New Riff Distilling is a Bourbon Trail destination in northern Kentucky. Here's what to expect from a tour and tastings!
All of our Bourbon Trail explorations till now have been based in central Kentucky.
But that was before the Bourbon Trail started expanding its name to many more distilleries of all sizes and in other parts of the state, including northern Kentucky.
We love a weekend out in Cincinnati, and knowing that there are multiple bourbon destinations right across the river makes it even better.
On one recent trip we decided to check out New Riff Distilling, established in Newport, Kentucky, in 2014.
What Tours Can I Book at New Riff Distilling?
You can choose from the Bonded tour (which we did, and which is a standard look at the distilling process, with tastings along the way), the Happy Hour tour (with a tailored menu in the tasting room), or the Barrel Proof tour (which takes place at their West Newport campus about two miles away).
Book any of these tours online, or take a look at some of the specialized tasting experiences.
The Aquifer
We arrived for our tour a little early and headed upstairs to check out the third floor Aquifer bar area.
We tried their Old Fashioned for Two cocktail, which came in a really cool decanter and glass set.
When we visited they had a very limited food menu.
We enjoyed the pretzel with mustard and beer cheese, alongside our cocktails.
The Bonded Tour at New Riff Distilling
We had a really enjoyable tour here.
We also happened to be the only ones on the tour, which was apparently really unusual.
New Riff gets its name from the musical term, since they like to put “new riffs” on their bourbons and ryes.
They talked about how they hired a beer brewer as their master distiller, in hopes of trying out fun new recipes (more like you often see with beer than with bourbon).
The tour focused a lot on the history of the distillery, including the water reservoir (aquifer) located on the property. We went outside to see what our guide called “the most boring spot on the bourbon tour” (the access to the aquifer).
The tastings happened as we moved through the tour, and we tried some of their bourbons and ryes.
We also got to try their version of “white dog” (unaged rye).
The tour also went through the mash tank area, and we got a close-up view of the still.
And we saw the charred barrel staves.
We thought this was an interesting and entertaining tour, and if you’re in the Cincinnati area it’s definitely worth a visit!
Looking for a meal nearby? Hofbrauhaus is just a few minutes away and offers German food and beers, or try Siam Orchid for Thai food.
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