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Four Roses Small Batch Select vs New Riff Single Barrel
On paper Four Roses Small Batch Select and New Riff Single Barrel are near neighbours — both high-rye bourbons — so age (6 years vs. 5 years) is what actually decides it.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Four Roses Small Batch Select | New Riff Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | 6 years +1 yr | 5 years |
| Proof | 104 proof (52% ABV) | 105 proof (52.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$55 – $65 | ~$55 – $70 |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Four Roses Small Batch Select
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
New Riff Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Four Roses Small Batch Select New Riff Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
fruit 8/5 fruit: Four Roses Small Batch Select 8 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/4 sweetness: Four Roses Small Batch Select 6 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 4 out of 10
spice 7/9 spice: Four Roses Small Batch Select 7 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 9 out of 10
heat 6/7 heat: Four Roses Small Batch Select 6 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 7 out of 10
oak 6/6 oak: Four Roses Small Batch Select 6 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 6 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Four Roses Small Batch Select 3 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Fruit character is what sets these apart.
- Four Roses Small Batch Select: Six recipes, non-chill-filtered, at 104 proof, and the most complete thing Four Roses makes at a normal price. The house fruit character with enough proof and texture to carry it.
- New Riff Single Barrel: The single-barrel expression of New Riff's 30% rye mash, non-chill-filtered and at higher proof than the bonded version. As dry and peppery as bourbon gets before it stops being bourbon.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Four Roses Small Batch Select if you want the fullest expression of the Four Roses fruit-forward style without chasing an allocated bottle.
- Go with New Riff Single Barrel if you want the most aggressively spice-driven bourbon in this list, with single-barrel variation on top.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Four Roses Small Batch Select); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff Single Barrel).