New Riff Malted Rye Sherry Finish 750ML

New Riff Malted Rye Sherry Finish 750ML is a cask-strength Kentucky rye whiskey made from 100% malted rye and finished in Spanish sherry casks, bottled at 55.95% ABV (111.9 proof). What makes this expression truly uncommon is its mashbill — only a handful of distilleries worldwide produce whiskey from entirely malted rye grain, placing this bottling in genuinely rarefied territory.

Quick Facts: ABV: 55.95% (111.9 Proof)  |  Origin: Newport, Kentucky, USA  |  5+ Years (Sherry Finished)  |  Distillery: New Riff Distilling

Production & Heritage

New Riff Distilling was founded in 2014 in Newport, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, by Ken Lewis with the stated goal of making "whiskey the hard way" — no sourcing, no shortcuts, and no chill filtration. The base spirit for this expression is a 5-year-old whiskey distilled from a 100% malted rye mashbill, a grain bill so unusual that only a small number of producers globally — including Old Potrero in California and Kyrö in Finland — work with the same concept. After its initial maturation, the whiskey was transferred into custom-made 53-gallon Spanish sherry casks for approximately one additional year of finishing, then vatted in fall 2021 and bottled at full cask strength in spring 2022 without chill filtration or proof reduction.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with dark dried fruit — raisin and fig — layered over toasted grain and walnut. Baking spice, warming oak, and a subtle malty sweetness develop as the whiskey breathes in the glass.

Taste: On entry, the palate delivers a syrupy sweetness: bright cherry, seedy raspberry jam, and powdered sugar that immediately signals the sherry cask influence. At mid-palate, assertive malted rye spice takes over, interwoven with cocoa, caramelized sugar, and dried fig. The interplay between the grain's natural pepperiness and the cask's fruit-forward richness keeps shifting with each sip.

Finish: Medium to long, with a slightly sweet fade that carries lingering rye spice and soft oak tannins. The sherry cask influence persists as a final echo of dark fruit before the warmth of 111.9 proof settles gently.

How to Drink Malted Rye Sherry Finish

At cask strength, this whiskey rewards a slow approach — sip it neat, then add a few drops of water to unlock the dried fruit and malt character hiding beneath the proof. The high ABV and rich flavor also make it a powerful cocktail anchor. A Vieux Carré benefits from the sherry-finished complexity standing up to sweet vermouth and Bénédictine. A Manhattan gains an extra dimension of dark fruit and spice that replaces the need for bitters-heavy builds. A Sazerac lets the malted rye's grain character shine through the absinthe rinse and sugar, delivering a richer, more textured take on the classic.

Best For

• Rye whiskey enthusiasts exploring unconventional mashbills and cask finishes
• Gifting a serious whiskey collector who values limited or unusual releases
• Side-by-side tastings comparing sherry-finished American whiskeys
• Building a home bar focused on craft Kentucky distilleries

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Malted Rye Sherry Finish taste like? It leads with syrupy dark fruit — cherry, raisin, and fig — from the sherry cask finish, then transitions into assertive malted rye spice, cocoa, and caramelized sugar. The finish is medium to long with lingering warmth and soft oak.

How does Malted Rye Sherry Finish compare to Old Potrero Single Malt Rye? Both use a 100% malted rye mashbill, making them among the rarest expressions in the American rye category. New Riff's version is bottled at a higher cask strength (111.9 proof) and adds a Spanish sherry cask finish that contributes a pronounced dried-fruit sweetness not present in Old Potrero's pot-distilled style.

Is Malted Rye Sherry Finish good for sipping neat? Yes — though it's bottled at a robust 111.9 proof, adding a small amount of water opens up layers of fruit and toasted malt that make it an excellent neat-sipping whiskey for experienced drinkers.

Where is Malted Rye Sherry Finish made? It is distilled and bottled at New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky, located in the Northern Kentucky region just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.

What foods pair well with Malted Rye Sherry Finish? Dark chocolate truffles complement the cocoa and dried-fruit notes. Aged Manchego cheese mirrors the Spanish sherry-cask influence. Charcuterie with fig jam echoes the whiskey's fruit-forward palate. Pecan pie matches the caramelized sweetness, and smoked duck breast stands up to the rye spice and high proof.

What sizes does Malted Rye Sherry Finish come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle.

Is Malted Rye Sherry Finish worth the price? It positions as a premium craft expression within the American rye category, justified by its rare 100% malted rye mashbill, cask-strength bottling, and additional sherry-cask finishing — details that place it above standard rye offerings in both complexity and production cost.

Why Malted Rye Sherry Finish?

The defining fact about this whiskey is its grain — 100% malted rye is a mashbill that virtually no American distillery attempts at scale, making every release from New Riff's malted rye program a genuine outlier. Layering a Spanish sherry cask finish on top of that already distinctive base spirit creates a flavor profile that simply doesn't exist elsewhere in the Kentucky whiskey landscape. Bottled without chill filtration at full cask strength of 111.9 proof, nothing has been stripped or diluted from what the barrel produced. For drinkers who have worked through the standard rye canon and want something that genuinely tastes different, this is one of the most compelling arguments in American whiskey right now.