Ken Lewis, the founder of New Riff Distillery in Newport, is set to retire in 2024, according to American Whiskey Magazine report.
Lewis entered the distilling business in 2014 after selling Party Source, a Bellevue liquor store he founded in 1993. He has spent over 50 years in the alcohol industry.
“Well, I think 50 years is enough,” Lewis told American Whiskey Magazine. “I like to think that my identity, personal identity, is not 100 percent wrapped up in the work I do… So I hope that I’m diversified enough to find other things that are interesting and earn the right to maybe waste a little time.”
Taking Lewis’ place on New Riff’s leadership team is his daughter, Molly. She is being promoted to the president’s role after serving as the distillery’s marketing director. Current VP of Operations Hannah Lowen is being promoted to CEO. Director of Engineering and Logistics Denny Gorman will become the new chief operating officer.
New Riff produces bourbon, rye and gin in single-barrel selections. Their bourbon and rye are made with traditional sour mash methods and bottled-in-bond without chill filtration.
New Riff has undergone significant expansion since its founding. New Riff released its first bottles in 2018. Since then, their distribution has expanded to 16 states.
“Our library of whiskeys and other spirits has grown substantially since we opened in 2014,” Lowen said in a March press release.
In March, the distillery invested up to $3 million to renovate their distillery’s public areas, which includes adding a tasting and cocktail bar called The Aquifer.
Additionally, New Riff announced the construction of an over $10 million, 5,000-square-foot bourbon store warehouse located in Silver Grove. In 2021, New Riff expanded its Newport distillery to accommodate three new fermenters and increase production to 12,000 barrels annually.
