11504 Keslinger Road • DeKalb, IL 60115 (844) 494-4751 • whiskeyacres.com
They will also have a rye whiskey and a vodka from 100% corn (which will only be available at their farm distillery). They are even going to try making a whiskey from popcorn. They have descriptions of their products and drink recipes on their website at Whiskeyacres. com/sip. John McIntyre, Wine and Spirits Manager at Hy-Vee in Sycamore, is proud to have been the first retailer for Whiskey Acres. “I think the product’s terrific, number one. I think they’re terrific people; they’re a wonderful family,” said McIntyre. In a market crowded with literally thousands of whiskeys to choose from, McIntyre thinks Whiskey Acres’ story sets them apart. “To be able to say you grew the stuff. You used your own water. Everything was done on your property. You distilled it on your property. You bottled it on your property. That’s a pretty unique story,” said McIntyre. When you visit Whiskey Acres, you can lounge on their patio and sample their product while you look out over the fields where the grains used to make the whiskey is grown, next to the building where the whiskey is made. On site, you can purchase their whiskey by the glass, as well as by the bottle. “We don’t want to be a bar. We want to be a place where people can come and enjoy a premium cocktail, featuring a premium spirit – a different experience than they can get anywhere else,” said Nagele. Next to the patio is their tasting room. The tasting room is in a building that was constructed fifty years ago by Jim Walter’s brother. He used the original stone and timber from the family’s dairy barn, and everything inside is made from reclaimed barn siding. The structure was originally used as a picnic shelter. It contains a fireplace that will burn ethanol. “This is upcycle. We have this wonderful stone patio out here that was reclaimed from an old barn in Genoa. We’re doing our best to utilize the resources we have, as well as to sustainably manage the resources that we’re growing every year,” said Nagele. An ideal crowd size for a tour and a tasting would be ten people; however, they can accommodate busloads of people by appointment. A tour will last 30-45 minutes. Tours & Tastings cost $10/person for those over 21 (includes a distillery tour, 3 sample pours, and a free souvenir shot glass). Supervised guests under 21 are invited to take the tour only at no charge. Their anticipated hours are Friday and Saturday from 1-7pm and Sunday from 1-5. They will be open more, if needed, as their business grows. “People drive all the way to Kentucky to go on the Bourbon tour,” points out Nagele. “Why go to Kentucky when you can come here? It’s a lot easier to come to DeKalb than it is to drive to Lynchburg. We want to be one of the first stops on the Illinois Bourbon Tour.”
12 | 2015 | DeKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE