New Riff’s New Headliner Blend Is Made With Some of Its Oldest Whiskey
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New Riff has become one of Kentucky’s best new-school distilleries over the past decade by focusing mostly on producing bottled-in-bond bourbon and rye whiskey. But that’s not all the team makes. There have also been some fantastic American single malts and several whiskeys made using mashbills composed of different grain varietals. The latest release sounds like a very interesting one: Headliner is a blend of five different whiskeys that includes some of the very first spirits that the distillery produced.
This is the second annual release of Headliner, following last year’s edition which was a commemoration of the distillery’s tenth anniversary. That was a blend of four different whiskey—two bourbons, one rye, one single malt—bottled at barrel proof without chill filtration. Like the first release, the second Headliner is not one of the bottled-in-bond whiskeys that the distillery has built its name upon, it’s a high-proof blend of four different liquid streams: 28 percent 11-year-old corn whiskey, 27 percent 11-year-old bourbon, 15 percent 10-year-old Balboa rye whiskey, 15 percent 10-year-old rye whiskey, and 15 percent 8-year-old Aroostook malted rye whiskey.
According to master distiller Brian Sprance, the two oldest whiskeys come from the first distillation run at New Riff, and are the foundation of this blend. “When I knew I had our entire inventory to work with, it was clear the oldest whiskeys we have ever made would be the stars of this blend,” he said in a statement. “So I built the foundation with 11-year-old corn whiskey and 11-year-old bourbon from our very first distillations, then layered in expressive ryes like Balboa and Aroostook Malted Rye to bring bold spice and depth.” Those ryes are made from specific grain varietals to impart unique flavors that are supposed to survive distillation. The whiskey was bottled at 111 proof and is non-chill filtered.
We have not been able to try this whiskey yet, but Sprance provided some tasting notes. “If you know our whiskeys, you will recognize their individual voices, opening with the sweet, mellow tone of corn and finishing with the bold, spicy signature of Aroostook,” he said. “The result is rich, layered, and deeply nuanced—a blend that captures our early spirit and how far we have evolved since. It is a complex whiskey that I think will challenge people in the best way.”
Like the first release, proceeds from the sale of this whiskey will go to benefit a charity. This year it’s an organization called Brighton Center, which is dedicated to help Kentucky families in need by offering eduction and employment services. If you want to get ahold of a bottle of Headliner, it goes on sale this Friday, August 1, via the New Riff Whiskey Club (SRP $150). The rest of the lineup is available to purchase at websites like ReserveBar now.
