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, NYDC finally had enough grain to begin distilling and aging its limited run Jaywalk 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 this year.
The project has demanded patience and persistence, but production has finally taken off. Co-founder Allen Katz reveals that “from the original ‘lot’ of 10 seeds, [NYDC] harvested over 200 acres of Horton rye this past summer.”
Though he’s happy to see it getting off the ground, what excites Katz 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.”
Katz and New York Distilling Company 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.
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This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
