New Riff Distilling announced it was awarded 11 medals at the fall 2022 John Barleycorn Awards Taste Competition, including six double gold medals, four gold medals and one silver medal.
“The Barleycorn Awards judges are some of the most knowledgeable and influential writers in the spirits industry and it’s an honor to have them evaluate our products,” said co-founder Jay Erisman. “A blind tasting takes away any bias and allows the whiskey — and gin — to truly stand on its own merits without any outside influence, and I’m proud, but not surprised, by how well our entries did this year.”
Created by spirits writers and marketers to honor creative excellence in all aspects of the spirits industry — from formulating and distilling products to innovative promotion and imaging — the John Barleycorn Awards honor exceptional work in separate categories for taste and marketing/design. The Taste judging is under the leadership of noted author and spirits writer John McCarthy who oversees some of the world’s top spirits writers and runs the BarleycornDrinks blog.
New Riff earned recognition for every entry the distillery submitted for judging this year.
- Double gold medals: New Riff Balboa Rye Whiskey; Kentucky Wild Gin Bourbon Barreled; Kentucky Straight Malted Rye Whiskey; New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey; Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey; Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
- Gold medals: New Riff Red Turkey Wheat Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; New Riff Sherry Finished Malted Rye Whiskey; New Riff Kentucky Wild Gin; New Riff Single Barrel Rye Whiskey.
- Silver medal: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Winter Whiskey.
In the fall of 2021, New Riff collected nine John Barleycorn awards, including the Rising Star Distillery of the Year award, two double gold medals, five gold medals, and one silver medal.
