The nose is less green and bright than the original. Gone are the bell pepper and citrus notes with that added barrel aging contributing layers of warm baking spice, toffee, and seasoned oak instead. There’s still plenty of vibrant rye spice at work, however, with top notes of minted syrup, black tea, and cracked peppercorn that only build as things open. It’s an exceptionally balanced and soothing aroma. On the palate, things kick off with more pepper and baking spice, a bit of cool wintergreen, and quite a lot of oak. It’s surprisingly fresh for an eight-year-old rye and only becomes more so on the midpalate with lemon balm and green tea arriving in time. The spice builds across the sip as do the barrel notes which sharpen just a bit into a generous finish of pine resin, cloves, and pink peppercorn. I might still favor the younger rye just a bit more, but this is another impressive, well-aged addition to the New Riff lineup.

100 proof.