The Kentucky based New Riff Distilling, has announced that
its Head Distiller Brian Sprance has been promoted to the role of Master Distiller
– the first in the distillery’s history.
Ahead of the distillery’s founding in 2014, Brian was
recruited as Head Distiller by New Riff Founder, Co-Owner and Chief Executive
Officer Ken Lewis. He was primarily recruited because of his extensive
expertise in fermentation, as a former brewer for the Boston Beer Company in
Cincinnati.
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| Brian Sprance: New Riff Distilling Master Distiller |
Upon joining New Riff, Brian was mentored by consulting master distiller and “godfather of rye whiskey” Larry Ebersold, an unrivalled authority in the world of distillation and American whiskey. Together with New Riff Co-Founder Jay Erisman, they launched the distillery and laid the foundation for the flavour profiles of its spirits and aging regimen.
Commenting on the news, Ken Lewis, said: “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. 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.”
This latest news kicks off an eventful year for New Riff,
that will include expansion into new states across the US, tenth anniversary
celebrations and the release of older whiskey expressions.
Posted by Steve Rush