New Riff Distilling

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our tour at New Riff. Prior to our tour we visited the bar Aquifer and enjoyed a pour of the 8 year as well as the Silver Grove. The tour started with a pour of their Bottled in Bond while we sat at a table and listened to introductions using the ear buds they provided. Next, we walked through the distillery and enjoyed pours of the single barrel, the rye, and white dog while visiting different areas. The tour ended upstairs in the bar Aquifer where we sampled the single malt and a surprise pour of malted rye. We really enjoyed the combination of sipping while visiting different areas but also having a few pours seated as a group. The week we visited was cleaning week so we didn’t get to witness distilling in action, but it was our first time seeing a completely empty shiny vat. Our tour guide Dan was engaging and fun. New Riff bourbon easily belongs on every bourbon lover’s shelf or bar. It’s not just their double gold awards that put them there - it’s the experience, the product, the mouth feel, and the atmosphere. There’s an old cliche that says if you can’t run with the big dogs you should stay on the porch - well welcome to the pack, New Riff. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

New Riff Distillery offers a remarkable experience for whiskey enthusiasts and novices alike. Nestled in Newport, Kentucky, this distillery combines traditional methods with innovative techniques, creating a unique lineup of high-quality spirits. The guided tours are insightful, showcasing the meticulous craftsmanship behind each bottle. One of the highlights is the bar on the top floor, which is a must-visit before heading to the gift shop. The ambiance is perfect for savoring their diverse range of whiskeys, allowing you to taste before you purchase. The knowledgeable staff can guide you through each pour, ensuring you find the perfect bottle to take home. Overall, New Riff Distillery is a top-tier destination that promises a comprehensive and enjoyable whiskey experience.

Fun & entertaining tour. Several tastings throughout the tour. Worth doing if you are in the area. I liked hearing the back story on the start of the company & the owners (original owner of the Party Source). The tour guide was lovely (Grover) He has been there from the beginning & obviously passionate about the business himself. New Riff - new take on a treasured tradition - I think he worded it better than that 😅

Loved this tour and distillery! I was already a fan of the product. DJ was a great tour guide ( tell her Mrs. Justin says hi 😆) who was knowledge, funny, and a lot of fun! We got to taste the mash which was really cool! The tour price was super reasonable. The store and the items they sell are top quality. The bar is great and we had some great pours! Eric was an awesome bartender. Highly recommend and I would go back!

Only photos, but an incredible experience! This is one of several stops along the Trail, conveniently located near other attractions that make it worth visiting. They offer a fantastic selection of packages to optimize each visitor's experience. Highly recommended!

Great place to stop in and try some bourbons that you can't buy off the shelf. Bar staff was very nice and made great recommendations. Everything in my tasting flight was great! Can't wait to go back and try a cocktail next time.

Most exciting thing in 2024? The newly remodeled tasting room at New Riff. We come down here a few times a week when we are in town and man does this team deliver. Not every craft distillery is doing it well but the team at New Riff is competing at a high level they give the old guard a run for their money. Shout out to Eric who is always amazing and takes great care of us!

My first visit to the distillery and I absolutely loved the aquifer! Everyone here was wonderful, super cool and you could tell, passionate about whiskey. We came to celebrate the 10th year anniversary and that Headliner was absolutely worth the trip! Can’t wait to go back!

you might wonder form the outside can this place have ambiance, I was hooked at ease of parking. But inside is modern and comfortable, the inside seating was great a huge bar area and tables and chairs and lounge style areas. Outside there was a deck with plenty more seating. But we are here for more than Ambiance right, the drinks were really good. They had some really fun cocktails on the menu. They also have a tour available.

I've been a long time fan of their bourbon and have toured here before, and my recent experience was wonderful! The distillery is beautiful and has such a lovely layout. The bourbon tasting room/bar is stunning, and would be wonderful for any event. My most recent tour was led by Dan. He was very kind, welcoming, and easy-going. I've been on quite a few tours, and generally hear a lot of similar information about bourbon, but it was particularly fun to hear so many unique facts about New Riff specifically. They really do make a unique product and are creative with their liquor. it was a very enjoyable experience finished with absolutely delicious bourbon. Taking this tour is absolutely something you should consider.

