2025 is the year I became acquainted with Frey Ranch, one of the most intriguing of the newer bourbon companies. The ranch itself was established in 1854 in what would become Fallon, Nevada, a small town about an hour east of Reno. What makes them so intriguing to me is the fact that they farm all the grains for this bourbon right there on their ranch…in fact, the bottle states that the bourbon is “grown, distilled, matured, & bottled” right there at Frey Ranch. Their slogan is “Be good to the land…the land will be good to you” and they seem to live by those words. The Frey Ranch Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey (also referred to as “Farm Strength”) is made of 66.6% dent corn, 10% winter wheat, 11.4% winter rye, and 12% two-row barley. This uncut expression is also non-chill filtered. My bottle is from batch 14 and is 123.88 proof (61.94% ABV).
The bottle doesn’t display an age statement, so we probably have to assume 4 to 6 years of age. The color reflects that, also, with a light-to-medium amber color with a little reddishness. From the first time I nosed a glass of the Frey Ranch Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey, I was a bit taken aback by the funkiness that came from it. I’m guessing it’s the wheat, although I could be wrong…but there is just a real funk in this whiskey. Cut through that and I pick up some vanilla and oak. Swirling the liquid around in my glass produced legs that were incredibly slow to develop and slide down the inside of the glass…so really viscous!
Taking a sip, I was greeted with molasses and apple up front before the flavor just exploded into a mix of wheat funk, brown sugar, cinnamon, proof burn, and charred oak. It really is a quite remarkable and complex bourbon. I guess I just didn’t think a bourbon so good could come from as far west as Nevada (and yes, I’ve tried Redwood Empire’s stuff…jury’s still out, but I’ve tried so far has made me want to buy a bottle). After getting this bottle of Frey Ranch, I tried to find a reason for us to visit Reno so we could drive out to visit the place…but I’m not sure that will happen anytime soon. I did get a half-sized bottle of their Single-Grain Oat Whiskey, though…and that’s a review for a different day.
