When you think of Kentucky whiskey, you probably think of bourbon. It’s a natural instinct, with approximately 95% of all bourbon produced within the borders of the Commonwealth.
Despite what many bourbon drinkers might believe, however, distillation in Kentucky isn’t limited to corn. At last count, there were 100 licensed distilleries in Kentucky, operating across 42 counties. While bourbon may be the primary output of the Commonwealth’s stills, they also flow with whiskeys made from rye, wheat, and, increasingly, malted barley.
When bourbon distillers venture into malted barley as more than a supporting player in a mash bill, results can be mixed. Traditionally, the two styles are quite different. Bourbon is often (though not exclusively) distilled in a column still. Single malts typically (though not always) rely on pot stills. Bourbon’s required use of new barrels brings a familiar punch of vanilla and caramel flavors to every glass, while the used barrels common to single malt whiskies tend to highlight the grain itself, creating a more cereal-forward profile that requires a different palate to perfect.
Deep tradition and expertise stand on both sides of the aisle.
But New Riff Distilling? They’re not beholden to any of it.
My introduction to New Riff—beyond a few small sips—came at the 2025 James M. Beam Institute Conference. Molly Lewis, New Riff’s president and daughter of founder Ken Lewis, gave a presentation that focused not on mash bills or still design or even visitor experiences, but on service. Explaining that the relatively new distillery had settled into a tight-knit community in Northern Kentucky, she described how they became part of the neighborhood, not just in it, by immersing themselves into the good of the community.
What struck me most about Lewis’ talk was the quiet consistency of her family’s values. Molly, her father Ken, and the entire distillery team weren’t doing something different for the sake of novelty. They were doing things differently because they could, and because that was how they believed in leading. As they say, they’re a “new riff” on an old tradition, changing the distillation game—and culture—through authenticity and heart.
That stuck with me over the months that followed. It also helped that they’re making good whiskey, so when I learned that New Riff was producing a single malt, I knew I wanted to try it.
Tasting New Riff Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey (2025)
There are a few things that immediately stand out about this bottle of New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt Whiskey.
The first, and most obvious, is the use of the words sour mash. While sour mash is a common practice in bourbon and rye whiskeys, I can’t say that I’ve previously encountered a sour mash single malt—or, at least, not one that highlighted the fact.
For those unfamiliar with the term, sour mash introduces a portion of the spent mash (or fermented grain mixture) from a previous batch of distiller’s beer back into a new batch. It’s believed to promote consistency and help jump-start the fermentation process. While its precise origins are unclear (as is true of many whiskey traditions), its earliest documentation is credited to Catherine Carpenter, a badass woman running a Kentucky farm and distillery while raising 12 children in the early 19th century.
Sweet mash and sour mash are not terms that typically appear in the single malt world. Sour mash is a uniquely American distillation practice. For distillers taking their cues from Scotland or Ireland, it simply wouldn’t be part of the conversation.
But while New Riff Distilling is “beholden to no tradition,” they are “inspired by them all.”
Moving down the label, we find a description of the whiskey: “a sophisticated vatting of unique single malt whiskies encompassing a multitude of malted barley varieties and cask types.”
When the New Riff team sent me the bottle, they provided additional detail on a printed spec sheet. Single malt means that a whiskey is made exclusively with malted barley at a single distillery, but it doesn’t restrict the types of malt that can be used. For New Riff’s 2025 Single Malt, the blend includes a 1960s English ale malt (Maris Otter), a barley-wine style barley malt, and, making up less than 20% of the total, a peated Scottish malt.
The original whiskeys produced from these malts were aged in six different casks. Those spirits were then blended together, vatted and married in a used oak barrel for a length of time only described as “extended.” The youngest whiskey is seven years old and the oldest ten, indicating that this whiskey has been in development for nearly all of New Riff’s distilling history.
It was bottled without dilution at 115.2 proof—not quite hazmat by bourbon standards, but impressively high for a single malt.
Popping open the cork, I immediately got a whiff of dark fruit, dense grains, and chocolate, with soft citrus around the edges. There’s a hint of leather and a touch of sea salt, especially when I poured a couple of drops between my hands.
On the palate, this is a big whiskey.
A big whiskey. It’s expansive and bold, rich and layered, with robust flavors that mirror the nose while adding pepper and oak. Swirling it in a glass, the legs are minimal, but don’t let the lack of viscosity fool you. This is a powerful spirit.
So powerful, in fact, that I reached for my water dropper. The combination of big flavors and a big ABV read a little harsh on the tongue, each flavor fighting for prominence. A few light drops of water opened it up nicely, drawing out a more harmonious malt character—still thick and grassy, but woven with leather and that citrusy chocolate and a subtle hint of char.
The official tasting notes describe the finish as raspberry, tangerine rind, and bergamot orange. It’s a stunning description I could never have articulated myself, but I can say that it radiates throughout the mouth, lingering on the sides of the tongue before settling into a rich haze.
For bourbon drinkers skeptical of single malt whiskey, the New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt could offer an ideal entry point. It’s made by a trusted distillery, and the bold, oak-driven structure will feel familiar to pursuers of big flavor. By the finish, however, the malt character shines, clearly marking the whiskey as something different.
Above all, this whiskey is a prime example of New Riff’s commitment to blazing a new path in traditional whiskey. It feels unmistakably Kentucky and unmistakably something else at the same time, honoring each tradition without being confined by them.
This whiskey doesn’t ask permission; it exists in a category of its own, representing both Kentucky and single malt whiskeys in their own right. Love it or hate it, this is a distillery doing things their own way—and the thing is, it’s working.
Sláinte, y’all.
In My Glass
New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt Whiskey (2025)
New Riff Distilling – Newport, Kentucky
57.6% ABV; Aged At Least 7 Years
On My Desk
Royal Quiet De Luxe Typewriter
A Note of Gratitude
This bottle of 2025 Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey was sent to me by the folks at New Riff Distilling. Thank you to the team for letting me sip and share their unique whiskey!
The Whisky Type 
Leave a comment