Thursday, December 15th at 6:30PM
Bourbon Sessions at the Ripy Mansion is pleased to welcome Jay Erisman, Co-Founder and Vice-President of Strategic Development at New Riff Distilling.
Jay was instrumental in building the distillery from the ground up — not only did he help create and identify flavor profiles, but he also recruited Larry Ebersold, a revered industry veteran, to be consulting master distiller. Equally important, Erisman also instituted precepts that set New Riff on its quality-obsessed trajectory. Eschewing any shortcuts or compromises, he encouraged New Riff to embrace the Kentucky sour mash regimen, high-rye mash bills, no chill filtration and traditional barrel aging protocols.
Nicknamed “the whiskey man”, Erisman leads the team that presents the spirits in their final form. He focuses on grains and raw ingredients, cooperage, aging strategies and product development, as well as regulatory compliance. Erisman is also an expert in pot still distillation and spearheads the distillery’s Kentucky Wild Gin and its aged expression.
Prior to joining New Riff, Erisman dabbled in craft beer home brewing and developed a comprehensive wine department at Whole Foods in Columbus, Ohio, where he amassed extensive knowledge of terroir, varietals, and global wine production techniques. Later, Erisman assumed his role as fine spirits manager at The Party Source, Ken Lewis’ highly successful spirits retail store, where he started a direct import program and sourced scotch whiskies from independent producers including Gordon & MacPhail, Duncan Taylor, and Blackadder, among others. In time, Erisman had gained access into the production, warehouses, portfolios and product development at some of the Bluegrass State’s most esteemed distilleries, including Buffalo Trace, where he created his own concepts for their experimental whiskey label, and Four Roses, where he proposed the private barrel concept and the release of their 10 individual recipes. Because of its size and customer base, The Party Source served as a test bed for these dynamic developments. Erisman’s innovative approach to barrel selections and desire for product development caught Lewis’ eye. Realizing seismic bourbon and craft distilling revival taking place at the time, Erisman set off to help Lewis fulfill his dream of opening his own distillery.
A lifelong Ohio resident, Erisman was born and lives in Cincinnati. He recommends sipping New Riff with a splash of water and enjoys guitars, vintage cars, cooking and gastronomy, and spending time with his family.
Jay will share with us the story of New Riff and their commitment to creating quality spirits as we sample of selection of New Riff products.
Bourbon tasting will be accompanied by light appetizers. Cash bar and tours of the Historic T.B. Ripy Mansion will also be available.
Net proceeds beyond event costs go directly towards the continued maintenance and restoration efforts of the Ripy Mansion.