this was downright gross. I’ll keep trying things NR puts out, but might keep it to samples first before committing to bottles when the experiment is this far out of left field.