New Riff Distilling has announced that head distiller Brian Sprance has been named master distiller, the first designation in the distillery’s history.
Sprance has been with the company since its inception in 2014.
Ahead of the distillery’s founding in 2014, Sprance was recruited as head distiller by New Riff founder, co-owner and chief executive officer Ken Lewis. Sprance was originally hired for his experience in fermentation as a former brewer for the Boston Beer Company in Cincinnati.
“When I founded New Riff in 2014, my goal was, and still is, for our Northern Kentucky distillery to become one of the great small distilleries of the world,” Lewis says. “The person at New Riff leading that charge to make world-class whiskey to share with the world is our head distiller Brian Sprance. So it’s fitting as we approach our tenth anniversary, that we recognize Brian for his leadership role in moving us forward toward that aspirational goal and for sharing with us all such outstanding whiskey by conferring on him the well earned title of master distiller.”
Upon joining New Riff, Sprance was mentored by consulting master distiller Larry Ebersold.
“Larry Ebersold was instrumental in my training as a distiller and I consider myself extremely lucky to count him as a mentor,” Sprance says. “Larry was an excellent teacher who rarely gave the answer, but instead, motivated me to reach a full understanding of each situation that presented itself in the whiskey making process. While I consider Larry one of my biggest influences in whiskey today, I’m even luckier to consider him a trusted and valued friend.”
The master distiller announcement kicks off a year for New Riff that that will include expansion into new states, tenth anniversary celebrations and the release of older whiskey.
“2024 will be a transformational year for New Riff,” Lewis says. “The team has put in a lot of work behind the scenes and I’m excited to share those efforts with our customers.”
This follows the recent news of the company announcing its new Sour Mash Single Malt.
