“The Harvester Series is a way of celebrating our grains the same way wineries celebrate the crush, which we are able to do because we are one of only a handful of distilleries in the world that grow 100% of the grains used to produce our whiskeys,” Frey Ranch’s Colby Frey shares with Maxim. The “crush” being when vintners harvest their fields, a special time in many vineyards when they celebrate the act of juicing their grapes—be it via machines or foot-stomping. For the fifth generation farmer, whose family has tilled the soil here since 1854, Colby and wife/co-founder Ashley imagined their Harvester Series to celebrate his farm’s same moment—except with whiskey instead of wine.
At Frey Ranch this ‘grain-to-glass’ philosophy isn’t just poetic, it is the framework behind one of the most ambitious whiskey programs in the country. And nowhere does that ethos shine brighter than in the farm’s Harvester Series. Consider the inaugural 10th Anniversary Edition, which celebrated a decade of distilling on the Frey farm by using all five of their whiskey-making grains (wheat, rye, barley, corn and oat) in the final blend—an incredible rarity that landed it as a Spirit Of The Week earlier this year.
As proven by their new Second Harvest, the Harvester Series is way more than just another line extension or a limited-edition curiosity. It’s the Frey family’s attempt to bottle the truest expression of their land and labor each year—a concept that would feel over-romanticized if they weren’t actually farming every single kernel of grain themselves on their 2,000-acre farm outside of Lake Tahoe. What separates the Harvester Series fundamentally from their core portfolio, and even other limited edition releases, is that unlike traditional whiskeys that begin with the selection of mash bills, barrel profiles, or conceptual direction, here everything starts—and ends—with the grain itself. “For the Harvester Series,” explains Master Distiller Russell Wedlake, “we essentially start with a blank canvas.”
Each year the Frey Ranch braintrust tastes through hundreds of barrels representing 14 to 17 mashbills, everything from unmalted grain runs to experimental malts to traditional bourbons. Their longtime collaborator, the renowned blender Nancy Fraley, joins the process to help identify which grains are “speaking” that year. The final direction follows the harvest’s natural voice, not a pre-conceived idea dreamed up in a marketing meeting. “Each release is dictated by whatever the grains are telling us that year,” Colby explains. “The ‘First Harvest’ was more rye-forward, while this ‘Second Harvest’ is wheat-based with malt as a modifier.”
“There wasn’t a predetermined strategy,” Wedlake adds. “For the ‘Second Harvest,’ it was the wheat barrels that were really shining. We let the liquid guide us rather than forcing a concept.”
The newly released Harvester Series: Second Harvest leans naturally into wheat, not by design but because those barrels were the ones that rose to the top. Far from a traditional wheated whiskey, however, the blend incorporates a ‘quad malt’—malted corn, wheat, rye, and barley — along with unmalted barley, with even some bourbon barrels thrown in for good measure. The result is layered, textural, and unexpectedly complex, with the base grain bringing harmony rather than dominance.
This is where the Harvester Series elevates into something much more interesting than a distillery merely showcasing its grain purity. It becomes something close to an agricultural time capsule of sorts—a sensory reflection of a specific patch of Nevada soil. Frey Ranch may produce alfalfa that travels to China, Dubai, and Japan, but the grains destined for whiskey never leave the farm. “Being able to take the grains we grow, create whiskey we love, and share that with people is the best feeling in the world,” Colby says proudly, illuminating the tangible satisfaction of a farmer who finally gets to taste the crops he’s nurtured with his own hands.
“Being able to take the grains we grow, create whiskey we love, and share that with people is the best feeling in the world.”
Colby Frey
It’s worth noting that a major part of refining those decisions is the partnership with the aforementioned Fraley. One of the most respected blenders in American whiskey, “The Nose,” as Fraley is affectionately known, has worked with many of our independent favorites including J. Henry & Sons, Wyoming Whiskey, Virginia Distillery, Still Austin and more. Unsurprisingly, collaborating with the legend has changed the way both Frey and Wedlake approach flavor. “I’m very logical in my approach to distilling and blending,” Russell says. “Nancy brings a strong emotional and sensory perspective to how people experience whiskey. That combination created a perfect balance, because we don’t need everyone thinking the same way.”
Colby puts it simply: “We feel we got the best blender working with the best grains and distilling practices to create the best possible whiskey.” The results speak for themselves: both First and Second Harvest sold out online in under 20 minutes. Bottled at a stout 61.22-percent ABV (122.44 proof) and packaged in an elaborate silo-shaped metal container, Frey Ranch Harvester Series: Second Harvest Whiskey is worth searching for at its $250 SRP.
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
