Whiskey distilleries are as ubiquitous as breweries these days, with every region having their own craft distillery. So what does it take for one to stand out against the crowd? Is it a heartwarming backstory? A unique twist on production? Or simply whiskey that speaks — ahem, tastes — for itself? J. Henry & Sons whiskey has all these things and, yes, they stand out against the crowds of craft distilleries — for those reasons and more, which I found out while touring the J. Henry & Sons farm in Wisconsin.
If you haven’t heard of J. Henry & Sons whiskey yet, don’t worry; you will. Right now the Wisconsin Straight Bourbon is only available in its home state plus Illinois and Minnesota, but it’s already winning numerous awards around the country.
Last week some friends and I ventured up to Dane, Wisconsin, for the day to tour J. Henry & Sons farm and taste some of their award-winning Wisconsin Straight Bourbon. The 2.5 hour drive from Chicago is a fun excuse to venture through the farmland and get out of the city. And being just outside of Madison, you can explore the capital’s restaurants and cheese shops too.
J. Henry & Sons Whiskey Stands Out Among Craft Distilleries
The History of J. Henry & Sons
J. Henry & Sons whiskey first hit stores in 2015 but the decision to make whiskey was made back in 2008 after Joe and his wife Liz visited the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. With 90% of their 440-acre farm already growing corn, it seemed like a good idea.
And it was. But, like all things worth doing, it took time. After a hurdle with using heirloom red corn (more on that below), distilling started in 2009. J. Henry & Sons whiskey is distilled at 45th Parallel Distillery, a contract distillery in New Richmond, Wisconsin, that distills to Joe’s very specific instructions. (45th Parallel also distills and sells its own vodka, gin, and whiskey.)
The new make spirit is then sent back to J. Henry & Sons farm to be aged in the former dairy barn, where it experiences the intense temperature swings of Wisconsin. This year saw a 165 degree temperature swing in just a few months, which is even more drastic than Kentucky’s wild weather. (Here in the Midwest we hit -50° Fahrenheit in January, making all of us question our will to live — at least in the Midwest! — and just a few weeks ago hit 110° Fahrenheit. Fun times.)
After at least 5 years of aging, Joe’s son Joe Jr. blends the whiskey. It’s then sent off site for bottling, then distributed throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri.
Heirloom Red Corn, the Heart of J. Henry & Sons
Driving to J. Henry & Sons farm through northern Illinois and Wisconsin is a visual glimpse of the importance of corn. If you haven’t made the drive yourself, here’s a spoiler: there’s lots and lots of corn. But at J. Henry & Sons, the corn is a bit different. Some of the corn they grow is heirloom red corn. And it’s the only place in the world where it’s grown.
Heirloom red corn was the farmers’ corn of choice in the 1930s and 40s, back when Joe’s dad grew it on his farm. But in the 1960s most farmers stopped growing it for higher yield corn. Luckily the University of Wisconsin loaned the Henry family a few seeds (just 1200, to be exact) and it took four years to grow enough corn to have enough seeds to actually grow an entire crop.
It’s now grown on the J. Henry & Sons farm specifically for whiskey, along with the wheat and rye used in the bourbon. (The malted barley is from Briess Malt in Waterloo, Wisconsin, a world-renowned barley farm.) The J. Henry & Sons whiskey is the only bourbon in the world made with heirloom red corn. So it’s truly a unique whiskey!
Wisconsin Straight Bourbon
J. Henry & Sons makes three types of bourbon — for now. (They are experimenting with others and currently maturing rye.) All of them are aged for at least five years in Wisconsin white oak with a mash bill of 60% heirloom red corn, 14% wheat, 14% rye, and 12% malted barley.
Thanks to the intense temperature swings in Wisconsin, our tour guide Aaron explained Wisconsin sees the same age characteristics at 5 years that Kentucky sees at 8. Aaron also explained that water and alcohol evaporate at the same rate in Wisconsin. (In Kentucky, water evaporates faster than alcohol, making the ABV rise during maturation.) The angels share is a bit high — 20% in 5 years — but the concentration of water to whiskey is maintained.
J. Henry & Sons Small Batch
The flagship whiskey is J. Henry & Sons Small Batch, a five year Wisconsin Straight Bourbon bottled at 92 proof. The “small batch” designation is no exaggeration; it’s a blend of just 15 barrels, all based on a mother batch. (And done by Joe’s son, Joe Jr.)
This one is my favorite. The nose is biscuity, with brioche, figs, vanilla, and cherry notes. The palate is beautifully chewy and delicious heavy on the vanilla notes, with cherry and cinnamon. I admit that I’m not the biggest bourbon fan, but this one had me smitten.
J. Henry Patton Road Reserve
The Patton Road Reserve, named after the road leading to the farm, is a single barrel bourbon. Bottled at cask strength (59.4% for the barrel no. 334), it’s an intense version of the flagship with heavier rye notes. Vanilla custard, maple, and butterscotch dominated the nose, while the palate was intensely cinnamon, ripe nectarine, rye spice, vanilla, maple, and pepper.
J. Henry & Sons Bellafontaine Reserve
The Bellafontaine is the special expression of J. Henry & Sons whiskey, finished in Cognac casks. Named after Joe’s grandfather’s farm, the bourbon is aged for 5 years, then finished in French Limousin oak soaked in Cognac brandy. It’s bottled at 51.2% ABV, done by “slow-proofing” — gradually adding water over the course of 3 months to prevent harsh alcohol notes.
The result is a red wine-influence on the nose, combined with vanilla, oak, honey, and hints of coconut. On the palate are heavy vanilla notes, with more coconut, rye spice, and fruit notes. Water encouraged more vanilla and oak flavors.
Touring J. Henry & Sons Farm
J. Henry & Sons Farm offers tours Thursday through Monday several times a day. The tasting room is located in the house Joe actually grew up in, surrounded by the farm. Since distilling takes place offsite, the tasting starts with a slideshow to explain how it’s done. Then guests are taken through the rickhouses to admire the sleeping whiskey.
Many distillery tours show the stills and skip the rickhouses, but I think there’s so much beauty in the rickhouses. The uniform rows and stacks of barrels, the smell of wood and whiskey, quietness of the large rooms, the sheer amount of whiskey. It’s always mind-blowing to me.
The tour was fun and informative and a peaceful break from the city. Tours are $15/person and advanced reservations are recommended. Bottles of J. Henry & Sons whiskey can be purchased at the distillery and are actually cheaper than in stores. (But they weren’t selling any Bellafontaine on site the day we were there.)
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It’d be easy to assume J. Henry & Sons is just another craft distillery. But after tasting their bourbon, which truly has a unique flavor to it, and visiting the farm with the family feel to it, it’s obvious J. Henry is more than that. We spoke with Joe’s wife, Liz, at the farm and I routinely run into Joe Jr. at tastings throughout Chicago. It’s so rare to meet the people who make your whiskey out in the wild, but with J. Henry, that’s not the case.
J. Henry & Sons is onto something great and I’m excited to see where they’ll take their whiskey from here. (Especially curious about that future release of rye!)
Related :: Touring High West Distillery in Utah, Whiskey Acres Distillery in Illinois, and Glengoyne Distillery in Scotland.
