Rob has spent many years around whiskey and just couldn’t let go of the question, “why are there thousands of grapes used in wine but there is the one rye and the one yellow corn etc in American whiskey? Why do virtually all Bourbons have the same half dozen flavor notes? What do heirloom grains taste like?” This began his journey to answer these questions by doing the work himself. Rob has dug in deep trying to better understand and interact with plants both cultivated and wild, wildlife and how agriculture impacts them.

Workhorse Rye

This brand is dedicated to whiskies distilled from low-starch, high-nutrient, heirloom rye from CA/AZ/OR regenerative farmers such as Fritz Durst (Yolo County, CA), Camas Mills (Willamette Valley, OR), Reed Hamilton (Grass Valley, CA), Admiral Maltings (Alameda, CA), Grain R&D (Phoenix, AZ)

Modern Ancient

This brand is a pursuit of diversity of flavor, the historical context of corn, and the modern necessity to support families growing their ancient heirloom using their ancient practices of compost, companion-planting, low-irrigation, no-sprays, embracing wildlife, respecting soil, and respecting the trade. These corns have far less starch than commercial corn (it takes about 40% more heirloom grain to make as much alcohol as does commercial grain) but that means starch has not pushed out micronutrients and proteins which translate to much more flavor.