New Riff Distillery started its “Single Malt Project” in 2023 to experiment and explore different methods of producing and aging American single malt whisky, which it refers to instead as “Kentucky single malt whiskey,” using its characteristic sour mash. Each of the four batches have utilized different types of malted barley and aging barrels – the 2026 batch was made using six different mash bills from 12 types of malted barley: (1) 27.7% Barleywine; (2) 18% Scottish Peated Barley; (3) 16.5% Belgian Quadrupel; (4) 14.1% Golden Promise; (5) 12% Chevallier (1st year used – 19th century British heirloom malt variety); & (6) 11.7% Marris Otter. After open fermentation and column still distillation, the whisky was aged for a minimum of seven years in five different types of barrels: (1) New charred oak; (2) De-charred toasted oak; (3) ex-bourbon; (4) Spanish Oloroso Sherry; & Pedro Ximénez (PX) Sherry. It is bottled at cask strength (111.7 proof; 55.85% ABV) and is non-chill filtered.
Dark amber in the glass, the 2026 batch is rich on the nose with a mélange of different types of chocolate – bittersweet dark, milk, and dried cocoa nibs drizzled with raw dark honey, punchy peat and charred oak smokiness, black cherries and raisins, orange peel, dried figs reminiscent of a Fig Newton, and dried coconut. The ethanol is punchy on the initial opening of the bottle.
On the palate, waves of earthy peat smoke and dark sweetness take the lead, a mix of fresh blackberries, dried cherries, and raisins, followed by notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, earthy honeyed maltiness, robust charred oak smoke, burnt orange, and smoked tobacco leaf. The peat smoke and dark chocolate are punchy on and after the finish as you exhale. The fruity influences from the two sherry barrels is discernible but much less prominent than I thought they’d be.
The mouthfeel and viscosity of the whisky in the glass is full, lasting 12-16 seconds on the finish with a beautifully creamy/buttery/oily consistency.
Though this whisky doesn’t quite reach the heights of New Riff’s 2025 batch of its 6-year-old sherry cask finished 100% malted rye whisky, which is one of my top five favorite whiskies that I’ve yet tried, the 2026 batch of its sour mash single malt is a unique and creative expression that I’m glad I picked up a bottle of. I look forward to seeing how it evolves as the bottle continues to open up.
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