New Riff Distilling Sour Mash Cask Strength Single Malt Whiskey 750ml Bottle

Tonight’s dram takes me (virtually) to Newport, Kentucky – home of great bourbon, but I’m not here for the bourbon – instead, “a new riff on an old tradition”. The description of the New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt was too tempting to pass-up, even though it has the p-word in it (peat – yuck!). It opens with salted caramel, thick vanilla, malt, heavily-toasted dark rye bread crust, dark-dark red wine (think Malbec), and charred oak, followed by orange zest, freshly-cracked black pepper, cloves, spicy ginger root, and rye spiciness, finishing with dark bitter chocolate with a dusting of cinnamon. Thick-clingy legs and oily full-mouthfeel deliver a long spicy, dark-grape, toasted-oak finish that eventually begs for another sip. Some drams are big and bold, this one is dark, heavy, and charred (more charcoal than peat) – cigar smokers would enjoy this. While I don’t typically drink a single malt with a meal, this would pair nicely with a big thick juicy charred steak. Drink slow, drink long, drink a variety, drink often.