Tasting notes

nose

sandalwood, caramel and freshly grated nutmeg

palate

toffee opening into cinnamon

finish

heather and buckwheat honey, floral and lingering

Mash bill

95% Oklon rye, 5% malted Oklon rye. Oklon was bred by Oklahoma State University in 1993; it grows taller than most modern rye, over five feet, which leaves it prone to lodging, and because it was bred further south it yields less in northern Minnesota's climate. Far North grows it on its own farm regardless and uses a custom malt of the same variety, so the whole mash is one rye.

Why it's craft

Oklon is a difficult crop for this farm: tall, prone to lodging and low-yielding in a harsh northern climate, and Far North grows it for the flavor it gives once distilled. The distillery, founded in 2013 by Michael Swanson and Cheri Reese on the Swanson family farm in the Red River Valley, is the northernmost in the contiguous United States and one of a handful of estate distilleries that grow their own grain. Milling, fermenting, distilling and aging all happen on the farm, in small barrels.