Bourbon Women × New Riff Distillery
Virtual · John & Shauna were there
Where we are.
Both of us are logging in live from New Riff with Bourbon Women. The bottled-in-bond program is the part to know, and the team makes a strong case for what ‘craft Kentucky’ looks like next. New Riff is the answer to whether new distilleries can earn shelf space against the legacy houses.
The detail.
What is New Riff Distillery?
New Riff Distillery at 24 Distillery Way in Newport, Kentucky (across the Ohio River from Cincinnati) is one of the most respected craft programs of the last decade. Founded in 2014 by Kentucky liquor retailer Ken Lewis (formerly of The Party Source); Brian Sprance is Master Distiller (named MD in January 2024 after serving as head distiller since 2014). The first bottled-in-bond bourbon released in 2018.
New Riff is the first Kentucky sour-mash whiskey distillery to commit exclusively to the Bottled-in-Bond standard since 1897. The flagship Kentucky Straight Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond runs a high-rye mash bill (65/30/5). New Riff’s Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon won ‘World’s Best Bourbon’ at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards.