Farming and ranching have been the Frey family’s occupation in Northern Nevada since 1854. The Frey’s bought the current Fallon NV farm (now currently 2,000 acres) in 1944 and have been there ever since. Colby and Ashley Frey met in college at the University of Nevada in Reno and purchased the farm from Colby’s father in 2009. The distilling side of the business began after Colby’s father, for a while ran a winery. Unfortunately, the various weather swings from year to year had too much negative impact on grape harvesting. This was when Colby and Ashley got the idea to create a “ground-to-glass” whiskey using the grains grown on their farm, and they liked whiskey more than wine anyway. In 2006, Frey Ranch was issued an experimental federal distilling license, which restricted them from selling or allowing tastings of their spirits to the public.
When Colby bought the farm from his father, he worked with a certified crop consultant who was experienced in chemistry named Russell Wedlake. Colby wanted someone with Russell’s experience and ideas to grow the best grains for whiskey production and approached Russell to be the master distiller. Colby and Russell took full advantage of the experimental distilling license and built the first stills out of scrap metal from around the farm. They experimented with distilling whiskey and other spirits using various grain varieties, yeast strains, and mash bills and later acquired the necessary equipment for large-scale whiskey production. By the time Nevada passed legislation that would allow Frey Ranch to sell its whiskey in 2013, they were ready to go. Frey Ranch didn’t release its first bourbon until December 2019, having never soured from other distilleries. The original business model was to farm in the summertime and then distill in the winter, so the farm hands had employment all year round. That idea only lasted a short time as the whiskey side of the business gained popularity, and the distillery became a year-round operation.
Nowadays, Frey Ranch uses a 1,000-gallon Vendome copper pot still, two continuous stills, six fermenters, two mash cookers, and one beer well (holding tank for the oldest fermented mash, feeding the continuous stills). The water in their mash comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains through the Lake Tahoe Watershed. The column still runs low wines at 40% ABV, with a second run through the pot still at 80% ABV, where the cuts are made. A distillery expansion last July added 2 fermenters and 1 mash cooker that allowed them to increase production to 24 hours, 7 days a week, producing around 10,000 gallons of mash or about 20 barrels of whiskey a day. Frey Ranch is currently using ISC for its cooperage with a char level #4 on the staves and level #3 on the heads. Their barrel distillate entry proof is 125. Barrels are aged in three non-temperature-controlled warehouses, with a fourth warehouse under construction. Warehouse 1 holds 1,400 barrels, and warehouses 2, 3 & 4 hold 8,400 barrels each. Due to the dry climate, the warehouses are humidified at 70% to help prevent the angels from stealing too much of their share due to the extremely hot and dry, high-desert climate that climbs to around 109 degrees in the summer. Bourbon is 80% of Frey Ranch’s production, Rye is 15%, and the innovative whiskey releases (wheat, oat, malted whiskeys, smoked whiskey, etc.) are 5%. Frey Ranch has filled about 18,000+ barrels to date and bottles everything on site.
Farm Strength Uncut was first released in June 2023. It uses the same four-grain non-GMO corn, winter rye, soft white winter wheat, and two-row malted (in-house) barley mash bill as the Frey Ranch 90-proof flagship straight bourbon. Both the 90-proof flagship and Farm Strength Uncut are aged for 5 years and bottled at cask strength between 120 and 132 proof. Each batch is made from around 100 barrels. The batch I’m reviewing is batch #12, bottled at 121.76 proof. Let’s get to it!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Pralines, butterscotch, cornbread, vanilla icing with lots of herbaceous flavors of fennel, cloves, and peppermint. Lemon peel adds brightness with apricots, pears, and baked apples, with allspice, marzipan, and toasted oak.
Palate
The complexities of the nose match the palate with pralines, butterscotch, creamed corn, vanilla bean, fennel, and cloves, with a hint of peppermint, lemon citrus, apricots, and apples. A very nice balance of white pepper spice kicks in mid-sip, covering the whole palate with a creamy mouthfeel. Underneath is a layer of toasted oak that continues to the finish. There’s an enjoyable grain-forward characteristic that brings out the sweet corn flavors without tasting young or “grainy.” This is a delicious and well-balanced batch that drinks easily below its proof.
Finish
White pepper lingers with caramel, butterscotch, apricots, vanilla, and fennel. Toasted oak turns to tobacco and lasts to the end for a long and tasty finish.
Conclusion
Farm Strength Uncut is the first and only Frey Ranch release I’ve had. I’ve been meaning to try this brand for years, but until now, I never got around to it. This bourbon surprised me with its delicious, unique, and complex flavor profile that improved over time. The wheat in this four-grain mash bill helps to elevate the creamy corn sweetness, while the rye brings out its herbaceous flavors. I can’t help but be impressed with a distillery that produces a high-quality, genuine farm-to-glass bourbon that tastes this good. What’s also noticeable is how the Nevada high-desert climate affects the aging process to allow so much flavor and maturity to be achieved in five years. Still, I’d love to taste this bourbon after it’s aged for two or more years. As it is, I think it’s well above average, scoring a 7.5, but with more time spent in the barrel, I think it has the potential to be an incredible 9 or more. I’m looking forward to trying other Frey Ranch releases and believe they are one to watch in the years to come.
Rating: 7.5/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
