Posted November 9, 2023 by Chaitu Bourbon

Frey Ranch Single Barrel Rye Side by Side

Great example of how diverse of expressions from one barrel to another a distillery can produce!

This side by side was done blind – Glasses had a colored sticker (Blue & Red) on the bottom

Single Barrels that were compared

Frey Ranch Single Barrel Rye – San Francisco Whiskey Bourbon Scotch Society (68.30 % ABV) Barrel #734 – More information of this Single Barrel below:

Fill Date	12-11-2016
Dump Date	6-27-2023
Age	6 years, 6 months & 17 days
Cooperage	B-53
Warehouse	E
Location	26F1
Angle Share Loss	23.02

Frey Ranch Single Barrel Rye – Distiller’s Reserve (61.02% ABV) Barrel # 2506

DISTILLERY	Frey Ranch
REGION	Fallon, Nevada
AGE	NAS (~Around 6-8 years)
STRENGTH	68.30 & 61.02 % (136.60 & 122.04 Proof)
MASHBILL	100% Slow grown Winter cereal Rye
MSRP	$115

GLANCE

Blue Glass – Deep intensity with a polished mahogany hue. Substantially darker than the red glass

Red Glass – Medium intensity with a dark gold hue

NOSE

Blue Glass – Cooked Peaches, blueberries, and stewed fruits with nutmeg powder. Cooked bread, chocolate chip cookies, white pepper and raisins. Pronounced intensity

Red Glass – Night and day compared to the blue glass. Still pronounced intensity. Lighter aromas with semi-cooked fruits. Apple pie, white chocolate, grapes, apple skin, orange marmalade. Citrus notes with cinnamon spice

Frey Ranch SB SFWBSS Pick

Frey Ranch SB Distiller’s Reserve

PALATE

Blue Glass – Medium sweetness with a warming texture and pronounced flavor intensity. More spices in the front, sweet oak, caramel with rye bread. Then stewed fruits, dates, oatmeal and strawberries. Build up more in flavor intensity towards the end

Red Glass – More sweetness compared to the red glass and pronounced flavor intensity. Lighter flavor profile but bright flavors are present. Blueberry muffin, oats, fresh oak, tarty fruits, and apple pie. Also, there is this creaminess like from a milkshake in the middle.

FINISH

Blue Glass – Long with some complexity. Oak, caramel, rye spice, peanut butter with cracked white pepper

Red Glass – Medium to long with some complexity. Tangerines, honey, nutmeg, clove and oak

CLOSING REMARKS

Wow this was quite the blast compare and contrast. As I stated on top of this review, this is a great example of how diverse single barrels from the same distillery can be. The differences are in your face and hard to miss. Goes to show how even with the same grain, and distillation process the barrel (Aged in #4 char barrels and capped with #3 char heads) & temperature during aging plays a big part in the final flavor profile. Frey Ranch has quickly grown from a craft distillery to a force to be reckoned with in the bourbon/rye market. Coming from Nevada there is a unique terroir at play but also their grains grown right next to their distillery. Coupled that with the dry heat, you have the starting ingredients for something unique.

Part of Frey Ranch Rye SB Press Release
“Located in Northern Nevada just east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Frey Ranch Distillery grows, malts, and distills 100% of its whiskey grains on-site for consistent quality as a point of pride. The Frey family has a history of farming in the region dating back to 1854 and lives on today through Frey Ranch CEO, Co-Founder, and “Whiskey Farmer,” Colby Frey, who started the distillery in 2006 with his wife and Co-Founder, Ashley. The Freys work closely alongside Master Distiller and Certified Crop Advisor, Russell Wedlake, to carefully oversee each stage of the production process, “from ground to glass™.””

I enjoy ryes, and this one I had to take my time with. It took me on a beautiful journey through the forest if it was also located in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. The flavors are well balanced and come out in all their forte. If you don’t particularly enjoy ryes, this might just turn you. Cheers!

Frey Ranch Single Barrel Rye Side by Side