In Its First Year On The Market, Kentucky’s New Riff Distilling Makes Its Presence Known

Ken Lewis spent 38 years as the owner of Bellevue, Kentucky liquor retailer The Party Source, building it into a $40-million-a-year business and becoming a Market Watch Leader along the way. But five years ago Lewis switched careers and became a distiller. After selling The Party Source to employees, in 2014 he launched Newport, Kentucky-based New Riff Distilling.

New Riff rolled out its first products, New Riff Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon ($40 a 750-ml.) and Single Barrel Bourbon ($50), in the fall of 2018. Those were followed by its Bottled-In-Bond Rye ($48) early this year. The releases have garnered critical acclaim, with the rye recently earning a place on Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 Whiskies of The Year list.

New Riff focuses exclusively on bottled-in-bond and single barrel whiskies. “That’s our baseline,” says Lewis, adding that his vision is for the company to become one of the great small distilleries of the world. To help achieve that goal, he tapped the consulting services of master distiller Larry Ebersold, whose pedigree includes decades of experience at Seagram’s Lawrenceburg, Indiana distillery (today’s MGP). He also hired ex-brewer Brian Sprance, formerly of The Boston Beer Co., as head distiller. Jay Erisman, who worked at The Party Source with Lewis, is a co-founder and serves as vice president of strategic development.

While bottled-in-bond is the core focus, New Riff devotes a high level of attention to its single barrel program. “For many distillers, single barrels can be a nuisance because they get in the way of production efficiencies—it doesn’t move the needle much to sell a few barrels to someone,” says Lewis. “But we expect to sell over half of our core products in single barrels. We’re also selling quarter- and half-barrels to the on-premise, and to individuals and groups, so that people can become involved in the experience.”

Further down the road, New Riff also plans to release aged expressions that go well beyond bottled-in-bond’s 4-year requirement. “We hold back at least a third of our production for further aging,” Lewis says. “Long-term, older products will help establish our reputation, so we’re highly committed to making 8-, 10-, and 12-year-old whiskies.”

New Riff is also a contract distiller, although its own brands are taking a rising share of total production. Branded production this year will account for 5,250 barrels, or about 66%, of a total production of 8,000 barrels. “Within about two or three years, around 90% of our production will be for our own brands,” Lewis adds. This year, New Riff expects to sell around 23,000 cases, with an eventual goal of hitting the 65,000-75,000-case mark.

The portfolio is widely available in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, with limited distribution in Nashville and a Michigan launch planned for next year. In some other markets, New Riff has been developing relationships with key retailers, including K&L Wine Merchants, Binny’s Beverage Depot, Total Wine & More, Astor Wine & Spirits, Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, BottleBuys, and Happy Harry’s. “We’re looking to find first-class retail partners and develop long-term relationships, in terms of their support and brand-building,” says Lewis.—David Fleming

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