Wow! What a great place. Walkable from hotels, great parking options & snazzy cocktail, whiskey and drink options. Amazing patio and seating vignettes.

We had a great experience at New Riff with a group tour and tasting. Our guide was personable and knowledgeable. The facility was beautiful. We learned a lot and enjoyed tastings during the tour. My husband enjoyed the bourbon so much that he and a friend also purchased flights afterwards. We'll be back!

We went to this for the whiskey tour and it was one of the better distillery tours I've been on! Grover (if that is his real name) was a great guide who focused on different parts of the process with a lot more flair than some of the others I've been on. It was a really cool experience and the whiskey is great too! Can't recommend it enough definitely also go to party supply across the Parking lot for a really cool store we definitely couldn't have in PA.

Amazing spot, even if it's all about the pics! It's one of the cool stops on the Trail and it's right by some other great places you'll wanna check out. They've got some awesome package deals that really make the visit even better. The New fashioned is very good and totally recommend swinging by!

New Riff I have long wanted to visit and absolutely loved the beauty of The Aquifer & the kindness of their staff. And the drinks were great too! My husband got a flight and I had the Bizzy Izzy which tasted kinda like applesauce and was super delicious! We will definitely be back.

A relatively new small distillery (2014) that is literally across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. They offer a Bourbon,Rye and a Malted Rye as well as a Gin. Independently owned. Great looking bottles. Four tours are offered but you must book in advance. There is a fantastic rooftop bar - Aquifer- that offers specialty cocktails,samples and flights. Since it was Derby weekend,we tried their Mint Julep with Rye and an Old Fashion. Both cocktails were phenomenal. Recipes are posted on their website. They do have a small gift shop. Prices are about the same as a Liquor Barn or Binnys . This is definitely a distillery to visit and support their products.

Located next to Party Source. This is a great distillery with many choices of fine spirits. This is the Aquifer tasting room on the top floor of New Riff. An excellent place to sample, learn and purchase downstairs. Great place to do some fine spirits.

I love me a good bourbon, therefore when in rome...! I booked a tour that included tastings and a behind the sciences tour of the facility. Cool tour, pretty big space. Grover was our guide and he was hilarious! We got the history of the company along with the process and differences between some of their top sellers. If you just want to hang, the gift shop has cool things to offer and there's a bar right outside.

This is a great find. My grandson mentioned this as a good new whiskey. Wow the tour was fabulous. the guide, Kevin, really knew his stuff. We j=got a good understanding of how they got started and their way of producing really great bourbons and whisky. The finish is a tasting of 5 of their products. Wow a nice treat and great way of trying and finding what you like. We bought some swag and got my grandson the malted rye.

We enjoyed having cocktails here and appreciated the fine view and comfortable seating choices. Service was just okay.

I'm not trying to hold their current construction against them, but I'm also taking into account we've stopped here on 4 previous occasions and they've always been closed for random reasons. I enjoy their varieties but the distillery seems unorganized and too expensive across the board (the drinks at their bar and their merchandise namely), especially compared to any of their peers.

What a place and what a tour! On our way to Louisville, my boyfriend and I stopped at New Riff Distilling. Party Source is also in the same parking lot. The owners of New Riff used to own Party Source, until they decided to open a distillery and they sold Party Source to their employees, as rules state you can't own both tiers of a business (store and distillery). We took a tour with such an amazing gentleman. I didn't catch his name at the beginning of the tour, but he was excellent in his knowledge and disposition. He let us smell the different barrels that were up on the second floor and told us great facts, etc. He was friendly and personable. Definitely take this tour. It is more in-depth than some of the other bourbon tours you will experience in Kentucky. My favorite was the rye we tasted. Everything was smooth though and delicious.

Great tour today with Grover as our tour guide. We were able to taste lots of varieties of bourbon, rye and gin. Nice gift shop with good selection and reasonable prices. Check it out if you are in the area!

Trendy place for the younger crowd. The bourbon leaves a lot to be desired. It's off a busy street, but parking wasn't a problem.

