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New Riff 8 Year vs Old Grand-Dad Bonded
Comparing New Riff 8 Year and Old Grand-Dad Bonded is a closer contest than it looks — both are high-rye bourbons, separated mainly by price (~$65 – $70 vs. ~$24 – $30).
Key Specifications
| Feature | New Riff 8 Year | Old Grand-Dad Bonded |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley | 63% corn, 27% rye, 10% malted barley |
| Age | 8 years +4 yr | 4 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$65 – $70 | ~$24 – $30 ~$41 less |
- Old Grand-Dad Bonded 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.
Old Grand-Dad Bonded
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff 8 Year Old Grand-Dad Bonded
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 7/5 oak: New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10, Old Grand-Dad Bonded 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/5 nuttiness: New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10, Old Grand-Dad Bonded 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/5 sweetness: New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10, Old Grand-Dad Bonded 5 out of 10
fruit 5/4 fruit: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Old Grand-Dad Bonded 4 out of 10
heat 5/6 heat: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Old Grand-Dad Bonded 6 out of 10
spice 8/8 spice: New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10, Old Grand-Dad Bonded 8 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating 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.
- Old Grand-Dad Bonded: A bonded 100-proof high-rye bourbon for the price of a mixer, and one of the great bargains on the shelf. Cleaner and less overwhelming than the 114 while keeping the peppery rye backbone.
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 and with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
- Go with Old Grand-Dad Bonded if you want a bonded, high-rye workhorse at mixer money.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year); neat, old-fashioned, cocktails (Old Grand-Dad Bonded).