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New Riff 8 Year vs New Riff Single Barrel
Comparing New Riff 8 Year and New Riff Single Barrel is a closer contest than it looks — both are high-rye bourbons, separated mainly by age (8 years vs. 5 years).
Key Specifications
| Feature | New Riff 8 Year | New Riff Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | 8 years +3 yr | 5 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 105 proof (52.5% ABV) +5 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$65 – $70 | ~$55 – $70 ~$5 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.
New Riff Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff 8 Year New Riff Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 6/4 sweetness: New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 4 out of 10
heat 5/7 heat: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 7 out of 10
spice 8/9 spice: New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 9 out of 10
oak 7/6 oak: New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 6 out of 10
fruit 5/5 fruit: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- 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.
- New Riff Single Barrel: The single-barrel expression of New Riff's 30% rye mash, non-chill-filtered and at higher proof than the bonded version. As dry and peppery as bourbon gets before it stops being bourbon.
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 an older age statement.
- Go with New Riff Single Barrel if you want the most aggressively spice-driven bourbon in this list, with single-barrel variation on top at a slightly lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff Single Barrel).