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New Riff 8 Year vs Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
New Riff 8 Year and Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 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 | Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | 8 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +6 proof | 94 proof (47% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$65 – $70 | ~$60 – $80 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Limited |
- 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.
Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff 8 Year Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 8/5 spice: New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/8 sweetness: New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 8 out of 10
oak 7/9 oak: New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 9 out of 10
nuttiness 3/5 nuttiness: New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 5 out of 10
fruit 5/4 fruit: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 4 out of 10
heat 5/4 heat: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 4 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- 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.
- Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel: Finished in a second toasted (not charred) barrel, which produces an unmistakable toasted-marshmallow note. Sweet and heavily wooded, and one of the more distinctive finishes any major producer makes.
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 with slightly more proof behind it and without hunting for it.
- Go with Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel if you want a distinctive toasted-oak, marshmallow-sweet finish you will not find in a standard bourbon.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year); neat, rocks (Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel).