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Maker’s Mark 46 vs New Riff Single Barrel
Maker’s Mark 46 and New Riff Single Barrel sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, wheat-forward classic versus a new-wave, rye-forward craft style.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker’s Mark 46 | New Riff Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 5 years |
| Proof | 94 proof (47% ABV) | 105 proof (52.5% ABV) +11 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$38 – $45 ~$21 less | ~$55 – $70 |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Maker’s Mark 46
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
New Riff Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker’s Mark 46 New Riff Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 4/9 spice: Maker’s Mark 46 4 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 9 out of 10
sweetness 8/4 sweetness: Maker’s Mark 46 8 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 4 out of 10
heat 4/7 heat: Maker’s Mark 46 4 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 7 out of 10
oak 7/6 oak: Maker’s Mark 46 7 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 6 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Maker’s Mark 46 4 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker’s Mark 46 3 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Rye spice is the dividing line here.
- Maker’s Mark 46: Finished with seared French oak staves inside the barrel, which adds the spice and wood that the standard bottling deliberately lacks. The most useful upgrade in the Maker's range.
- 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 Maker’s Mark 46 if you want the softness of Maker's Mark with real oak and spice layered over it at a lower price point.
- Go with New Riff Single Barrel if you want the most aggressively spice-driven bourbon in this list, with single-barrel variation on top with more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Maker’s Mark 46); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff Single Barrel).