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New Riff 8 Year vs Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Comparing New Riff 8 Year and Maker’s Mark Cask Strength reveals a matchup between a modern, spice-driven craft expression and an uncut, wheated heavyweight.
Key Specifications
| Feature | New Riff 8 Year | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof |
| Mash Bill | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley |
| Age | 8 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 110 proof (55% ABV) +10 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$65 – $70 | ~$40 – $50 ~$23 less |
- 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.
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff 8 Year Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 8/3 spice: New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10
sweetness 6/9 sweetness: New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10
oak 7/5 oak: New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10
heat 5/7 heat: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10
fruit 5/5 fruit: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 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.
- 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.
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 the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
- Go with Maker’s Mark Cask Strength if you want wheated sweetness at full strength for well under what most cask-strength bourbons cost.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year); neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength).