Frey Ranch Nevada Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review

Founded in 2006 by husband and wife team, Colby and Ashley Frey, Frey Ranch Farmers and Distillers follow a ‘ground to glass’ ethos in the production of their whiskey.

Farming goes back 5 generations in the Frey family, back to 1854 to be exact and a full decade before the state of Nevada even existed. The current ranch in Fallon, Nevada dates back to 1920 and today the distillery sites in a 2,500 acre farm of which the family own around 1,500 acres outright.

They grow their own non-gmo crops and all milling, malting, distillation, maturation and bottling is done onsite. Although they got a license to distill in 2006, due to Nevada state law they couldn’t sell their whiskey until 2013.

Those weren’t wasted years as this time allowed the Frey family to figure out how to grow the grains required, play around with mash techniques and work with different yeast varieties.

Distillation wise the first run has the wash going through a column still which brings it to around 40% abv with the second run having that 40% alcohol going through a pot still. This hybrid approach let’s them produce a spirit that combines the efficiency of column still production with the richness and depth that comes from pot stills.

The first batches of Frey Ranch spirits were released in 2019, 6 years after the law was amended to allow commercial distillation in Nevada. Age wise they age their whiskies between 5 to 8 years.

Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon     45% abv / 90 proof                                                   

$47/£35/€40.50

Mash Bill: 66.6% corn, 12% malted barley, 11.4% winter rye, 10% soft winter wheat.

Non chill filtered – Natural Colour – Aged 5 years +

Nose: Surprisingly rye forward – mint, clove, orange oil and some sage too. Corn syrup, sawn oak, brown sugar and vanilla. A hint of new leather plus green apples and candyfloss.

Palate: Quite a creamy mouthfeel and again rye forward. A spicy arrival with some alcohol heat, fresh ginger, cayenne pepper and spearmint. Orange peels, brown sugar and caramel wafer biscuits. Some tobacco leaf and astringent oak at the end.

Finish: Just about medium in length with rye spice, charred oak, leather and subtle orchard fruit notes.

Score: 6 out of 10

Overall: A pretty good entry into the pantheon of bourbon whiskies. The nose is great but the palate struggles a little to match it but the Frey Ranch is a good choice if you want something a bit different from the usual big brands that dominate the bourbon world.

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