New Riff Distilling's origin story isn't bourbon heritage passed through generations—it's entrepreneurial bourbon passion catching fire in a modern age. Ken Lewis built The Party Source, one of the region's landmark spirits retailers, before realizing he wanted to move from selling whiskey to making it. In 2014, he launched New Riff as an independent operation in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. What makes New Riff remarkable isn't nostalgia but conviction. While many craft distilleries chase gimmicks or rush immature spirits to market, New Riff committed to the Bottled-in-Bond standard—a 19th-century legal designation meaning the bourbon must be aged at least 4 years, bottled at exactly 100 proof, and distilled/bottled at the same location. This is not a trendy choice; it's a principled one. They also skip chill-filtering across their core expressions, letting the barrel-made character shine through rather than polishing it into submission. The 2026 World Whiskies Awards named New Riff's flagship Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon the World's Best Bourbon—a remarkable validation for a 12-year-old distillery. But more impressive than the award is that New Riff achieved it by doing less, not more: less filtering, fewer shortcuts, more respect for the process. In a bourbon landscape often cluttered with hype, New Riff proves that sometimes the best marketing is simply making exceptional whiskey.
- Founded by a spirits retailer who decided to make whiskey instead of just sell it
- World's Best Bourbon 2026 (World Whiskies Awards) for the Bottled-in-Bond expression
- Committed to Bottled-in-Bond standard across all core expressions—a legal guarantee that means something
- No chill-filtering—the bourbon loses its rough edges through time, not processing
- Located in Newport, KY, literally across the river from Cincinnati, making it the closest bourbon distillery to Ohio drinkers
- High-rye mash bill (65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley) creates a distinctly spicy, structured bourbon
- Private barrel program allows retailers and bars to select their own single barrels
- Four-year minimum age statement across all core expressions