Distillery: Frey Ranch Farmers & Distillers
Proof: 90
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 66.6% Corn, 10% Wheat, 11.4% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
BACKGROUND: Frey Ranch Farmers & Distillers is a craft whiskey distillery based out of Fallon, NV. The Frey family has deep roots in farming in the Lake Tahoe Watershed region dating back to the 1800s. These deep farming roots lead them to the whiskey production. They Frey family produce 3 different types of whiskey: this straight bourbon, a straight rye, and a single barrel whiskey. Not only do they distill and age their own whiskey they also farm their own grains and malt their own barley taking the concept of grain to glass to a whole other level.
NOSE: A sweeter nose with an ethanol undertone. There are scents of cherry, vanilla, butterscotch, and oak that pop up from the glass. It is a rather straightforward and sweet nose. (21/25)
PALATE: The low proof allows this whiskey to have a very smooth mouthfeel opening with notes of graham cracked, brown sugar, and vanilla that transitions into powerful notes of dry oak and sharp pepper. Overall it had more mouthfeel than I anticipated for a 90 proof whiskey while still being smooth and approachable. (32/40)
FINISH: The finish is quite spicy and medium in length. There are notes of charred oak, vanilla, rye spice, and tobacco (21/25)
VALUE: With a $50 SRP this is a good every day whiskey priced very well. (7/10)
Overall: 81/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon is a very flavorful craft bourbon whiskey with a sweeter flavor profile and a lot of value. I was very impressed with how distinct each flavor was and the mouthfeel. We would recommend this whiskey to anyone who can buy it. They currently are available in NV & CA.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Michter's Straight Bourbon
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Old Fourth Bottled-in-Bond
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Woodford Reserve
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Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away