Compare
New Riff 8 Year vs Maker's Mark
Comparing New Riff 8 Year and Maker's Mark reveals a matchup between a modern, spice-driven craft expression and a traditional, wheated Kentucky staple.
Key Specifications
| Feature | New Riff 8 Year | Maker's Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon |
| 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) +10 proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$65 – $70 | ~$25 – $32 ~$39 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
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff 8 Year Maker's Mark
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 8/2 spice: New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10, Maker's Mark 2 out of 10
oak 7/4 oak: New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10, Maker's Mark 4 out of 10
sweetness 6/8 sweetness: New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10, Maker's Mark 8 out of 10
heat 5/3 heat: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Maker's Mark 3 out of 10
fruit 5/4 fruit: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Maker's Mark 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10, Maker's Mark 3 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.
- 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.
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 more proof behind it and with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
- 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.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year); neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark).