Homegrown. Bourbon.

My stomach is in knots. A lead from months of research, and reaching out has led me here. A cold call to one of the only breeders on earth that has blue corn seed that will grow in Northern Michigan. To our knowledge, blue corn had never been grown here, or this far north in Michigan. A bourbon had never been made from this seed. There was no "plan B."

Muted transfer tones drone in my ear. Time slowed down. The metronome went silent and a deep baritone piped up. His intonation, not amiable. My voice cracked, I nervously explain. Succinctly he states “we don’t sell seed.” They co-op and contract farmers to grow for them. Over 30 years of research and development invested into this proprietary blue corn seed, and "it is not for sale.”

My final question: Why agriculture? Why heirloom corn?

An hour later we had agreed. Enough seed for five acres. Nothing less. Nothing more. One caveat - When ready I would send him two bottles of the bourbon from the first barrel. We had a deal.

The next call was to Shooks farm. RJ, Greg and Rob were in. Plans were made, tailgate beers were shared. Seed was planted. The raccoons and the deer ate most of that 1st year test plot. There was not enough corn to run it through a dryer. We harvested in January in an attempt to 'dry it down.' We made one decent barrel form that first 2017 crop. To some one barrel would be a failure. To me it was a sign. This was not going to be easy.

To make a thing from scratch, with your own bare hands is admirable. To conceptualize, conduct due diligence, coordinate, to plant, grow, harvest, dry, process and bag is a 12-18 month process. To mill, mash, ferment, distill, to barrel and to bottle a distillate from the ground you grew up on, is a 6-12 year endeavor. Growing your very own bourbon is an entirely different level of commitment. The wait. The wonder. And the worry was arguably the most difficult. Will it work out¿

Our entire whiskey program is built on this blue corn bourbon. The research led us to conclusions, tannin and anthocyanin levels were markedly different in blue corn vs traditional. As a result, flavor and aromatics would be as well. We hypothesized.

We did not know what we were doing. Still don’t. We only knew that we had to try. We had to follow our instincts and our hearts. And trust our process. We had to keep going.

Until recently, I did not know if this bourbon was going to work out. Geri may have. However, I was unsure. It was a risk. A calculated one. Regardless. Bourbon was always the litmus for me.

I know every barrel intimately in that tiny room. They are our future. I worry if they will reach their full potential. A few years in, I knew this spirit was going to be special. It just needed time. Barrel #22 was always fruity and floral with notes of grape blossom, richness of flavor attributed almond and molasses. Simply it attained complexity and depth that the other casks did not have at its age. It is not the oldest, however at six years, it is the best.

A few years back, with your help, we started scaling up our Mel® production. As a result, we had a plethora of beautifully seasoned casks. Mature flavors of bananas foster, and subtle sweetness would make this bourbon truly unique. It was decided. Let’s double oak this bourbon in an ex Mel cask. The Mel finishing cask takes this incredible spirit to new heights. Teasing out subtitle sweetness of Bavarian almonds, and further driving rich flavors of pipe tobacco and blackstrap molasses.

Growing a unique and unparalleled bourbon, from a rare and unknown seed, in my backyard. This was and still is the dream. That room, with smells of wet oak and patience remind me daily that passion, perseverance and determination always prevail. They remind me that the work is the reward.

Dreams don’t come true. They are a dividend; a consequence of never giving in. Like anything of worth in this life, they ask more of you than you would or could knowingly give, they push you farther than you thought you could go. The end result is the experience; the wisdom derived. That is what is earned. Not tangible or valuable in the classic sense. However, very powerful.

Geri and I were taught that you always do the right thing. Your interpretation of that is your own. For us, cheating was not an option. We made a commitment to you, our customer, that we would never sell a product we did not produce ourselves. We would not compromise our values to make a quick dime. Eight years in we have not broken that promise.

There is only one blue corn in the world that will grow here. There is only one bourbon ever made from said corn. There will only ever be one Northern Michigan homegrown bourbon.

That sounds and tastes pretty good to me.

Warm Regards, 


Nicholas

Eight Year Celebration + Birobur™ Bourbon Release Details

You are cordially invited to come celebrate with us our eight-year milestone, June 5-8. We will have scratch Mexican from Sabores Y Colores, capped off with Sunday Mexican brunch + live music from The Luke Woltanski Band on Saturday 8-11pm.

Birobur™ Double Oak Blue Corn Bourbon | 6 Year Old
*Thursday 6.5.25 | 1:00pm at the Distillery

Distillers notes: Blue corn twists preconceived flavor profiles and leaves taste buds in pleasant befuddlement. Aromas begin with date, blackstrap molasses, and grape blossoms. This lends to soft flavors of brown sugar and baking spice that crescendo to a long candied almond finish, all while maintaining a classic grainy mid-palate. Textures are slightly coating and building in warmth.

*Bottles will be sold first come, first served. Bottles cannot be purchased via phone, online or preorder. In order to be fair, we are doing this the old fashioned way. Neat pours and tastings of Birobur (Latin for two oak) bourbon will be offered at the distillery until the last bottle is sold. There will be no bottle allocations or purchase limits on release day.

If bottles are still available on Sunday June 8th at 7:00pm when we close, we will place a limited number online that can be purchased on the website, and picked up at a later date.  This is the only way we can ensure the guest that drive up to the distillery get a fair shot at a bottle.    

Birobur™ Bourbon