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.

According to the bottle's label, Johnny Drum served as a drummer boy in the year 1861 during the Confederate (Civil) War. At the end of the war, legend has it Johnny returned home to his native Kentucky, where he staked claim among a beautiful spring. Johnny learned the importance of finding a way to convert his excess corn crop into a profitable item, rather than allowing it to go to waste. As the story goes, it wasn't long before Johnny's determination produced an exceptional bourbon whiskey. Today, Johnny Drum is bottled in three forms (though only two are reflected on Willett's website as of this writing) - Johnny Drum Private Stock, Johnny Drum Black Label, and Johnny Drum Green Label (not reflected). Owned by Willett, but bottled under the Johnny Drum Distilling Company name, it is a sourced bourbon of undisclosed origin.