Distillery
New Riff
In 2014, Kentucky entrepreneur Ken Lewis opened New Riff in Newport, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. The site sits at the gateway to the Bourbon Trail in Northern Kentucky. It is still owned by a single family, which keeps a tight grip on quality. The distillery draws its own well water straight from the Ohio River Alluvial Aquifer beneath the building. Newport happens to hold the densest, most limestone-rich water along the whole length of that aquifer. That hard, mineral-heavy water shapes the spirit before it ever touches oak. New Riff bottles nearly everything Bottled in Bond and without chill filtration, keeping the whisky full-flavoured and honest. Its high-rye bourbon went on to win World's Best Bourbon at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards.
