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New Riff 8 Year vs Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond
New Riff 8 Year and Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 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 | Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley | Not disclosed |
| Age | 8 years +4 yr | 4 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$65 – $70 | ~$16 – $22 ~$49 less |
- Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 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.
Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff 8 Year Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 8/5 spice: New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
oak 7/5 oak: New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
fruit 5/4 fruit: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 5 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.
- Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond: A bonded 100-proof bourbon at a price that barely seems possible, though distribution is patchy outside Kentucky. Unremarkable in the best way: it does everything a bourbon should and nothing extra.
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 Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded Kentucky bourbon for under twenty dollars, if you can find it in your state.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year); neat, rocks, old-fashioned, cocktails (Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond).