Colby Frey is a fifth-generation farmer with deep ties to his home state of Nevada, where the Frey family planted their first crops over 150 years ago in the shadows of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Today, Colby is proud to continue his family’s legacy as CEO, Co-founder, and “Whiskey Farmer” at Frey Ranch Distillery in Fallon, Nevada, where he grows, malts, distills, and ages 100% of his whiskey grains on-site.
Colby grew up on the 1,500-acre Frey Ranch with his parents, older brother, and two sisters. Some of his fondest memories are of working alongside his father on the farm, where the family built their livelihood growing alfalfa and supplementing with various grain varieties in the off seasons. Colby’s father taught him the ins and outs of farming that had been passed down from previous generations, but most importantly, he instilled in Colby that a farmer’s obligation is first and foremost as a steward of the land. This is a lesson Colby carries to this day, abiding by the motto “Be good to the land and the land will be good to you,” which is engraved on each bottle of Frey Ranch whiskey.
After high school, Colby enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno to pursue a degree in business management, forgoing a formal education in agricultural studies–a decision inspired by the advice of his late grandfather who had always told him, “Farming isn’t something you learn in a book; it’s in your blood.” It was during college that Colby met his future wife, Ashley, through mutual friends, and before long she also became involved in the operational side of the family business.
By the mid-2000s, Colby decided the time was right to merge his love of farming with yet another passion: whiskey. Not only was he personally invested in the project, but it made sense for the future of the farm. By producing spirits from rotation crops like wheat, rye, barley, and corn, Colby realized he could create something long-lasting and financially viable from perishable grains that would otherwise have a limited shelf-life. He shifted his focus primarily to growing whiskey grains, testing countless sub-varieties to determine which would ultimately yield the highest quality whiskey. Colby built the distillery from the ground up, and together with Ashley founded Frey Ranch Distillery in the spring of 2006.
The couple married in 2010 and today they are creating new memories with their 7-year-old daughter Alice, and 5-year-old son Charley on the same farm where Colby grew up. Today, Colby oversees each stage of the production process at Frey Ranch Distillery, From Ground to Glass™. His proudest career milestone to date is the release of Frey Ranch’s flagship four-grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a culmination of many years of hard work and according to Colby, a true representation of his family and their connection to the land.
For more information on Frey Ranch Distillery, visit freyranch.com.