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Maker's Mark vs New Riff 8 Year
Comparing Maker's Mark and New Riff 8 Year reveals a matchup between a traditional, wheated Kentucky staple and a modern, spice-driven craft expression.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | New Riff 8 Year |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 8 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$25 – $32 ~$39 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
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
New Riff 8 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark New Riff 8 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/8 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10
oak 4/7 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10
sweetness 8/6 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10
heat 3/5 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Rye spice is the dividing line here.
- Maker's Mark: The bottle that made wheated bourbon mainstream. Soft, sweet, and deliberately low on spice and oak, with baked bread and honey doing most of the work. Consistency is its real feature.
- 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 if you want a reliably sweet, low-spice wheater that is easy to find and easy to drink at a significantly lower price point.
- Go with New Riff 8 Year if you want an older, deeper take on New Riff's spicy high-rye recipe with more proof behind it and with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year).