Compare
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength vs New Riff 8 Year
Comparing Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and New Riff 8 Year reveals a matchup between an uncut, wheated heavyweight and a modern, spice-driven craft expression.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength | New Riff 8 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 8 years |
| Proof | 110 proof (55% ABV) +10 proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$40 – $50 ~$23 less | ~$65 – $70 |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
New Riff 8 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength New Riff 8 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 3/8 spice: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10
sweetness 9/6 sweetness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10
oak 5/7 oak: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10
heat 7/5 heat: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10
fruit 5/5 fruit: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- Maker’s Mark Cask Strength: Undiluted Maker's, and the version that finally gives the wheated recipe some weight. Dense caramel and honey with real warmth, and one of the more affordable cask-strength bottles anywhere.
- New Riff 8 Year: The older, deeper version of New Riff's bonded bourbon. Same 30% rye recipe, but eight years add richer oak and darker sugar while keeping the spice front and center.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Maker’s Mark Cask Strength if you want wheated sweetness at full strength for well under what most cask-strength bourbons cost.
- Go with New Riff 8 Year if you want an older, deeper take on New Riff's spicy high-rye recipe with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year).