Frey Ranch Co-Founder Weighs In On The Changing Whiskey Market
Upscale American whiskey maker Frey Ranch has seen strong growth this year, and continues to amplify its message of “farm-to-glass” distilling in new markets around the country. Frey Ranch’s portfolio, which will finish the year at around 18,000 cases in the U.S., is made from grains grown on the Frey family’s farm in Fallon, Nevada. Frey’s core offerings ($40 and up) include a Straight Bourbon, a Farm Strength (cask strength) Bourbon, and a rye. Three of the craft distiller’s whiskies have received 91 points or higher from Whisky Advocate’s tasting panel in recent years.
Colby Frey, co-founder, tells SND that he expects headwinds to continue for the broader craft whiskey segment, but is confident that Frey Ranch will remain an outperformer in 2026. “Because of this downturn in consumption both domestically and globally, pricing will also contract, especially with the more established whiskey brands looking to grow volume,” he says. “Brand authenticity and a finely tuned narrative will be paramount to both trade and consumer traction.”
Frey also expects more age-stated whiskies to hit the market owing to the industry’s robust stocks. “The new product pipeline across the whiskey board will see a spike of 10-plus year age statements and blends, which may have an impact on overall pricing—especially for high-value LTOs that lean specifically into older whiskey as a point of differentiation,” he notes.
American whiskey brands will also seek out new revenue streams in the coming year as they look to weather tougher consumer trends, says Frey, including selling used barrels to the highest bidder and repurposing spent grains as examples. There will also be an increased focus on “estate distilling,” in which Frey Ranch has been a pioneer, he predicts.
“Whiskey fans are starting to look at ingredients in the same way that wine drinkers do. If you care about the grapes, where they came from and how they were grown and harvested, why shouldn’t it be the same with whiskey?” he asks. The tariff situation is another factor driving this trend. Noting that many American whiskey brands source grains from Germany, Canada, or elsewhere, Frey says more distillers are likely to “tariff-proof” their inputs and lower shipping costs by sourcing grains as locally as possible.
Turning to the road ahead for Frey Ranch specifically, Frey says that U.S. expansion will continue next year with “particular focus in North Carolina, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi.” That agenda follows a 2025 campaign in which the company entered Colorado and Illinois while gaining new off-premise placements such as ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Florida and Meijer in Michigan, as well as a national program with Whole Foods touching 122 locations.
On the new product front, the craft distiller is gearing up to launch Harvester Series: Third Harvest and Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut Rye, the latter billed as a new core expression comparably priced to the brand’s Farm Strength Uncut Bourbon. “Buyers are gravitating towards our ‘farm-to-glass’ messaging, as it aligns with their customers’ desire for more locally sourced spirits and brands with transparent supply chains,” says Frey, adding that plans call for continuing to expand nationally at a slow but steady pace.—Daniel Marsteller
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Tagged : ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Frey Ranch, Meijer, Whole Foods
