LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One of the ingredients in whiskey is increasingly being grown in outside of the United States, but there is a new push to bring that crop back to Kentucky.
Woodford Reserve made a five-year commitment to purchase rye from four local farmers while working with the University of Kentucky on research.
Bourbon has to be at least 51% corn mash, but the other grains like wheat, rye and malted rye make up the rest of the ingredients. Rye is what gives whiskey that signature spice.
Currently, Rye is sourced by distillers mainly from cooler climates like Europe or Canada. The grain is difficult to grow in Kentucky because of the warm and humid climate.
Quint Pottinger owns Affinity farms in New Haven, Kentucky. His family has farmed there since 1788 but transitioned away from rye.
Rye is being grown on Affinity Farm in New Haven, Kentucky by Quint Pottinger. The program is being sponsored by Woodford Reserve Distillery in hopes of making the grain used in its products all sourced in Kentucky. (WDRB Image) July 11, 2023.
"Because of what happened with the distillers and prohibition and what remained in the area was wheat corn and soybeans," Pottinger explained.
The University of Kentucky is working with a small group of farmers to research 10 types of rye to see which one will grow the best in Kentucky. The hope is this helps out the environment in an effort to care for the natural resources that go into bourbon.
Now Pottinger is growing rye with help from Woodford Reserve. The distillery started its program to buy rye from Kentucky Farmers and help them navigate challenges faced while growing the grain.
"It just seems silly to bring it from somewhere else if we can grow it here. It's sustainable. It's environmentally friendly. It reduces our carbon footprint, and it's good for the local agriculture business," said Woodford Master distiller Chris Morris.
Rye is being grown on Affinity Farm in New Haven, Kentucky by Quint Pottinger. The program is being sponsored by Woodford Reserve Distillery in hopes of making the grain used in its products all sourced in Kentucky. (WDRB Image) July 11, 2023.
The classic Woodford Reserve Bourbon is 18 percent rye, and the company hopes that 18 percent can one day be 100 percent Kentucky-sourced.
Pottinger said that kind of support for his rye crop is appreciated. "To be able to go into a store I know where all that grain came from. I drive by those fields everyday," he said.
Pottinger said another reason he is able to sell rye again is because of Log Still Distillery. The distillery has been buying rye from Pottinger since he started growing it.
Woodford Reserve hopes to have Kentucky rye in its whiskey within the next few years.
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