Had some delicious cocktails on their newly-opened 3rd level, which is open to folks even outside of those doing tastings or tours. The interior decoration choices are gorgeous- very similar to spots out west. It seems like it might be a good vantage point of the River, but unfortunately the windows aren't placed on that wall and most of the view is overlooking the parking lot of the party source. It's a nicer higher-end spot but if you go earlier in the day you surely can be dressed more casually. You may experience a significant wait at the bar regardless of if it's busy or not, but there's plenty of space to chat with others as you're waiting. Absolutely worth checking out at least once!

New Riff completely redid the third floor into a beautiful, inviting bar area with a pretty awesome view and patio area. The new fashioned cocktail was also on point.

If you find yourself in the northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area do yourself a favor and stop at New Riff. Everyone is so nice. The cocktails are delicious. We split a flight to start- dealers choice. Then each had two cocktails. The gin martini was very refreshing, the honey one was sweet and you couldn't taste the alcohol at all, but the real winner was the leader cocktail. So yummy!! The rooftop is spacious and the atmosphere was awesome. Great tunes and vibes!

Sadly, we didn't catch the distillery tour but had some tastings and wondered around the shop. They sell quality drinks and gifts in a casual atmosphere - totally worth checking out if you are in the area.

A bit pricey. They only have a few options but all were pretty good. Not my first choice but nice place if your out and want to meet some friends. Limited cocktail choices.

Bring on the bourbon as you so know it's one more round it's bottles to the ground! Coming here for a few drinks with my friends was just awesome as how can you ever go wrong going to a distillery especially one like this! They have a limited capacity inside because of current times but we were lucky enough to not wait that long to get in once seated we had a few drinks all of which were totally yummy and just what was good for the time being! They have many different types of bourbon here that was awesome as it made for many yummy drinks so much so! Overall this distillery rocks and I hope to come back here again at some point for a few more drinks with friends as it's just what was good on this given day!

Our daughter treated us to distillery tour at New Riff and it was an absolute hoot! Our guide has worked at New Riff since it opened and was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of distilling as well as incredibly personable. From the ground-floor introduction, we went up one flight to the fermenting rooms and got to see 6000 gallon barrels of whiskey, which initially starts as beer, at different stages of the fermentation process. The newest, least fermented batch was hot and bubbling, which really surprised me! Then we got to see the six story still, an amazing construction of copper, and learned how the natural aquifer beneath New Riff feeds the whiskey through the entire process of production. From there, it was up a flight to try five or six samples of New Riff's best. Really delicious. This was a great experience worth checking out. You get a $10 discount on a $25 spend in the gift shop, too.

I visited Louisville KY 2 years ago and was pleased to have "New Riff" named as a favorite up-and-coming distillery by another distillery tour guide. I was fortunate enough to be added as an alternate / plus "1" to a regular barrel purchase group tasting on 5/5/2021 and it was an extraordinary experience. The New Riff team has mastered social distancing adjustments to allow this great experience. Now, the important part - the bourbon. If you haven't tried New Riff yet, what are you waiting for? It's carried in most Ohio liquor shelves I've seen - and is a very reasonable price point for the quality. Pick up a bottle. I think you will find New Riff to have great flavor and represents bourbon very well. This is on my short list of favorite single pour bourbons - that is, my single ounce poured over a large ice cube and sipped. It makes any day a little bit better to reflect while enjoying the notes only a glass of bourbon can deliver. The bourbon barrel purchasing group experience. Our mentor/guide was really knowledgeable and gave us a tour of the grounds and we were even able to walk through some barrel storage. I cannot adequately describe how remarkable a large warehouse filled with wooden structure racks holding barrels of bourbon other than it is one of the best things I have ever smelled in my life (and I've smelled babies, puppies, and fresh bread). It is absolutely delightful - comforting, warm, and (pun intended) intoxicating. While New Riff is a newer distiller (and I'm anxiously awaiting their 6-yr Rye); they have taken over grounds formerly used as a trolley / bus / dairy service line with the oldest building from 1899 in Covington, Kentucky. The architecture of the facilities are a striking mix of the old structure and new structures; traditional components and modern. The tasting room has a nice view of the facility and is well appointed to choose your designated samples. As a team, we reviewed the descriptions of 20-24 barrels and chose our collective top "3". The 3 chosen are drawn for you and placed into 2 (ish) ounce vials marked "A", "B", and "C" for your blind tasting. As a group, we vote, rate, and chose our final highest score and you have chosen your barrel to purchase. The last step is to draw samples (6ish ounces) marked and labeled with the barrel number and the "SOLD" tag is placed on the barrel and it is re-closed and scheduled for bottling. How much is a barrel? It really depends on the bourbon and the distiller. An average barrel yields about 200 bottles of bourbon. The per bottle price varies - but take a walk through your favorite liquor store and you will quickly see the median range for bourbon is $30 - $60/bottle. I believe the average price we've paid so far have been just under $50/bottle for barrel picks, assuming we have enough buyers. Our portion of the group purchase? I order one case, my significant other orders one case, his brother, one case - so we line up for 18 bottles of the 200.

