Toasted oak | Orange zest | Light rye bread | Touch of lemon | Mild earthiness

Orange rind | Butterscotch | Raisin | Toasted oak | Nice mouthfeel

Allspice | Cinnamon graham cracker | Sandalwood | Seared mint | Rising rye spice | Minor pop of clove | Lingering spice

Aptly playing to their company’s name, New Riff continues to take a unique spin on rye whiskey with the continued release of Balboa Rye. Initially launched in 2019 and last released over a year ago, Balboa Rye uses heirloom rye grain that dates back to the 1940s, though it hadn’t been distilled in decades. While New Riff’s standard rye features rye grain that comes from Brooks Grain, the Fogg Family Farm in Indiana provides Balboa rye exclusively for New Riff Distilling.

Breaking Bourbon spoke with New Riff co-founder Jay Erisman, and it was clear he has a passion for this grain. As a current member and former President of the Cincinnati chapter of Slow Food USA, deciding to distill with Balboa rye wasn’t about capitalizing on a fad; he had a vested interest in wanting to work with heirloom grains through his time with the organization. The rye is labor intensive to produce, and it shows, with the amount of standard rye the company distills versus Balboa rye, to the tune of 2.5x. Erisman stated the company has no plans on abandoning their focus on Balboa rye anytime soon and expects this to be an ongoing annual release.

The whiskey starts gently with warming scents of toasted oak and rye bread against orange zest and lemon. From there, the palate begins to build a slow rise in spice as it layers in orange rind, butterscotch, and raisin. The finish features multiple layers of spice but remains tempered at all times. It begins with allspice, a brief refrain for cinnamon graham cracker, sandalwood, and seared mint before rye spice takes over entirely.

Balboa rye is not a traditional tasting rye, yet it never becomes so unique it enters polarizing territory. It’s an easy sipper and remains approachable, thanks to a general softness. Rye may never shake its moniker of being a bold, hot, and spicy sip, but Balboa Rye does a lot to upend that notion without ignoring what makes rye whiskey great. Ultimately, Balboa Rye is exactly what rye whiskey needs to help drinkers taste the range rye can surprisingly offer.