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.

The Smoke Wagon brand comprises several bourbons, including the Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey. It's a high-rye bourbon that was aged in hand-picked barrels at the heart of their old warehouse, ensuring the consistency of its flavor. It's a blend of their younger, rye-forward vintages with smoother, creamier, and sweeter older whiskey. Bold and intense, this expression is bottled at 100 proof and has received a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2016, 2017, and 2020.