New Riff

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.

I like that New Riff owns up to what it is — an urban distillery.
If you are an experienced bourbon distillery tour visitor such as myself — you will find this a bit different.
The tour will mostly be like a regular distillery tour — from grain grinding, fermentation, distillation to pouring white dog into the barrels. BUT instead of a tour of a rickhouse you will tour New Riff’s event spaces — which are stunning. Your standard three tasting pours will be 1. O.K.I. bourbon (not bourbon that was made at the New Riff facility) 2. New Riff’s gin (very floral) 3. New Riff’s gin — bourbon barreled (masks the floral, bit more smoothness).
Another very noticeable difference in a normal distillery and New Riff — the parking lot. Instead of parking among fields of Kentucky blue grass and horses you will park next to ‘The Party Source’ a.k.a. the US’s larges liquor store. Do not skip going in for a visit. It’s a real treat. Every kind of vodka imaginable, every kind of scotch — it’s impressive. Need some balloons? Check. Party munchies? — Check. A tour of beer made inside the store? Check! Yes, there’s even a fully functioning brewery inside. Go there if you need to wait for your New Riff tour to begin, but check with the New Riff front desk first for a few coupons (there’s a relationship between New Riff, Party Source and the Eight Ball brewery… it’s complicated, but a good story. Ask about it.)
I’m pretty convinced if I were to marry in Cincy that it would be at New Riff. Why? You can literally order up any alcohol you could dream of and it will be brought across the parking lot from Party Source to the event space bar. No more crummy house choices! The largest event space, which seats about 150, has glass garage doors (elegant actually) that open up to a large patio. You can order at the bar inside or outside. Really nice space. It’s very modern with ghost style chairs, natural wood, concrete flooring and an abundance of natural light. You’re guests can even stumble across the street to the nearest hotel.
I am excited to taste the first bottled bourbons to come from New Riff — in 2018. I’ll be back!

Such a beautiful establishment in the Newport, KY area. Located right within Party Source’s parking lot, this venue serves as a great location for all events. It is quite expensive to rent out, but the interior is amazing. Such a great time and fun spot to bring out of town guests.

We were lucky enough to visit New Riff a few days before it opened properly and scored a private tour with their head distiller. He was SO enthusiastic, knowledgeable and patient and we had a great time seeing a different side of the distilling process. Having been to several stops on the bourbon trail, it was great to see a brand new facility before they’d started to make anything. We got a really indepth tour and it was fascinating. We really got lucky with our timing!
The event space upstairs is really great, would be fantastic for a party. We’ll be back to pick up our Ranger bottle in a few years!

This review is for an event I attended at New Riff a few weeks ago, beautiful building, take the stairs to the top or the elevator, both have great views of the creative distillery space.
The star is the event space on the top floor with the wrap around patio, it was a nice night so picked up a drink at the bar and went outside to enjoy with friends. We enjoyed the patio so much when it was time for food from the event we went back outside and sat in the comfortable and stylish outdoor furniture.
If you’re looking for a unique venue for a great event in Bellevue/​Newport area look no further than New Riff.

I visited Newport’s New Riff Distillery for the first time Saturday during a Social Fabric University seminar. We were first treated to a presentation in the distillery’s «media room» on the second floor. The room had a big HD television display for presentations. From there the group was treated to a happy hour on the third floor and this area was incredible.
The layout of the bar area on the third floor lends itself perfectly to any gathering you have planned. There is a huge bar featuring Ei8ht Ball beer, which is brewed on site, and Ranger whiskey which is bottled there as well.
The bar offers indoor and outdoor seating with retractable doors to let in plenty of fresh air and sunlight.
My wife and I were blown away by how nice the reception area was at New Riff. If you are planning a party or reception, you could not pick a nicer place than the distillery in Newport, Ky!

This review is specifically about the «Chef Experience»
My wife and I attended one of their recent Chef Experience Dinners with a local chef. The night consisted of a 4 course meal (made up smaller portions) prepared by a local chef and served with drink pairings.
They have an absolutely beautiful facility with a kitchen that comes equipped with a camera that allows the audience to view directly down onto the chef as he/​she prepares the meal. You are also able to take home the recipes and pepper the chefs with questions throughout the night.
Minus a few hiccups with the induction stovetop and the timing of the meals, my wife and I had a great time. I would definitely recommend trying out one of these nights, but would try to bring a few friends along. I think it would be best enjoyed with great company.

They are new and they are young, but if you are looking for craft distillers on the Bourbon Trail, don’t miss New Riff. They have exactly the right attitude toward craft distilling, and aren’t to be missed. The group has an interesting history. Their facility isn’t what you would expect, and they won’t have their own bourbon until 2018. That said, they have that energy and attitude that you know it going turn into something awesome.

My boyfriend and I went on a tour here and I was very impressed with how knowledgeable our tour guide was. It wasn’t your standard tour of «oh look at all the shiny things». It was actually very informative and long. We were there walking around for a little over an hour learning about what piece of equipment was used for what part of the distilling process.
It’s a great tour provided by a super friendly staff. And yes, there is a tasting at the end. You should check it out.