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New Riff Single Barrel vs Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year
New Riff Single Barrel and Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a new-wave, rye-forward craft style versus an uncut, rye-forward heavyweight.
Key Specifications
| Feature | New Riff Single Barrel | Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon, Barrel Proof |
| Mash Bill | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley | 70% corn, 25% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | 5 years | 7 years +2 yr |
| Proof | 105 proof (52.5% ABV) | 115.2 proof (57.6% ABV) +10 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$60 – $65 |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
New Riff Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
New Riff Single Barrel Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 4/7 sweetness: New Riff Single Barrel 4 out of 10, Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year 7 out of 10
spice 9/7 spice: New Riff Single Barrel 9 out of 10, Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year 7 out of 10
oak 6/7 oak: New Riff Single Barrel 6 out of 10, Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year 7 out of 10
heat 7/8 heat: New Riff Single Barrel 7 out of 10, Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year 8 out of 10
fruit 5/5 fruit: New Riff Single Barrel 5 out of 10, Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: New Riff Single Barrel 3 out of 10, Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- 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.
- Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year: Penelope's uncut flagship, now with a seven-year age statement. It is richer and spicier than the Four Grain, with caramel and rye spice carried by a lot of proof.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with New Riff Single Barrel if you want the most aggressively spice-driven bourbon in this list, with single-barrel variation on top.
- Go with Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year if you want a well-priced, seven-year, uncut blend with real depth and spice with an older age statement.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (New Riff Single Barrel); neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Barrel Strength 7 Year).