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New Riff Bottled-in-Bond vs Maker's Mark
New Riff Bottled-in-Bond and Maker's Mark sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a new-wave, rye-forward craft style versus an old-guard, wheat-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | New Riff Bottled-in-Bond | 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 | 4 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$38 – $45 | ~$25 – $32 ~$13 less |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
New Riff Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Maker's Mark
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff Bottled-in-Bond Maker's Mark
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 9/2 spice: New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 9 out of 10, Maker's Mark 2 out of 10
sweetness 4/8 sweetness: New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10, Maker's Mark 8 out of 10
heat 6/3 heat: New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10, Maker's Mark 3 out of 10
oak 5/4 oak: New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10, Maker's Mark 4 out of 10
fruit 5/4 fruit: New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10, Maker's Mark 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10, Maker's Mark 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Rye spice is the dividing line here.
- New Riff Bottled-in-Bond: At 30% rye this is about as spice-forward as bourbon gets before becoming rye whiskey. Peppery and herbal with mint and dill, non-chill-filtered for texture, and noticeably dry rather than sweet.
- 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 Bottled-in-Bond if you want aggressive rye spice and a dry, herbal profile from a modern craft distillery with more proof behind it.
- 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 lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned, cocktails (New Riff Bottled-in-Bond); neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark).