Both expressions are made entirely from grains grown and malted on-site, and aged for six and a half years in barrels. They will be sold in 375ml bottle at Frey Ranch Distilllery.
Located just east of the Sierras and boasting lush farming conditions due to its proximity to the Lake Tahoe Watershed, Frey Ranch Distillery is a year-round working farm. It is also a rarity in growing 100% of its grain on-site, and has done ever since Ashley and fifth-generation Nevada farmer Colby Frey, who feature on the cover of January 2022’s Whisky Magazine, founded the distillery 2006.
The grains used in these whiskeys were planted in the spring of 2014; a year later, after harvest, Colby Frey and his team began the distillation process with the intention of creating whiskeys highlighting the flavors of each specific grain. Frey Ranch will release more limited-edition expressions in its Single Grain Series in the years to come; 12 are currently aging in barrel.
The distillery says the Wheat expression exhibits flavours from butterscotch and orange peel to Nutella and tea chest, while the Oat expression is drier on the palate, reminiscent of oatmeal, peanut brittle, leather and apricot.
“The release of our Oat and Wheat Whiskeys has been a long time coming, and we’re thrilled to see what whiskey enthusiasts think of these new expressions,” says Frey. “Farming these grains ourselves gives us the opportunity to explore the unique flavor profiles of these single-grain variations without influence from any other grains in the mash bill, and discover how they can stand out in the whiskey world.”