BRC EP 4 - The Silver State's Frey Ranch, Farmers + Distillers

Tucked away in Northern Nevada’s Lake Tahoe Watershed, Frey Ranch Distillery is proud to be the state’s first and only whiskey producer to grow 100% of its grains on-site. The Frey family has a long legacy of farming in this region dating back to 1854, which continues today with Frey Ranch CEO, Co-founder, and self-proclaimed “Whiskey Farmer,” Colby Frey, who started the distillery in 2006 with his wife and Co-founder, Ashley.
Colby is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up working on his family’s 1,500-acre ranch, where he was involved in planting, growing, and harvesting crops like alfalfa, wheat, and barley alongside his father, from whom he inherited his passion for all things agriculture. The Frey family values a common-sense approach to sustainable farming, with Colby’s inspiration to build a distillery born from a desire to create a distinctive, long-lasting product from the quality grains his family has been growing and perfecting for generations. The family has long abided by the motto, “Be good to the land and the land will be good to you,” which is engraved on the bottom of each bottle of Frey Ranch whiskey.
From farming and harvesting grains to malting barley on-site, all the way through distillation and maturation, the Frey Ranch team is dedicated to crafting the highest quality whiskey, which doesn’t leave the ranch until it’s bottled and ready to be enjoyed. With its flagship Straight Bourbon
Whiskey, Frey Ranch is pleased to produce a whiskey that embodies the Frey family’s passion for farming and pride in their home state of Nevada, and a select… Read More

While Ashley Frey may not have grown up on a farm, today it’s where she feels most at home. Hailing from the small town of Gardnerville, Nevada, Ashley comes from a close-knit family who taught her from an early age that there are multiple routes to success. It was this foundation that inspired Ashley, alongside her husband Colby, to forge a career in the world of whiskey and in 2006 establish Frey Ranch Distillery in Fallon, Nevada.
Ashley enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2001 to pursue a degree in Public Relations and it was here that she met her husband, Colby Frey, a fifth-generation farmer whose agricultural ambitions could not have been more different from her own. Despite this, the two hit it off and the Freys welcomed Ashley into their family – and eventually, the family business – where she got her first taste of what was to come by lending a hand with bookkeeping for the ranch.
After spending several years working in casino marketing and legal services, Ashley took a leap of faith when she and Colby founded Frey Ranch Distillery on his family’s 1,500-acre farm in the spring of 2006. While the early days were often long and exhausting – with Ashley stepping in to help wherever she was needed, including on the bottling line – she takes pride in the hard work that made Frey Ranch Distillery what it is today, and has leveraged her PR and marketing background to help grow the company over the years.
In addition to having a hand in day-to-day business operations, Ashley is closely involved in the branding process and recently oversaw the redesi… Read More