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New Riff 8 Year vs Eagle Rare 12 Year
New Riff 8 Year and Eagle Rare 12 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a new-wave, rye-forward craft style versus an old-guard, classically built classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | New Riff 8 Year | Eagle Rare 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | 8 years | 12 years +4 yr |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +5 proof | 95 proof (47.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$65 – $70 | ~$50 – $80 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- Eagle Rare 12 Year does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
New Riff 8 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Eagle Rare 12 Year
Top 3, behind George T. Stagg and Jack Daniel's 14.
Flavor Profile
New Riff 8 Year Eagle Rare 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 8/5 spice: New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/7 sweetness: New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
fruit 5/6 fruit: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 6 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 4 out of 10
oak 7/7 oak: New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Rye spice is the dividing line here.
- 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.
- Eagle Rare 12 Year: Two more years and five more proof points than Eagle Rare 10. Brown sugar and toffee lead, with a drier, more astringent oak finish.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with New Riff 8 Year if you want an older, deeper take on New Riff's spicy high-rye recipe without hunting for it and with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
- Go with Eagle Rare 12 Year if you want an older, richer step up from Eagle Rare 10 with more brown sugar and oak with an older age statement.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year); neat, rocks (Eagle Rare 12 Year).