New Riff Distillery Breaks Ground On Barrel Warehouse Site

New Riff Ground Breaking
Pictured, from left: Campbell County Commissioners Geoff Besecker, Tom Lampe and Brian Painter; New Riff co-founder Ken Lewis; and Campbell County Judge Executive Steve Pendery.

(NEWPORT, KY) New Riff Distilling broke ground this week on its new barrel warehouse facility in Silver Grove, Kentucky, a short drive from the distillery and existing warehouse. The 10 acre site will be capable of holding more than 40,000 barrels of whiskey with room for future expansion. The distillery is an anchoring member of Northern Kentucky’s Bourbon Experience titled “B-Line“, definitely worth a road trip.

“Last year we expanded our distillery to increase production,” said co-founder Ken Lewis. “With our Newport facility already nearing capacity before that, it is time to add more storage and we’re happy to be building in Campbell County.”

The 55,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building is intended to be ready for use in spring 2023, Lewis said. JDL Warm Construction is the general contractor for the project.

Since its founding in 2014, New Riff’s products have attracted a wide following, with demand outpacing supply. New Riff is currently available in 15 states with distribution extending to Illinois and Florida this year. Lewis said the recent production expansion and increased storage capacity will allow the brand to better meet demand for New Riff products. 

The 2021 expansion project increased the distillery by 800 square feet, allowing for the addition of three additional fermenters and increasing production to 12,000 barrels per year, up from 8,000 previously.

More About New Riff (Newport, KY):

Kentucky born and urban bred, New Riff is an independently-owned distillery in Northern Kentucky — the gateway to bourbon country. In 2014, founder Ken Lewis, a visionary Kentucky liquor retailer and entrepreneur, saw a need for a new riff on an old tradition when it came to Kentucky bourbon. The Newport, Ky., distillery produces bourbon, rye and Kentucky Wild Gin. Bourbon and rye are made with traditional sour mash methods and bottled-in-bond without chill filtration. Bourbon and rye are also available in single barrel selections, and the distillery boasts a popular private barrel selection program. New Riff sources its water from an aquifer under the distillery, accessed via a 100’ deep private well and providing water with four times as much dissolved minerals than found in other water supplies. New Riff believes in transparency, so all products feature an age statement and the mashbills are public. The modern venue hosts a variety of events and offers an on-site bar, The Aquifer.