We have been going to New Riff since they opened and love the place! They've had great events we've attended. Their remodeling and changes look very nice. And the bourbon, drinks are super!

We went to visit because of the Balboa Rye. I bought several more bottles - and then I bought several single barrel versions, and a few other bottles, lol. I bought a LOT of bottles. New Riff isn't the "storied and historical" distillery. This is science, passion, and a good measure of commitment to make something that's DIFFERENT and bring it to the market. Do I wish that 'market' included deliveries to Texas? Darned tooting. But if you can go pick it up, look at joining some of their groups to get the newest releases. I would. If I went to Cincy more often. Great people. Great rooftop bar. Great spirits. I could have sat there for an entire day and been the happiest person in the country.

Lots of bourbons to taste, and all were very good. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff who appear to love what they do.

Love New Riff. We've brought several groups of friends to the distillery and we've gifted several bottles. On our most recent visit, my husband and I took a Saturday tour with my brother and sister in law. They are Bourbon newbies and had a great time. Grover was an awesome guide providing knowledge and answering questions. I'm not usually a Rye girl but I really enjoyed the single eye in the tasting. Love everything about New Riff and we always recommend to friends visiting the area.

This place is a great stop if your in the Cincinnati area. The bourbon is really good and the space is beautiful. The tours are extremely informative and they have small tastings with it. The bar inside is nice to get a flight or a drink.

The distillery is a wonderful addition to the Newport area and is a fun part of the distillery tour book. The tour isn't outrageously expensive either -- only $10 a person.

Love this place. Great distillery tour. Great bar. Great bourbon. And these are more words to meet the minimum word count required by Yelp.

Came here on a Saturday early afternoon and the bar wasn't busy at all! The bartenders were great and they had some delicious cocktails!!

I was visiting Cincinnati for the umpteen time on business, finally had a break in my schedule, and took the Southbank Shuttle/Bus (Riviera at Fairfield at The Party Source stop) to New Riff Distilling for the 50 mins distillery tour. Tours are in the afternoon except Monday. I was a walk-in without reservation, wintertime. It was fun, informative, friendly tour guide by Grover, and worth the $10. I was traveling via air so skipped the purchase after tour. Tour ends with a tasting, and was not rushed. I'd describe New Riff bourbon as high-rye spicy, and I like it. Other new, young distilleries rush their product to market, and you can tell because of roughness. My favorite was the Single Barrel Bourbon for its full flavor and smoothness. New Riff also distills a gin. I like gin in a martini, and this version is distinctive, and would be an acquired taste versus my favorite, Bombay Blue Sapphire. Located adjacent to The Party Source in Bellevue. I cheer the commitment to good bourbon, the entrepreneurship, and the huge investment behind New Riff. Tip I: I'd allow 2 hours with travel time to/from. Tip II: Also suitable for catered private parties. Would be a great venue for a customer event. They also do private tours.

We strolled over to the tasting room since it was walking distance from our hotel {Aloft). It was a little rainy and we were able to bring our dog inside which was great. We sampled 2 gins and 4 bourbons Other reviews highly recommended the gin, but we did not love it. The finish was a little rough for me. We thoroughly enjoyed all the bourbons. We had trouble deciding which bottles to bring home.

New Riff has an amazing selection of bourbon, rye, and gin! I also highly recommend the tour. If Stuart is your guide, he's especially knowledgeable and has a great personality!! I can't wait to bring family and friends in a tour with him! We ended our tour with a cocktail on the rooftop patio, which has a beautiful view!

