Review: New Riff Malted Rye Sherry Finish Barrel Proof (Updated 2026)
New Riff Distillery hasn’t been slowing down one bit. They recently completed a significant expansion at their Newport, Kentucky distillery, increasing production capacity by 50%, and they’ve added the necessary barrel warehousing at a nearby site. They also increased their distribution footprint to include whiskey-hungry Florida and Illinois. And they remain, as ever, dedicated to making what they call “whiskey riffs.” The latest, however, is actually a riff on a riff. I’ll let them explain:
“Last year we released our Malted Rye Whiskey, and experiencing its remarkably elegant, sophisticated character gave us another idea,” said co-founder Jay Erisman. “We think of it as a malt whiskey first and a rye whiskey second, which raised the question: what would happen if we treated it like other malt whiskies and aged it in sherry casks?”
New Riff’s first batches of 100% Malted Rye Whiskey were distilled in 2014, and the initial release landed in May 2021. For this sherry finished elaboration, New Riff imported custom-made 53-gallon Spanish sherry casks and filled them with 5-year-old New Riff Malted Rye Whiskey. Twelve oloroso and three Pedro Ximenez casks were filled with whiskey and aged another year, before being vatted in the fall of 2021 and left to marry and condition together for several following months until they were bottled in spring of 2022 (at cask strength).
The distillery has put out no shortage of winning “riffs” in recent years, including the malted rye at the heart of this expression. Let’s see how the latest edition stacks up.
Update: We’re adding fresh coverage of this re-released whiskey to expand this review.
New Riff Malted Rye Sherry Finish Barrel Proof (2022) Review
The sherry finishing and higher proof have definitely added some heft to the aroma compared to the standard malted rye with ample spice cabinet and leathery notes of dark berries and sweet almond paste. The sherry isn’t overpowering though, and things remain fairly wood-driven with cinnamon stick and toasty barrel char growing more prominent as it opens in the glass. The palate showcases even more sweet sherry character with bold, syrupy notes of blackberry cobbler and raspberry candies. The rye spice is unusually a bit more prominent than in the original, with black pepper and clove popping on the mid-palate and segueing to a generous finish of cooked red fruits, some mild oaky astringency, and lingering notes of tobacco and cherry juice.
Like past limited editions, this bottle was made available only to New Riff’s Whiskey Club and select retailers. However, the success of Malted Rye last year has landed it in the New Riff core lineup, so perhaps we will be seeing even more of this sherry-finished expression in the future. 112.7 proof. A- / $65 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
New Riff Malted Rye Sherry Finish Barrel Proof (2026) Review
A few small changes: The previous release started with 5-year-old malted rye and this year’s whiskey started as 6-year-old malted rye. Both were finished in oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Both hit the bottle at cask strength but this year’s release is 2.5% stronger.
The nose of this reissued offering is big and sings both rye and sherry notes at full volume. Raisin and cinnamon sticks hit first, wrapped in leather. Raspberry compote comes next along with caramel and some clove. A touch of cereal grain follows through at the end.
Sipped neat, the whiskey hits hard. In his review four years ago, Drew noted that the rye spices are bolder in this finished whiskey than they are in the unfinished rye, and that is absolutely still the case in the newest release. Sharp cinnamon, fresh cracked black pepper, and clove come bursting out of the glass along with an alcohol bite. Immediately following come sherry notes including raspberry preserves, blackberry, and caramel. Midpalate brings some vanilla to the mix, which stays through the long finish. The good folks at New Riff recommend adding water to bring out the sherry notes or abstaining to highlight the rye. I gave both a try, and it’s true, but the rye notes never disappeared with the addition of water.
Altogether, this a well crafted whiskey that deserves serious attention from fans of both rye whiskey and sherry-finished single malts. -RL 117.3 proof. A- / $70
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