Bourbon Dose

Frey Ranch prides itself in being a true Estate Distillery. They grow, malt, distill, mature, and bottle all of their Straight Bourbon whiskey on-site in Fallon, Nevada.

Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon, Composition, and Proof

• Mashbill: 66.6% Yellow Dent Corn, 10% Winter Wheat, 11.4% Rye and 12% Malted-on-site Two-Row Barely
• Age: 5 Years
• Proof: 90
• Parent Company: Independent

Frey Ranch Distillery, located in northern Nevada, stands on a 165-year-old, 1,500-acre family farm. They grow all their grains, malt their barley onsite, and produce and age their whiskey on the same grounds. Their unique combination of continuous and pot still distillation allows for both quantity and quality control. They also own the distinction of being the first licensed distillery in Nevada since prohibition.

History: Founded in 2006 by Colby and Ashley Frey, Frey Ranch Distillery stands on the family’s 2,000-acre farm in Fallon, Nevada. Their roots in Northern Nevada farming span over 150 years, making them a fifth-generation legacy. Frey Ranch is Nevada’s sole distillery that grows 100% of its whiskey grains on-site.

Process: Frey Ranch’s grain-to-glass approach is a labor of love. They cultivate around 2,500 acres, growing corn, wheat, barley, rye, and oats. Every step, from growing the barley to milling, malting, and distilling, occurs on their farm. Their slow-grown wheat, rye, and barley yield over 100,000 9-liter cases of Frey Ranch Whiskey. Quality prevails over quantity, with a majority of their barrels dedicated to their Four Grain Straight Bourbon.

Uniqueness: What truly makes Frey Ranch exceptional is their unwavering commitment to using homegrown grains in every bottle. They experiment with different mash bills and malting processes, leveraging their abundant grain resources. As climate change impacts agriculture, Frey Ranch adapts, ensuring their ingredients never leave their possession. Their sustainable practices and genuine passion for whiskey make them a standout in the industry

Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon Review

This bottle is heavy duty. It’s cylindrical, and is capped by a big ole metal stopper. Frey Ranch gets mega points, however, for the amount of info they put on this bottle. They include a detail breakdown of the mashbill, along with a note from Colby Frey, and literally the coordinates of their ranch.

Nose

The nose starts with a heavy hit of malt. Right when you’re getting used to the hit, a strong whiff of spicy rye takes it’s place. Once the rye and malt finish fighting it out for superiority, oak, earth, and citrus settle in. Interestingly enough, the nose has a distinct lack of heat. This makes it a prime taster for people who enjoy bourbons that sit on the more mellow side of the spectrum.

Once you’ve allowed this bottle to open up after around 15 minutes or so, rye and oak takeover, with interesting undertones of hay, fresh-cut grass, and clay.

Score: 8.2/10

Palette and Finish

The palette is very mellow. You get hit with a lot of sweetness up front (which is customary for corn & malted-barley bourbons). At first pass, the sweetness is mostly honey and sweet barley. But as the flavor sets in, you get a hint of the rye that underlies this mashbill. Oak intertwines with the sweet honey flavor, and the entire pour takes on an earthy vibes. Something you’d want to drink on your back porch on a hot summer day… or something that would remind you of your grandpa’s old rusty tractor (in the most nostalgic way possible).

Score: 8.0/10

Value

Per booz.app, this bottle retails for around $49.99-$68.86. That pricepoint is about on-par with something like Old Forester’s Whiskey Row collection.

One downside to this bourbon, however, is that it isn’t easy to find. This is a worthwhile bottle to order (if your state allows delivery), but otherwise your best chance at getting Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon Whiskey might be at a bar.

You can also buy Frey Ranch straight from their website (here).

Score: 7.5/10

Best Cocktail to Make with Frey Ranch Bourbon

One fun note about Frey Ranch, is that they actually sent a recipe for a Gold Rush Cocktail (which they title the “Ranch Hand”, recipe here).

Of course, your friends at Bourbon Dose immediately capitalized on this opportunity. We spun up a delicious Gold Rush cocktail recipe variation of our own, which you can read below. Frey Ranch was an excellent fit for this cocktail.

Read: Bourbon Dose’s Gold Rush Cocktail Recipe

Bourbon Dose Final Score

You can really taste the love that went into distilling this bourbon. The amount of work it takes to make a pure estate bourbon, including the grains, distilling process, learning, and aging, makes Frey Ranch a unicorn in its own right. They didn’t outsource the grains or the process. They made it all on their ranch. And you can absolutely tell that they take pride in their work, and dumped an extra dose of love into the process of bringing this bourbon to our tables.

Get a bottle of this, and thank the farmers in your life.
Final Verdict: 7.9/10.