We booked a distillery tour the day before online. The tours were $10 each which I thought was a little expensive BUT at the end of the tour they give you a wooden chip that you can use to get $10 off anything (even liquor!!!!!!) in the store. Additionally you get 4 samples and descriptions of each. The tour lasts 1 hours long. The tour host was very friendly and very open to questions! I wish I knew more about distillery terms because I was getting a little confused along the way with some of the descriptions. Which is fine I really enjoyed my samples and their Gin is by far my favorite in the world! It's such a cool local place close to Cincinnati to check out some authentic Kentucky bourbon. Definitely worth checking out if you have always wanted to do a distillery tour!

New Riff Distilling was an amazing experience! I decided to take my boyfriend there for his birthday since he loves whisky and bourbon. I signed us up for the tour online with was only $10 a person which is not a bad a bad price at all. The tour itself was about 40 minutes long, with a tasting during and after the tour. The tour takes you from start to fInish and explains every process. believe all together you got to try 4 different whiskies. At the end of the tour and tasting you get a $10 chip that you can use on any product there as long as it's $25 or more. We ended up both buying a bottle. One we opened that night and the other one to let sit for some years and open up later. If you like whiskey this is the place for tour for you. It's easy to understand and very interesting. The guide we had made it very enjoyable. Definitely a 10/10.

Mr.Grover gave an amazing, informative tour! Extremely personable and is part of the history of the place. Cheers to their continued success and growth... wish I would've joined the ranger club! Northern KY at its best..

A little tough to review what didn't happen, but disappointing none the less. We planned this to top off our day of touring around Cincinnati. Drove here and arrived at 5:15 on a Wednesday. Their hours are until 7:00 pm. Walked in and looked around the sales area and walked up to the tasting bar as one lady sat with her flight in front of her and another group was finishing up and walking away. As we scanned the QR code and sat down, the server explained to us he wasn't doing any more tastings. They were the last at the end of a tour, a private event was happening upstairs, and they were short staffed. I asked for a description of what they were selling, he gave a quick run-through and I was told the bottles had tasting notes on them. For $57 and change for 750 ml of a whiskey I hadn't tasted, I left empty handed and more than a little disgruntled. Oh, well, good to know there are plenty of other great whiskies to choose from, don't guess I need a new riff.

First class distillery with a great tasting room. Bartender was very knowledgeable and had great recommendations. This place is under rated even at 4.5 stars. They are putting out better bourbon than some of the big names. Highly recommend a visit. Don't forget to stop by Party Source while you are there, crazy selection of bourbon there too.

Unfortunately we we arrived close to closing time, but they were still very friendly and served us without rush. We decided to try the new fashion, which is a New Riff Distilling take on an old fashion, and it did not disappoint. The flavors were so smooth and blended, and I even heard someone say it's the best old-fashioned they've ever had. Their small tap room and show room for their products allowed for social distancing although I was not able to see the distillery areas due to them closing so soon. I will have to return for a tour of the whole building!

Really nice spot! Unique for the area; smooth bourbons. Nice looking lobby/gift shop. We did not do the tour but would love to come back for that one. I had the New Fashioned and the Mr. had a flight. We were both very satisfied. Our bartender was friendly and knowledgeable. Would love to see more distilleries in the area; this spot is a great example of what this neighborhood needs.

That gin tho...! We visited on a chilly Sunday morning following a wild night of wedding festivities for a family member...and decided we would stop in on the way back to Louisville from the Cincinnati area. I had recently had the pleasure of trying their gin at an event a couple weeks prior, so when I found out we would be so close to the distillery, it made it to the top of our to-do list. We made it in for one of the earlier tours on the day of our visit, but as we hadn't made reservations prior, we would have to wait an hour for the next tour. Which was just fine, as Braxton brewing has their experimental tap room in the back of the Party City that shares their parking lot with New Riff. So we had time to spare and beer to drink while we waited (side note: make time to include a stop at Braxton Labs while you are visiting New Riff...it is definitely worth it). I have done a lot of distillery tours over the year, and eventually they all start to run together in ones memory. The cool thing that makes New Riff different and special (at least at the time) was that they were brand-spankin' shiny and new! You aren't going to get any contrived stories about how long the distillery has been in operation and family hands (*cough*kentuckybourbondistilleries*cough*). As well as gin, again at the time, being their main output (while their bourbon ages). I have developed an enjoyment of gin. But I tend to prefer kinds with something a little different or special about it. New Riff has a barrel aged gin that just...*chef kiss hand* is lovely! But back to the tour. The facility is lovely (because of it's shiny-newness) and the tour was interesting and informative. Our guide, whose name I never got, was pretty great and led our tour and tasting very well. If you are all about boozy touristy things, New Riff is here for you! It is absolutely worth a visit.

