New Riff Announces 2025 American Single Malt Whiskey
New Riff Distilling’s 2025 Kentucky Sour Mash American Single Malt Whiskey
New Riff Unveils Latest Single Malt Whiskey Iteration.
New Riff Distilling announced the latest release of its Single Malt whiskey, a 2025 version that showcases some of the distillery’s oldest malt whiskeys, up to 10 years of age.
New Riff started distilling batches of malt whiskey shortly after its founding in 2014 and has continued to commemorate the time-honored heritage of malted barley with Kentucky’s sour mash traditions.
“Each year, we fine tune our Single Malt whiskey, flexing both our creativity and technical expertise to innovate and explore new dimensions of malt whiskey,” Master Distiller Brian Sprance said in a news release.
The earliest distillations of the guarded internal project started in the first few months of the distillery’s existence. Over the years, New Riff has explored additional mashbills and barrels, filling barrels at 110 proof and letting them age quietly in Northern Kentucky. This is the third annual release of Single Malt, each blend slightly different — but all delicious.
This year’s blend features a combination of three mashbills ranging from 7 to 10 years old finished in six different casks. The final blend was re-barreled into used oak for an extended maturation period, a process the Northern Kentucky distillery implemented for the first time with this Single Malt release.
The 2025 Single Malt Whiskey is bottled without chill filtration at 115.2 proof with a mashbill made with 100% barley varietals — Maris Otter, Scottish peated barley, and a beer-inspired mashbill based on classic Barleywine — each offering a distinct flavor profile.
The six casks the malt whiskeys matured in include new charred oak, de-charred toasted oak, de-charred and re-charred oak, Madeira casks, Oloroso Sherry casks, and red wine casks.
“After experimenting with different blends, we were especially drawn to the way the Maris Otter, Barleywine and peated whiskies came together, resulting in a layered and complex flavor journey with depth and nuance that we think Single Malt fans will really appreciate,” Sprance said.
The 2025 Single Malt has a MSRP of $69.99 and will be available for purchase at New Riff’s distillery gift shop beginning Friday, May 2. It will also be available for online shipping and at select retail locations throughout the distiller’s distribution network in the coming weeks.
Kentucky Sour Mash Single Malt
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Broad, deep and heady, with many barrel notes (oaky, sherried oak, toasty); with time, it develops rich malty fruity grains; a splash of water advances complicated grainy detail, showing grassy-mineral malt, dark fruit cacao nibs, orange-lemon citrus, and a wisp of smoke and ozone.
Palate: Straight-up, the oak is forward and layered (oloroso sherry, red wine, brandy, new oak), chewy texture, and drying but not tannic; with water, a strikingly juicy entry, bright fruit and citrus peel; it is dryish and tinged with sweetening fruits; a BIG Kentucky-style body, savory-soft thick-cut texture with red and dark fruit, cocoa powder, grassy-nutty malt, a shading of sherry oak and a suggestion of smoke.
Finish: Exceptionally zesty, even delicate, the fruited (raspberry, tangerine rind, bergamont-orange) components lifted up in a whiskey-ozone-air and framed with the sherry-branded oak, late lemon curd and a vanishing air-kiss of peat smoke.
About The New Riff Distilling
New Riff Distilling starts with time-honored sour mash methods and bottled-in-bond standards, creating new riffs on old traditions since 2014. Located in Northern Kentucky — the gateway to bourbon country — the independently-owned distillery produces award-winning bourbon, rye, single malt whiskey and gin. The public-facing spaces in the distillery, renovated in 2023, include the Riff Shop with customizable gifting options and locally sourced artisan goods; and The Aquifer Tasting Room, located on the third floor of the distillery, featuring signature cocktails, flights, and pours of New Riff’s entire portfolio of award-winning spirits including rare, limited-edition, and distillery-exclusive releases. For more information, visit newriffdistilling.com.
