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