The story of New Riff Balboa Rye begins with their trusted corn farmer and continues with the honor of being recognized as one of Whisky Advocate's Most Exciting Whiskies of 2025.  Made with Balboa rye- an heirloom grain dating back to the 1940s- this whiskey carries both heritage and acclaim.

With a mashbill of 5% malted rye and 95% Balboa rye, its 2019 debut made it the first company to distill the variety in decades and is the only example on the market today. Aged 4 years and Bottled-in-Bond without chill filtration, Balboa Rye illustrates what additional experience and time can yield in the glass. 

We sat down with New Riff Master Distiller Brian Sprance to learn more about their craft and where you can find this special release.

In the coming months, we will continue to highlight stories from across our customer community and share distiller perspectives on what it takes to create award-winning spirits.

Check out Whisky Advocate’s full review here.

Discover more about New Riff Distilling online at newriffdistilling.com.