‘2024 Will Be a Transformational Year’: New Riff Names First Master Distiller Ahead of 10th Anniversary
New Riff appointed its first master distiller, Brian Sprance. (Photo: New Riff Distilling)
On Tuesday, New Riff Distilling announced that the brand’s head distiller, Brian Sprance, received a title bump and is now master distiller. This marks a historical first for the Kentucky whiskey brand as Sprance is the first master distiller in New Riff’s 10-year lifespan.
Sprance comes from a brewing background and entered the beverage business at 21. He started as a delivery driver for Barrelhouse Brewing Company and worked his way up until he became a brewer, according to the brand’s website. Sprance moved to Boston Beer and felt as if he needed a career change.
He was scouted by New Riff’s consulting master distiller, Larry Ebersold, shortly before the brand was founded in 2014.
“Larry Ebersold was instrumental in my training as a distiller and I consider myself extremely lucky to count him as a mentor,” Sprance said in a news release. “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.”
After focusing on his craft for nearly a decade, New Riff announced that Sprance would be receiving a new title.
“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,” New Riff founder, co-owner and CEO Ken Lewis said. “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.”
New Riff had an exciting 2023, which involved completing a massive renovation and debuting a malted whiskey program that had been nearly a decade in the making.
As the brand enters 2024 — its 10th year — it’s clear exciting new developments are on the horizon.
“2024 will be a transformational year for New Riff,” Lewis concluded. “The team has put in a lot of work behind the scenes and I’m excited to share those efforts with our customers.”
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