One Of The Best Wild Turkey Alternatives Is A Competitive Single Barrel From A Rising Kentucky Distillery

Wild Turkey is probably a go-to bourbon for beginners. Its popularity, ease of finding it, and accessible price make it one of the most loved spirits. But if you want to broaden your horizons and explore this complex world, Tasting Table has a guide of 14 bourbons to try if you like Wild Turkey. The list — made by spirits expert Kenny Jarvis — contains a lot of classics such as Four Roses and Old Forester, along with a gem from a recently established distillery: New Riff Single Barrel. Its bold profile, characterized by high-rye notes, delivers peppery spice as well as vanilla and butterscotch sweetness, all at a competitive price between $50 and $60. It's intense yet easy to drink and definitely worth a try if you enjoy Wild Turkey 101. It's no coincidence that this distillery has been included in the 8 up-and-coming distilleries bourbon fans should know about, also compiled by Kenny Jarvis.

The New Riff Distillery is located in Kentucky, precisely in Newport just across the Ohio River. It was founded in 2014 by Ken Lewis, a local entrepreneur and member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, and, despite starting the business not long ago, he managed to build an independent distillery that now distributes bottles in all 50 states and around the world.

Crafted with non-GMO grains (65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley), the New Riff Single Barrel is a full-bodied whiskey produced with the classic Kentucky sour mash method. Aged four years in new oak barrels, it results in a rich and savory bourbon that won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Beyond this official acknowledgment, this bottle has collected many positive reviews from users online. The Whisky Study, a website collecting notes and comments on whiskey tastings, comments, "It started off with a blast of flavor and over the course of the two years I had it open, it never relented," awarding an impressive score of 92/100. Meanwhile, The Bourbon Guy says that the single barrel is such an easy go-to pour that he had to hide the bottle just to save enough for the review.

You can easily find the bottle on the distillery's official website or at retailers such as Total Wine & More, while internationally it is shipped by importers like The Whisky Exchange. And if you enjoyed New Riff Single Barrel, you might also want to try the absolute best rye whiskeys, according to experts.