New Riff Bottled in Bond vs Eagle Rare Blind Bourbon Review | Best Bourbon Under $50
New Riff Bottled in Bond
Best Bourbon Under $50? Let’s Find Out the Hard Way.
There’s a moment in bourbon where hype gets loud enough that you have to stop… pour a glass… and actually test it.
That’s exactly where we found ourselves after the American Whiskey Masters named New Riff Bottled in Bond Bourbon the best bourbon overall — regardless of price.
Not “best value.”
Not “best under $50.”
Best. Bourbon. Period.
So naturally… we didn’t believe it.
The Lineup: Budget vs Legends
If you’re going to test a claim like that, you don’t go easy.
We poured New Riff blind against three bourbons that live in completely different lanes:
Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon
A 10-year, highly allocated favorite from Buffalo Trace that people chase like it’s a trophy.Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year Bourbon
A 7-year age-stated Bottled-in-Bond that quietly punches way above its price point.Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
A wheated, limited release bourbon with a premium price and serious expectations.
And then…
New Riff Bottled in Bond
A $40 bourbon stepping into a fight it probably shouldn’t win.
Why This Blind Tasting Matters
Here’s the thing about bourbon right now:
Allocated bottles drive hype
Awards drive attention
Price drives perception
But none of those actually tell you what matters most:
👉 What does it taste like?
That’s why we do blind tastings.
No labels.
No bias.
No “I paid $120 so I need this to be good.”
Just the glass.
The Award That Started the Argument
When American Whiskey Masters gave New Riff that top spot, it raised a real question:
Are bourbon awards actually reflecting what people enjoy drinking… or what judges prefer in a controlled setting?
Because those aren’t always the same thing.
New Riff is:
Bottled in Bond (100 proof)
Non-chill filtered
Relatively young compared to 10-year competitors
On paper, it shouldn’t beat:
Older bourbons
Allocated bottles
Premium wheated releases
And yet… here we are.
Blind Tasting: What We Look For
When we evaluate bourbon on Tortured Bourbon, we’re not chasing unicorns—we’re asking real questions:
Is the flavor balanced?
Does the finish stick around or disappear?
Would you actually pour a second glass?
And most importantly… is it worth the price?
Because “best bourbon” doesn’t mean anything if nobody actually wants to drink it twice.
The Real Battle: Value vs Reputation
This lineup turned into something bigger than just “which bourbon tastes best.”
It became:
$40 vs $80+ bottles
Shelf bourbon vs allocated bourbon
Consistency vs prestige
And this is where things get uncomfortable for bourbon culture…
Because sometimes the bottle people chase…
isn’t the one they’d pick blind.
So… Is New Riff the Best Bourbon Under $50?
We’re not going to spoil the winner here.
But we will say this:
This blind tasting did exactly what it was supposed to do.
It challenged assumptions.
It exposed bias.
And it reminded us why we started doing this in the first place.
Because bourbon is better when:
It’s honest
It’s shared
And it’s judged by what’s in the glass… not on the label
Final Thoughts: Bourbon Without the Noise
If you take one thing away from this showdown, it’s this:
Awards don’t drink the bourbon. You do.
And whether New Riff lives up to the hype or not…
the only opinion that actually matters…
is yours.
Watch the Full Blind Tasting
👉 https://youtu.be/VbrxnU5SOBw
Join the Tortured Bourbon Crew
We drop new episodes twice a week breaking down:
Blind bourbon tastings
Budget vs allocated showdowns
Bottled-in-Bond deep dives
And whatever the bourbon world is arguing about this week
👉 Visit TorturedBourbon.com
👉 Grab some gear
👉 Jump into the Discord (Mike’s running it… we just show up and drink)
Drop Your Pick
Before (or after) you watch:
Who are you taking?
New Riff
Eagle Rare
Heaven Hill
Old Fitz
And more importantly…
👉 Are you picking with your palate… or your expectations? 😏
