Colby Frey has come a long way in his distilling business. He broke ground on his Fallon distillery several years ago and started barreling his whiskey. After aging for more than five years, that bourbon is ready to sell. Frey says it is now available at more than 200 stores and bars throughout northern Nevada.

"Man, it's a lot of time and money to get it here but we're really happy with the product and we're really proud of it," Frey said.

The Freys have been farming and ranching in Nevada since 1854. His family started making wine in 2001. Colby and his wife, Ashley, own the farm now, and they decided to branch into spirits.

"We've been growing grains forever, so it was kind of a natural progression for us to go from wine to spirits and actually use the grains that we grow here, on site already," Frey said.

Every part of the production process begins and ends on the Frey Ranch, beginning with the seeds that grow into the corn, wheat, rye and barley used in the bourbon. Seven people work on the farm. Once they harvest the crops, the eight distillery workers mill, cook, ferment, distill, barrel and bottle the whiskey.

"We know exactly what went into the farming and we can make sure that we have the best quality grain that goes into the fermentation process and ends up in the bourbon," Ashley Frey said.

"None of those ingredients have ever left our possession until you take them home," Colby Frey said. "So it's really a true local product."

Frey Ranch started somewhat small in terms of production, with 180 barrels in its first year.

"Now we run seven days a week, 18 hours a day, and we're probably about 60 barrels a week as opposed to 180 our first year," Russell Wedlake, Master Distiller at Frey Ranch Distillery said.

Wedlake says the facilities are at 70 percent of capacity, so there is still room to grow. The plan is to ramp up production and start distributing in California next year. In five years, Frey hopes to sell his bourbon in all 50 states.

"We're proud to be local, and hopefully everybody else is proud to support a local brand but also we want to be known as a national player in the future," Colby Frey said.

"This is our home and we're excited to share it with not only northern Nevada but eventually the whole country," Ashley Frey said.

The Freys are confident that they will be successful on the national scale because they have 100 percent control over the farm and distillery, allowing them to have the highest quality. Wedlake says the way to produce a high-quality bourbon is to avoid cutting corners.

"We've had experts come in and taste our whiskey and say 'We don't understand how a couple of farmers can make such a high-quality whiskey,'' Wedlake said. "We said we just did the research, we did the work, we did everything right. We thought that's what everybody did and everybody said 'No, that's what nobody does.'"

Frey says the retail value of his bourbon is $49.99 but some places sell it for as low as $40. After all the planning and hard work, the Freys say it is exciting to finally sell their product.

"We're beyond excited to be able to share our bourbon with northern Nevada, something we've been working on for such a long time and sampling every couple months and it is ready and it's delicious," Ashley Frey said.

"It's really exciting to share something that is so personal to us," Colby Frey said. "It's so much work that we put into it and so it's kind of neat to share that with everybody."

The Freys are also encouraging people to visit their tasting room. It is open on Saturdays from noon to 4:00. It includes complimentary tastings and tours of the distillery.

 

 

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