Meet our latest riff on Kentucky's wondrous whiskey traditions: introducing New Riff Backsetter Bourbon and Rye Whiskey, an ongoing exploration of the deep truths and deeper mysteries of the sour mash method. Our Backsetters - one Bourbon and one Rye - released as a pair of absolutely unprecedented whiskeys are, like all New Riff whiskeys, crafted with the traditional, time honored Sour Mash Kentucky Regimen. Wherein a portion of grain "backset" from a prior distillation is added to the mash of a present batch. And they utilize the exact same mash bills as New Riff's award winning standard Bourbon and Rye recipes. What's different is exactly what they were sour mashed with. For this opening Backsetter salvo, we have used backset collected from a distillation of peat-smoked malted barley, which lends a wonderfully smoky cast to the whiskeys. The resultant smoky flavor is hauntingly unique, with layers of peat enveloping spicy rich Rye and Bourbon, respectively.

To craft Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey, master distiller Jeff Arnett of Lynchburg, TN first selects one out of every hundred barrels for its unique and expressive qualities. Once these special casks have been identified, they are moved to the very top of the distillery's rickhouses, where extreme temperature changes facilitate dramatic interactions between the whiskey and the wood (by law, “Tennessee whiskey” must be aged new, charred American oak barrels). Finally, each barrel is bottled individually at 94 proof, resulting in truly “one-of-a-kind” flavors in every bottle.