Distiller magazine

144 distiller Colby Frey knows a thing or two about adversity. His family has been farming in western Nevada for 165 years, 10 years before the territory became a state. e Freys have weathered droughts, depressions, dust storms and numerous other disasters over the past century and a half and have always come out the other side. e pandemic is no different, even though the timing couldn't be worse. Back in 2014, Colby and his wife Ashley built a state- of-the-art distillery on their farm in Fallon, Nevada, to turn their own grain into whiskey. Five years later, the first whiskey was finally ready. Frey Ranch Bottled-in- Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey first hit the market in December 2019, just a few months before the pandemic hit. But Frey Ranch is in it for the long haul, and the Freys always knew there would be unexpected setbacks along the way. at's just what life is like for whiskey farmers. Whiskey Farming in a Nevada Oasis at's what Colby has taken to calling himself — a whis- key farmer. at's even what it says on his business card. "It's the best way to describe me," he shrugs. "I'm a farmer who makes whiskey, you know?" Frey Ranch, after all, is one of just a very few true estate distilleries, — although Colby has largely given up on using that term, opting instead for the tagline "Farmers + Distillers," which more fully encapsulates the distillery's vision. "In the wine world, people understand that estate win- eries farm all their own grapes, but in distilling it's more nebulous," explains Colby. "Many distilleries, including some big brands, use the term 'estate distillery' when they source from local farms, even if they don't grow the grain themselves. 'Farmers + Distillers' just represented us bet- ter." at's because Frey Ranch (the distillery) truly does grow all of its own grain on Frey Ranch (the farm). e Freys farm about 2,000 acres in Fallon, which provides more than enough corn, wheat, rye and barley (plus a smattering of other grains, for experimental purposes) to supply the distillery. e distillery even malts its barley on-site. "We're really fortunate here because we can grow extremely high quality corn, wheat, rye and barley," Colby says. "We even grow some oats. A lot of places might only be able to grow one or two of those things really well." If your only exposure to Nevada is Las Vegas, it may come as a surprise that the state has much agriculture at all. Nevada is, in fact, the driest state in the country, and Colby Frey, Photo © Jeff Dow

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