Farm Distillery Far North Spirits Debuts Its First Estate Grown Bourbon

Far North Spirits out of the northern wilds of Minnesota is a very solid example of the true farm to flask distillery, in that they grow the grains for the whiskeys they distill on their own family farm. They’ve made something of a name for themselves with their Roknar rye variants over the last couple years, and are now pushing into an estate grown bourbon called Bødalen.

Far North Spirits Bødalen Bourbon, according to those behind it, is a high rye bourbon with a mash bill that’s 60% heirloom corn (non-GMO), 30% AC Hazlet winter rye and 10% malt barley. The grains for this whiskey, as mentioned previously, are grown and harvested by the distiller himself on his family farm.

After distillation at the farm distillery, this young bourbon is aged for a minimum of a year and a half (18 months) in 15 gallon, Minnesota-made oak barrels before being bottled at 90 proof. It is “named for an idyllic Norwegian valley on the edge of a massive glacier.”

Plans call for the first batch of Bødalen to be released in New York, Chicago and Wisconsin, with a price point somewhere between $55 and $65 a bottle. It will also be available in Minnesota, though only at the distillery itself in a smaller bottle format. Limited official tasting notes from Far North indicate this bourbon “offers aromas of toffee, sweet corn and orange zest. The entry is both peppery and vegetal, with a woodsy depth. The finish is surprisingly long, rich and persistent with notes of bitter chocolate and brown sugar.”