This barrel #11649 is one of the few rye barrels available to our market. It was selected during our second #barrelpickingexpedition to Kentucky with club members earlier this year.

We always appreciate New Riff single barrels coming in at cask strength instead of their standard bottled-in bond 100 proof. Makes the rye really stand out! The barrels we tried had a range of flavor profiles. Two were immediate favorites among the group, but the selected barrel really blew the others away in nose and palate.

We brought a sample of it home and blind-tasted it against 2 other new riff rye picks. Ours was much better than the others. The biased statement, we know - but still worth mentioning :)

TastingNotes

• Nose: Caramel, citrus, cinnamon bark
• Palate: Iced cinnamon bread, rye spice, warm baking spices, and a light grassy note
• Finish: warm rye finish with a gentle, warming \"Kentucky hug\"
• Overall: The whiskey has a great balance of typical rich rye whiskey notes with just the right amount of oak influence (caramel, sweetness, and likely adds to the baking spice notes).