I definitely enjoyed the tour and learning about the Distillery. The guide was informative yet fun to listen to. The only let down was I expected to be able to do more tasting (but that may be because I am spoiled by yelp tours). However, it is definitely a fun and different thing to do on a rainy afternoon.

We had an amazing experience here. They managed to fit us in for a tour and tasting at the last minute even though the website only had one spot left. Grover was our guide and made the attire tour and tasting experience very enjoyable. His humor and knowledge made us definitely want to go back and we will.

This distillery shares a parking lot with the Party Source and is a very impressive building. The lobby opens up to a small shop and this distillery offers a free tour that includes a tasting. This distillery is included in the Kentucky Bourbon Craft trail and is the closest to Ohio. I really enjoyed the tour and our tour guide was very personable and informative. He let us know that true "New Riff" Bourbon will not be available until 2018 and that they currently sell and taste OKI bourbon. OKI bourbon was purchased by New Riff from Seagrams. It tastes pretty great but I am interested to re-visit New Riff and taste their bourbon once it is finished aging. They also bottle and sample Gin as well as bourbon barrel aged Gin as well. I was very impressed with their Gin. The floral aroma and smooth taste was wonderful. We even had the opportunity to try their "shrub" which is a great mixer they offer as well. They have 2 stunning event spaces to rent, and they partner with the party source for alcohol rental. I will return in 2018 to sample their bourbon, but I was very pleased with my experience here.

Finally got to do a tour at New Riff! What a fantastic experience and beautiful distillery. All the the hard work/time, and money out into this building has paid off and it shows. The lobby, shop and tasting room is very open. You walk in and greeted right away. The staff is VERY knowledgeable and friendly. Our tour guide was not boring at all! Stuart was very funny and paid attention to detail. He represented the company very well and had a passion for what he did. The tour lasted for 45 minutes. After that we were able to tried two different kinds of spirits. -O.K.I. 12 year aged Bourbon (super smooth) Unfortunately they just sold out of this bottle so we were not able to purchase it. -Wild Gin (which had hints of floral notes) Both were great! I can't wait to try the next O.K.I. (10 year) that comes out this summer. Besides the tastings, you can book events. Which the room upstairs is very gorgeous!

Today we were super fortunate on a Wednesday at noon to score a private tour with Grover!! This was our second New Riff tour - the last one was 2 years ago before there was even a New Riff product to taste. Hello bottled in bond laws- which we absolutely respect! This is a fantastic tour- you will learn a lot of the integrity of their distillation and fermentation process. Also the barreling process is highlighted just before your tasting experience. The tasting is great - covers their bourbon and rye and also their single barrel barrel proof- oh my heavens!!! Overall a great afternoon spend some time here!!

I am a Ranger and member of the Whiskey Club. Every once in a while , New Roff will put out a special bourbon for Whiske Club members. I've had a gift card for New Riff from a year ago. There doesn't seem to be an option when trying to use the gift card on line. When I called, someone confirmed that there's no such option! Very frustrating and very disappointing!!!!!

My brother in law and I stopped in here on a Saturday for a tour of the facility. We were able to get a ticket with very little advance notice. They have a very cool looking building with the tall still in the front and plenty of parking. They have a nice bar area inside and a pretty cool gift shop, plus great music playing overhead. Grover did our tour and he was fantastic. He was really pumped about the place. He did a great job going over everything from start to finish. This is a small distillery compared to others. They only are in production 3-4 days a week and they just got to release their own distillate in early August. We had a tasting at the end of the tour and the single barrel option was the best in my opinion. I think their bourbon needs to age a little bit more but the logo and bottle are very cool! If you are in the area and like this type of stuff, it is a very cool place to visit.