Ken Lewis

The classroom came first: Ken Lewis worked as a high school English teacher before moving into retail and spirits, a shift that carried the same habits of attention and structure into a different trade. At New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky (2014–2024), the line of work became founder, co-owner, and chief executive officer. Over that decade, Ken Lewis helped define how the distillery presented itself and how it was built to hold its position.

The role required the long view: setting direction, maintaining standards, and keeping the business legible as it grew. Since 2024, Ken Lewis has served as Operating Owner and board member of New Riff Distilling. The title reflects continuity rather than a break; he remains connected to the distillery while the foundation he helped shape continues on.

“" The line reads as a plain statement of method: build carefully, then leave the work in order. He has also said, "I wanted to make sure that unlike most people, I exit as well as I enter. Taken literally, it places equal weight on the start and the finish of a role. For Ken Lewis, the craft is not only in getting a business moving, but in how that business is handed off.

Ken's honors include Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award, Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. These recognitions place him among figures acknowledged for long-term influence and contribution, and they underscore the reach of a career that moved from teaching to retail to spirits, then into the high-profile work of building New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky (2014–2024). The NKY Community Award further reflects the local significance of that work in Newport, United States, where his name has become closely tied to the distillery’s rise and identity.