Dark chocolate | Peat | Cola | Chocolate mousse | Amaretto | Charred oak

Peat | Smoke | Clove | Blackberry | Peach | Soy sauce | Hint of maple syrup

Peat | Smoke | Raisin | Leather | Cigar wrap | Black pepper | Barrel char

Known for their bourbons and ryes, New Riff Distilling’s Sour Mash Single Malt is an annual release for the Newport, Kentucky, company that is part of their Malt Whiskey Project. The 2026 release marks the fourth iteration of this annual Single Malt, and as Master Distiller Brian Sprance puts it, “This is one of the most creative whiskeys we make.”

New Riff’s 2026 Sour Mash Single Malt comprises six mashbills aged in five cask types, making it one of their most complex blends yet. According to the company, “This year’s blend introduces Chevallier, an 1800s heirloom British malt variety, making its debut in New Riff’s Single Malt distillate for the first time. Distilled using the unmistakable Kentucky regimen — sour mash, open fermentation, and a column still — this whiskey bridges the time-honored heritage of malted barley with Kentucky tradition, resulting in one of New Riff’s most complex and rewarding whiskeys made yet. Sour Mash Single Malt showcases the creativity and technical expertise of its distilling team, while continuing its more than a decade-long commitment to delivering “A New Riff on an Old Tradition.” The five casks the malt whiskeys matured in include new charred oak, de-charred toasted oak, used bourbon barrels, Spanish oloroso sherry casks, and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

Often is the case with these types of releases and their many components, it's hard to fully take in - and it can be even harder to fully parse in its sip. The one thing that is immediately clear is this whiskey’s peat component. Even at less than 20% of the mashbill, it’s exacting and influential, and completely dominates the sip. As you get accustomed to it, additional layers of flavor begin to emerge. The aroma has a ton of chocolate scents, the palate offers blackberry, peach, and a touch of maple syrup, and the finish features raisin, cigar wrap, and rich barrel char.

This year’s edition of New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt isn’t a whiskey you slip in the middle of your whiskey tasting and expect glowing results. It's too bold, smoky, and drinking after something extremely mellow in comparison will be like hitting a brick wall. Tasting on its own, it has room to breathe and slowly showcase its complexities and depth. As strong as the peat tastes on its onset, it elegantly resides, allowing the rest of the whiskey to breathe and spread out. I would have liked the whiskey to have a bit more of a fruity character to help balance the thickness of its more robust notes, but what we end up with is a hearty meal of a whiskey that peated single malt fans will love.

‍The bottle in review comes from the Spring 2026 Vatting with lot number 26.06.12.05.