New Riff Distilling has announced the rerelease of Balboa Rye, the distillery’s specialty whiskey initially released in 2019, made from heirloom grains.
“Balboa Rye holds a special place in our hearts and in the story of New Riff, as it’s the first whiskey ‘riff’ that we created with an heirloom grain,” says co-founder and vice president Jay Erisman.
Balboa rye is an heirloom grain dating back to the 1940s and was a popular rye variety in the region. New Riff has distilled batches of Balboa rye for years, still the only known example currently on the market.
Bottled without chill filtration at 100 proof with a mashbill of 95% Balboa rye and 5% malted rye, Balboa Rye opens with spiced, red fruit and clove notes, the distillery reports, progressing to hints of pure rye bread and black and white pepper with an emergence of a horehound candy and pink peppercorn presence to finish.
“When we first encountered Balboa rye from our trusted corn farmer, we knew it had the potential to create something truly extraordinary. Now having expanded Balboa production, we’re excited in 2025 to bring it back for the first time in over a year,” Erisman says.
Balboa Rye is available beginning Friday, Jan. 31, for the suggested retail price of $54.99 per 750-ml. bottle. It’s available throughout the distillery’s distribution network and for online shipping through the distillery’s website (where available). Bottles will also be available at the distillery.
This follows the recent release of New Riff Biscuit Malt Rye Whiskey.
