I was lucky enough to get the inaugural release of Seelbach’s Private Reserve. We all know Seelbach’s as the best resource for craft spirits, and now they’ve joined the ranks of craft blenders with creative finishing in toasted French Oak barrels and ex-bourbon maple…
I was lucky enough to get the inaugural release of Seelbach’s Private Reserve. We all know Seelbach’s as the best resource for craft spirits, and now they’ve joined the ranks of craft blenders with creative finishing in toasted French Oak barrels and ex-bourbon maple syrup barrels—literally French toast and maple syrup!
Seelbach’s Private Reserve Tasting Notes
Whiskey:
Seelbach’s Private Reserve Batch No. 1, a blend of Straight Bourbons finished in new medium-toast French Oak barrels and Ex-Bourbon Maple Syrup barrels.
Components:
66% of two-year, six-month old bourbon and 34% ten-year, two-month bourbon, both distilled in Indiana.
Mashbill:
75% corn; 21% rye; 4% malted barley
ABV:
57.5% ABV (115 proof)
Cost:
$99.00
Appearance: Copper penny.
Nose: Beautiful aromas of ripe peaches with a slight floral and cedar background, but more dominated by toffee and maple for a thoroughly sweet nose, with just a hint of black pepper.
Taste: Baking spice and dry dark fruit are evident at first but it shifts to the flavors predicted by the nose with caramel, maple, honey, orange zest all balanced with oak and black pepper again. There really is a feel of maple syrup, maybe with the nuttiness of some chicory coffee with cream, all with a creamy mouthfeel.
Finish: Shifts to a hint of tobacco for a decadent long finish with rich dark cherries.
Bottom Line
Alright, this was released last fall and all 1,040 bottles sold out long ago, but the important takeaway is to jump early on future batches because Blake at Seelbach’s put in the research and the effort to get the right base bourbon, the best finishing barrels, and the discipline to know when it’s ready. This is an outstanding first release. Check out https://seelbachs.com/.
Hailing from a farm that’s been in operation for over 165 years, 10 years before Nevada was even a state, comes the Frey Ranch Bourbon. A true farm-to-glass bourbon that’s grown, distilled, aged and bottled all on the same farm – they even do their own malting! Everything about the whiskey is Nevada, including the […]
Hailing from a farm that’s been in operation for over 165 years, 10 years before Nevada was even a state, comes the Frey Ranch Bourbon. A true farm-to-glass bourbon that’s grown, distilled, aged and bottled all on the same farm – they even do their own malting! Everything about the whiskey is Nevada, including the warehouses which are subject to the elements and only employ the natural heating and cooling of the region. This is a truly local, no BS bourbon with only one outside addition: humidity.
Over the years the Freys have played with varying levels of humidity to enhance their whiskeys and help them mature more like the whiskies we’ve come to know and love from KY, TN and IN. This use of humidity shows the crucial role it plays in whiskey maturity and instead of tasting like the tannic woody mess associated with so many craft whiskeys it ends up tasting… well, let’s not totally ruin it up here. Instead, let’s take a second to switch gears and talk about grain.
Before starting their own distillery, the Frey’s produced grain that was sold off to merchants who then sold it off around the world for beer and whiskey production. Through years of experimentation, they honed in on optimal grain production, looking at nitrogen levels, for quality over quantity. This balanced approach reduces the overall yield, but increases the quality and is one of the reasons their production level is rather small but their Frey Ranch Bourbon tastes so… nice.
Though, to answer the question of just how nice, we’ll need to get to drinkin’ and dig into the review itself below.
Frey Ranch Bourbon – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Region: Nevada, USA
Distiller: Frey Ranch Mash Bill: 66.6% Corn, 11.4% Winter Cereal Rye, 10% Winter Wheat, 12% 2-Row Barley Cask: New Charred Oak Age: 5 Years ABV: 45%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 2
Price: $45*
“Grown, distilled, matured and bottled on site, this is a new generation of Frey that is more than a ranch, but a true farm distillery in this 36th state of the U.S.A., raising a whiskey of the land.” – Frey Ranch
Tasting Notes
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Hay-like earthiness, oak, fruit, cinnamon, toffee and bits of vanilla, fresh biscuits and polenta.
This isn’t super deep or complex, but it is well balanced and expressive in a way that brings the nose back to the glass over and over. It’s an enjoyable sniff.
PALATE
Hay-like earthiness, cinnamon candy, toffee, nutmeg, cocoa powder, vanilla candy, raw corn, caramelized banana and just a hint of that tannic-woody craft note.
Again, not super deep or complex, but well balanced. Frey Ranch Bourbon is a surprising entry from the craft world because of the maturity it shows and the nice integration of wood and spirit.
FINISH
Medium -> Cinnamon, caramel, hay-like earthiness and corn fade out to a bit of that crafty sawdust/wood note and dried fruit.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Decent balance, medium body and a warm soft feel.
Frey Ranch Bourbon – Overall Thoughts and Score
There is a lot to talk about when it comes to the Frey Ranch Bourbon. The grain production is thoughtful, the distilling and maturation is thoughtful, their use of spent grain is thoughtful and even the bottle is thoughtful with its recycled metal top and belt buckle label which is a nod to their family. There is so much to talk about I could go on tangent after tangent, but I’m going to keep it focused on the whiskey… which is good.
The Frey’s have proven something I’ve been pondering about and musing about, out loud here, for years and that’s the need for humidity in the whiskey maturation process. Before adding humidity to their warehouses their whiskey was woody, tannic and “crafty”. Now… now it tastes like a well matured, integrated, bourbon with warmth, depth and complexity.
True it still has a ways to go before it hits the level of a Booker’s or a Russell’s, but it’s far ahead of so many of its contemporary craft counterparts. So much so, that until I talked to the owners and distiller, and got a virtual tour of the facility, I was convinced it was sourced whiskey with shady labeling. I’m elated that isn’t the case and instead the Frey Ranch Bourbon is a phenomenal example of what can be achieved with a thoughtful approach. Well done folks.
SCORE: 3/5
*Disclosure: The bottle for this bourbon review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Frey Ranch Bourbon Review
$45
Summary
Not a bad bourbon at all, in fact, it’s quite nice neat and mixes very well in cocktails.
