The New Riff Distilling Bottled in Bond just picked up a major headline: at the World Whiskies Awards 2026 World Whiskies Awards, it was named Kentucky’s Best Bourbon and World’s Best Bourbon.
That is a serious claim for a bottle sitting right around $40 — which also means it slips neatly inside Bourbon Cheapskate territory.
That was enough to make me curious.
On Spring Break, I picked up a New Riff 6-Year Single Barrel store pick, and in my March 23 blind tasting recap, that bottle ended up being the best whiskey of the entire trip. So naturally, one question followed:
If New Riff Bottled in Bond is supposedly the best bourbon in the world, shouldn’t it at least be the best bourbon in its own family?
So I poured 1½ ounces into two numbered Glencairns, let them sit for about fifteen minutes, and tasted them blind.
Glencairn A
Light copper in color.
The nose opens with red fruit, light oak, brown sugar, and caramel. There’s a brightness to it that makes the pour feel lively from the start.
On the palate, a touch of leather arrives first, followed by brown sugar, cinnamon, and citrus peel. The mouthfeel is silky enough to keep everything moving cleanly into a respectable finish, where the citrus and brown sugar linger most clearly.
Score: 80.83
Glencairn B
Solid copper in color, slightly deeper in appearance.
The nose begins with a brief flash of ethanol, then settles into brown sugar, caramel, and milk chocolate — sweeter and richer than A.
The palate also opens with ethanol before turning toward spicy cinnamon, tart cherries, brown sugar, and caramel. The silky mouthfeel carries into a finish that lingers nicely with sweet brown sugar and cinnamon.
Score: 83.11
The Reveal
Glencairn B was the 6-Year Single Barrel store pick.
Glencairn A was the award-winning Bottled in Bond.
That means the world champion lost inside its own house.
So… Is It Really the Best Bourbon in the World?
No.
And honestly, saying so would be hyperbole.
That doesn’t mean the award is meaningless. In its competition field, New Riff clearly impressed enough judges to take home the trophy, and that says something. But on my shelf, it doesn’t rise to that level.
I currently have 58 different 100-proof bourbons and whiskeys, with roughly half of them bottled in bond.
Among those:
- It ranks 7th among all my 100-proof pours
- It ranks 3rd among my bottled-in-bond bottles
That is still excellent company.
The Real Bourbon Cheapskate Verdict
This bottle succeeds when you judge it for what it is: a very well-made, reliable bourbon that overdelivers for its price.
If you buy it expecting a life-changing pour because somebody handed it a trophy, you may come away disappointed.
If you buy it expecting a $40 bourbon that drinks above its class and delivers every time you pour it, you’ll understand exactly why people keep talking about it.
And that, in Bourbon Cheapskate terms, is a win. 🥃
