The Beginning.

The story of Black Frost Distilling begins with two high school friends, a brewer and a farmer, decided to bring small grains back to southern Minnesota through a local grown barley project.  That project cultivated into a distillery startup utilizing northern grown products that create a unique twist on the whiskey and rum market.

The idea kicked off in the spring of 2014 when traditional southern Minnesota crop prices had fallen more than 50% from their highs, opening the door for small grain production, such as barley, an opportunity into the crop rotation. The first year generated success in both production and quality aspects of the crop. This opened our minds to the idea of growing other small grains, and ultimately to the idea of starting a distillery. Why a distillery one might ask…… well obviously, because we both enjoy a “bump” of good whiskey!

I would like to say that the process of opening a distillery has been quick and easy one. The reality is, it’s taken years of research, planning, and sweat equity to get us to where we are today (not mention more than a few “bumps” along the way.) After six short years, one inspirational trip on the Bourbon Trail, a move back home, two career changes, one marriage with two children, and one long and unforeseen global pandemic, we are finally nearing the launch of Black Frost Distilling. 

We knew that we wanted to build a distillery that created high quality spirts from estate grown grains that were distinct to the north. We also wanted the distillery to have the size and scale to be able to build an inventory of well aged whiskey to sell. Meeting the capital needs of this grain-to-bottle distillery was no small task. We worked closely with a local institution to set up our funding structure, and set out raising funds. After a strong start to our capital raise, our momentum soon fizzled thanks to the pandemic. Nevertheless, after much delay, we were finally able to meet our capital needs. We purchased equipment, and begin renovating a 1900’s grocery wholesale building into a distillery.

We are very excited for our dream to finally become reality. We look forward sharing our vision with you all when Black Frost Distilling opens in the summer of 2022!

- Farmer Nate