New Riff Distillery and Chattanooga Whiskey Embark On Collaboration

New Riff Distilling and Chattanooga Whiskey have announced the joint release of Kentucky and Tennessee Straight Wheat Whiskeys, the first installment of The Confluence Project — a collaborative series uniting the two distilleries in a shared exploration of craft, contrast and a celebration of their differences. Named for the meeting of their two respective rivers–New Riff is located in New Port on the Ohio River, while Chattanooga has a riverside distillery on the Tennessee River– the Confluence Project: Volume 1 starts with a single wheat whiskey mashbill, which is uniquely shaped by each distillery’s style and philosophy.

The Ohio and Tennessee actually meet after both flow into the Mississippi River, but those places are only forty miles apart. The Ohio joins the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois, while the Tennessee enters the Father of Waters in Paducah, Kentucky.

“When we first started this collaboration six years ago, it was rooted in friendship and mutual respect,” said New Riff Master Distiller Brian Sprance. “We wanted to create something new and exciting, so we agreed on a 100% wheat whiskey, which neither of us had done before. The beauty of The Confluence Project is that it highlights what makes each distillery unique — our techniques, our barrels, our philosophies — yet it all starts from the same grain.” 

While this release marks the first official collaborative project between the two brands, the distiller duos’ professional journeys intersected long before their whiskeys did. 

“Brian and New Riff Distilling are both extremely important to the Chattanooga Whiskey story,” said Chattanooga Whiskey Founding Distiller Grant McCracken. “Brian not only hired me for my very first job in craft brewing, but he also introduced me to the Chattanooga Whiskey team back in 2014 and helped me learn the ropes of craft distilling by allowing me to shadow him for a week at New Riff. So, on a company level, our paths have crossed in significant ways; and on a personal level — well — let’s just say I wouldn’t be here today without Brian and his friendship.”

For this inaugural release, both distilleries agreed on a unique mashbill of 60% Red Turkey Wheat, 24% Appalachian Malted Wheat, 8% Dark Malted Wheat and 8% Caramel Malted Wheat — and then set out to make the whiskey in their own distinct ways. From mash to barrel, each distilling team applied its unique techniques, philosophies and traditions, resulting in two collections of single barrels that reflect the whiskey making decisions of both distilleries. 

“At a high level, New Riff and Chattanooga Whiskey certainly have a lot in common; but when you dig into the details, there are a lot of nuanced differences in how we approach any given recipe,” said McCracken. “So, the thought of the collaboration was to agree on a mashbill and then let both distilling teams ‘do what they do,’ and celebrate those differences.” 

After the mashbill was set, both distilling teams conducted a “distiller swap,” spending time at each other’s facilities to observe how the other distiller approached the distillation process. New Riff’s iconic Kentucky Regimen leans on limestone-filtered water, heirloom grain and slow-rise fermentations to build flavor, while Chattanooga Whiskey’s trademarked Tennessee High Malt style builds flavor with specialty malt, cool attemperated fermentations and custom-toasted barrels. 

The newest addition to New Riff’s High Note lineup, Kentucky Straight Wheated Whiskey is bottled as a collection of single barrels with proofs ranging from 116.9 t0 122.8 proof. Each single barrel in this release delivers its own distinct flavor profile, showcasing the unique character of the barrel it came from, Sprance noted. Collectively, this release generally presents a bold and layered experience. Expect notes of clove, cinnamon, caramel and a warm, woody cereal on the nose, followed by a rich honey and toffee-oak taste that leads to a lingering wooded and sweet spiced finish. 

Kentucky Straight Wheated Whiskey will be available for purchase exclusively through New Riff’s Whiskey Club beginning Thursday, Oct. 30, with a suggested retail price of $69.99. Bottles will be available for pickup at New Riff beginning Friday, Oct. 31. To join the New Riff Whiskey Club, visit www.newriffwhiskeyclub.com.