| Category | Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey |
|---|---|
| Country | Region | U.S. | Newport, KY |
| Distillery | New Riff Distilling |
| Age statement | 8 years |
| Alcohol % | Proof | 50% | 100 pf |
| Release | First-ever 8-year expression (April 2024) |
| Mash bill | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Cask type | New charred American oak |
| Price point | 90 |
| Bottle status | Completed |
New Riff 8 Year NCF
Bottle completed
Appearance / Color
Deep amber
Nose / Aroma / Smell
Caramel, toffee, vanilla custard, candied stone fruit, apricot, peach, brown sugar, toasted oak, Horween leather
Flavor / Taste / Palate
Caramel, vanilla, candied cherry, red fruit, cinnamon, rye spice, pipe tobacco, black pepper, full-bodied mouthfeel
Finish
Medium-long, warming, candied cherry, brown sugar, leather, cinnamon, black pepper, lingering seasoned oak, pleasant dryness
New Riff Distilling was founded in 2014 by Ken Lewis in Newport, Kentucky — just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Lewis built The Party Source into the largest spirits retailer in the country before turning to distilling. He was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame with the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award and retired in Spring 2024 after 50 years in the spirits industry. The 8-Year-Old (April 2024) is New Riff’s oldest bourbon expression to date, arriving alongside Lewis’s retirement. It blends whiskeys from two distilling seasons (youngest being 8 years), so it doesn’t qualify as Bottled in Bond despite meeting age and proof requirements. The high-rye mashbill (30% — nearly double the industry average) gives it a distinctive spice-forward character that 8 years of aging has smoothed into complexity. New Riff’s BiB Bourbon went on to win 2026 World’s Best Bourbon at the World Whiskies Awards.
New Riff 8 Year NCF
- Category
- Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Distillery
- New Riff Distilling
- Country | Region
- U.S. | Newport, KY
- Age Statement
- 8 years
- Alcohol / Proof
- 50% / 100 pf
- Price Point
- 90
- Mash Bill
- 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley
- Cask Type
- New charred American oak
- Release
- First-ever 8-year expression (April 2024)
Appearance
Deep amber
Nose
Caramel, toffee, vanilla custard, candied stone fruit, apricot, peach, brown sugar, toasted oak, Horween leather
Palate
Caramel, vanilla, candied cherry, red fruit, cinnamon, rye spice, pipe tobacco, black pepper, full-bodied mouthfeel
Finish
Medium-long, warming, candied cherry, brown sugar, leather, cinnamon, black pepper, lingering seasoned oak, pleasant dryness
New Riff Distilling was founded in 2014 by Ken Lewis in Newport, Kentucky — just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Lewis built The Party Source into the largest spirits retailer in the country before turning to distilling. He was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame with the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award and retired in Spring 2024 after 50 years in the spirits industry. The 8-Year-Old (April 2024) is New Riff’s oldest bourbon expression to date, arriving alongside Lewis’s retirement. It blends whiskeys from two distilling seasons (youngest being 8 years), so it doesn’t qualify as Bottled in Bond despite meeting age and proof requirements. The high-rye mashbill (30% — nearly double the industry average) gives it a distinctive spice-forward character that 8 years of aging has smoothed into complexity. New Riff’s BiB Bourbon went on to win 2026 World’s Best Bourbon at the World Whiskies Awards.
New Riff 8 Year NCF tasting sheet