In 2010, Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences gifted the Brooklyn-based New York Distilling Company (NYDC) 10 seeds of 17th-century Horton rye, a grain that originated less than 30 miles away, in Rye, New York.
After five years of experimentation and cultivation, a New York distilling company finally had enough grain to begin distilling and aging its limited run heirloom rye. The robustly flavored, one-of-a-kind whiskey, made from 75% Horton rye and aged for seven years, was finally available for sale in limited quantities earlier in 2024.
The project has demanded patience and persistence, but production has finally taken off. From the original ‘lot’ of 10 seeds, the distiller harvested over 200 acres of Horton rye the summer of 2023.
Though he’s happy to see it getting off the ground, what excites the distillery's co-founder most about this revolutionary endeavor is that he and his company get to play a role in preserving this slice of agricultural history for decades—and hopefully centuries—to come. Working with heirloom grains is, he says, “not only nurturing them back from obscurity but cultivating and protecting them to be passed onto future generations.” And they are not alone.
Across the United States, a small subset of whiskey distillers have been increasingly embracing heirloom grains. Though the motivations differ from person-to-person and company-to-company, many share the lofty goals of preserving ancient plant species and fostering biodiversity while creating wholly unique spirits with a link to the past.
What Are Heirloom Grains?
What constitutes an “heirloom grain” is a topic of debate among experts. Some claim that these varieties should date back at least 50 years. Others are less concerned about age and are more interested in other core principles like open-pollination or pollination by natural mechanisms, such as birds and the wind.
Mark Sorrell, who leads the Cornell Small Grains Genetic Research Project, defines heirloom grains as ones that have not been genetically modified, “those that are unimproved by modern breeding,” he says.
Unlike the hybrid varieties Sorrell refers to, heirloom grains—which includes barley, corn and wheat, among others—are valued for their true-to-seed nature. This means that offspring plants should closely resemble the parent plants, giving consumers a window into flavors of the past.
Rye isn’t the only historic grain being used in modern day whiskey production: heritage corn is spreading somewhat rapidly, too.
Corn originated in the Americas, and the United States remains the largest producer of it globally, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of the corn grown in the U.S. comes from a few common strains, but the breadth of varieties that exist is so wide, it’s hard to count.
In Missouri, one distillery has been collaborating with local farmers to grow some of these heritage varietals, each with their own history, coloring and distinct flavor profile for its Heirloom Whiskey Program.
Each year, they release a limited edition batch highlighting one heirloom varietal.
In 2016, it was white dent corn, which originated in the South. Old field corn was spotlighted in 2018. Their 2019 release featured the old Missouri-area favorite, Boone County White corn, that is in the midst of a resurgence among heirloom corn enthusiasts. Last fall, they released a whiskey made of Northeastern “Indian Corn,” for the second time.
The difference in flavor between these whiskeys can be remarkable. For example, white dent corn provides sweet, walnut notes, while Boone County White possesses a distinct peppery quality.
Bold Flavors and Environmental Benefits
These diverse grains not only yield interesting whiskeys with more nuanced flavor profiles, but also boast environmental benefits, as well. The partner and chief operating officer of the Missouri distillery, emphasizes that “using heirlooms helps put biodiversity back.”
Biodiversity is crucial for the health of ecosystems, and by reviving heirloom grains, farmers are adding genetic diversity to the land.
One peer-reviewed paper in Agronomy hailed heirloom (also known as landrace) cultivars for their “variation in their response to diverse stress-prone environments.”
The paper cited heritage durum wheat varieties that are better able to withstand drought than modern cultivars. It also discussed Hopi farmers in Arizona who still plant ‘Hopi blue maize’ due to its adaptations to drought, the region’s short growing season and, obviously, cultural significance.
Another study by Cornell University, Pennsylvania State University and North Dakota State University studied 146 varieties of modern and heirloom grains (wheats, emmers, spelts and einkorns) to see how they fared in organic systems in north-central climates.
Researchers used the results to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of the different varieties. For example, a modern variety might thrive in the field with a high yield but not taste like much, while an heirloom grain might have a low yield but exceptional flavor.
The Downsides of Heirloom Grains
Despite heirloom grains’ many merits, they can pose significant hurdles for both farmers and distillers.
Simply acquiring the kernels to grow in the first place can be a great challenge, requiring collaboration with university agricultural departments and seed repositories.
They also lack the commercial security of conventional grains. From an operations standpoint, working with heirloom grains can be difficult. Crop insurance on them is not available, so if they fail, they just fail.
Even when heirloom grains do succeed, difficulties persist. It can take a long time to produce enough of an heirloom grain to distill for commercial use. “Heirloom grains are typically much smaller than conventional grains,” says the New York distiller. “The result is a significantly smaller yield.”
It requires time and experimentation to get the mash right in the distillation process. Heirloom grains have unique flavors and compositions, which can lead to challenges when distilling consistent, high-quality whiskeys.
But the distillers who have been incorporating heirloom grains into these programs claim the struggle is worth it.
The co-founder, farmer and head distiller at a Minnesota distillery, feels a sense of romanticism toward the farm-to-bottle whiskies he makes from the heirloom corn grown on his family’s 100-year-old farm.
“These grains taste different,” he says, noting their richness and complexity. They feature flavors and aromas “that we haven’t tasted before in our lifetime.”
