Review: New Riff Duet American Whiskey

Northern Kentucky’s New Riff isn’t afraid to experiment with grain varieties, blends, and mash bills. An adventurous release calendar has certainly paid off, and in recent years, the distillery has been on a tear with excellent single malts and other age-stated whiskeys.

New Riff’s collaborations with other companies have also spanned several categories. They’ve twice worked with Graeter’s on a “Bourbon Ball” ice cream. New Riff has also partnered with Chattanooga Whiskey on the “Confluence Project,” which saw both distilleries create 100% wheat mashbills, though with production techniques specific to each producer.

For its most recent limited release, New Riff looked across the Ohio River for inspiration — and partnership. The distillery teamed up with Rhinegeist Brewery, located in Cincinnati, for an American whiskey dubbed Duet. (Rhinegeist and New Riff’s distilling campus are about three miles apart.)

The whiskey itself comes from an uncommon mashbill of 57% malted barley, 37% raw (unmalted) barley, and 6% rye. That’s reminiscent of — but quick the same as — recipes for some Irish single pot still whiskeys. It’s worth noting, however, that New Riff initially distills on a column, so the comparison is probably faulty aside from grain percentages. But as a whiskey nerd, I still find it worth mentioning.

Most of what ended up in Duet was aged in new American oak, though a portion was also matured in oloroso and PX sherry casks. The final blend was married in a foeder previously used for beer, then aged once more in used American oak. All whiskey used in Duet was aged at least six years. The final blend was bottled at 111.2 proof, and bottles will be available in limited supply in Ohio and Kentucky.

It’s a little unclear exactly how much New Riff and Rhinegeist collaborated on this one, though the bottle positions Duet as a New Riff product “in harmony with Rhinegeist.”

Let’s see how it tastes!

New Riff Duet American Whiskey Review

The nose starts on a vibrant, malty foot, big on porridge and hot cereal. While familiar grain aromas don’t exactly dissipate, they’re quickly pushed to the background by a progression of green, herbal, and even vegetal notes: sawgrass, alfalfa, lemongrass, wild sage, and both hibiscus and peppermint teas. Honeydew melon punctuates the herbal notes and lends a little sweetness, along with a little fermented malt beverage (“malt drink” in some locales).. It takes some time, but a tiny bit of nuttiness — perhaps from the sherry casks — lingers at the end of a very deep inhale. There’s a point at which I thought the grassy scents could overwhelm. Fortunately, Duet brings enough other components to keep from smelling like I’d just hopped off a riding mower.

Thankfully, that balance continues on to the first sips, which lean less on the vegetal and more on oak. Sherry comes through early and strong, giving the sip an almost immediate burst of dried dark fruits, cocoa, and espresso bean. Burnt orange rind and toasted pine nuts lead into the midpalate. It’s here the whiskey stumbles just a bit. Instead of the creamy viscosity I often associate with New Riff products, things thin out quickly, resulting in both mid and back palates that are a touch too drying for that aforementioned (and lovely) fruit and chocolate to stick around as much as I wanted.

The finish mostly corrects course on the finish, and we’re left with a fascinating combo of oak, sherry, sage, and fig. A few drops bring out more dark cherry and berries on both the palate and finish, which improves the sip considerably.

I’ve generally found New Riff’s recent experiments worth the while. To my palate, Duet is a fun experiment that doesn’t soar quite as high as some of the distillery’s other big swings.

111.2 proof

B+ / $80

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