Minnesota Rye Whiskey Distillery Aims To Up Its State’s Rye Game

When it comes to American made whiskey, two places immediately come to mind: Tennessee and Kentucky. However, there’s one distillery that hopes to add a third location to that list: Minnesota. While the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” may not seem like an obvious choice, Far North Spirits has already started working on a field study in making the best grains for rye whiskey.

The distillery, nestled in the small town of Hallock on the northwestern corner of the state, has the rare distinction of being a distillery that grows its grains. Because of this, and because they already produce several spirits – including a rye-based gin and vodka, as well as a planned rye whiskey which we recently highlighted in a special barrel program they have – they have received grant money to produce a high-quality rye grain.

In February of this year, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture gave the 1,500 acre farm a roughly $200,000 grant to grow and study the different varieties of winter rye grown in the area. This is for the sole purpose of finding out which strain is best suited for distillation purposes. Far North’s ambition is not only to create a better grain, but to become synonymous with rye whiskey. “Kentucky has bourbon, Scotland, Scotch. Minnesota will own rye.” said Michael Swanson who, as the owner of the farm, has lofty goals indeed. “Our rich soil and extreme climate are perfect for growing this grain. AC Hazlet rye, our favored variety, is already recognized as our signature.”

The study will take in a wide variety of factors, such as grain hardness, quality, yield, winter hardiness and spring vigor, to name a few. In addition to studying and testing the grains themselves, the project will collaborate with other local distilleries to check the quality of the grains in the distillation process, taking into account viscosity, nose and flavor. The study aims to be a comprehensive guide for farmers to finding the best rye grains for whiskey distillation.