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Maker’s Mark Cask Strength vs New Riff Single Barrel
Put Maker’s Mark Cask Strength next to New Riff Single Barrel and you have an uncut, high-wheat heavyweight set against a contemporary, high-rye craft build.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength | New Riff Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 5 years |
| Proof | 110 proof (55% ABV) +5 proof | 105 proof (52.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$40 – $50 ~$18 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 Cask Strength
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
New Riff Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength New Riff Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 3/9 spice: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 9 out of 10
sweetness 9/4 sweetness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 4 out of 10
oak 5/6 oak: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 6 out of 10
fruit 5/5 fruit: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 5 out of 10
heat 7/7 heat: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 7 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 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 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 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 Cask Strength if you want wheated sweetness at full strength for well under what most cask-strength bourbons cost.
- 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 the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff Single Barrel).