'BE GOOD TO THE LAND AND THE LAND WILL BE GOOD TO YOU'
Taking care of the land has been a point of pride in the Frey family since 1854 when they acquired some of the first deeded property in Nevada. As a fifth-generation family farmer, Colby believes that taking care of the soil and environment is one of the most important steps towards leaving the farm in good or better condition than he received it in to the next generation, our children.
A Hyper-Local Farm +
Distillery Ecosystem
From the grains to the bottle, we use what we like to call ‘common sense sustainability’, a process that comes naturally to the Farm + Distillery to reuse materials and reduce our carbon footprint. Starting with growing 100% of our whiskey grains on-site, we are proud to completely eliminate the back-and-forth trips of trucking in grains from across the country or even around the world. After the grains are malted and distilled on-site at the Ranch, the leftover spent grains from the fermentation process are hauled on a tractor to the dairy next door, providing a nutrient supplement for their dairy cows and in exchange, the cows provide what Colby refers to as “natures best fertilizer”, which provides nutrition for the soil that grows our whiskey grains.
Taking care
of our soil
On our 1,500-acre farm, we do a 7-year crop rotation to keep the soil healthy for our high-quality whiskey grains. This farm process includes growing alfalfa, which is a long-term crop that allows our soil to maintain its natural carbon and microbes. By naturally producing nitrogen in the soil, alfalfa helps to keep our soil healthy in-between growing our grains corn, barley, wheat, and rye.
Protecting
THE WATER
Lake Tahoe is known for its crystal-clear water, and we use this same Sierra Nevada snowmelt from the region to flood irrigate our whiskey fields. By manually operating the water canals through hand-powered gates we rely on 100% gravity and no electricity. In addition, the water that calmly flows down the field protects the nutritious elements of the grain that is vital to creating a high-quality whiskey. To efficiently cool our stills and fermenters, natural water is stored on the Ranch which saves more electricity than anti-freeze or electric cooling systems.
ALL of our GRAINS are SLOW GROWN presenting a RICHER, SMOOTHER WHISKEY experience.
Packaging
Colby likes to say that everything has a purpose here on the Ranch, and that is a motto that we live by every day while making our Ground-To-Glass whiskey. At the Ranch, we upcycle our used Frey Ranch whiskey bottles into candles, vases, and grain jars that feature our mash bill, and encourage customers to reuse their bottles or drop them off at the Ranch. In addition to the bottle itself, the topper is made with 100% recycled metal and it can be upcycled into decorations such as door knobs or ornaments.
