{"title":"Whiskey Acres","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhiskey Acres grows its grain on the Walter family farm in DeKalb, Illinois, then distills, ages and bottles on site. Jim Walter, a fourth generation farmer, his son Jamie and Nick Nagele run it as an estate distillery, seed to spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOwning the field means they choose the corn variety, not a grain elevator. The straight bourbon is 75 percent corn with soft red winter wheat and malted barley, and the wheat rounds it out. The Artisan Series holds that recipe and swaps in blue popcorn or Oaxacan green corn, so the corn is the one variable you taste. Flavor you can trace to one field.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"whiskey-acres-cask-finished-series-750ml","title":"Whiskey Acres Cask Finished Series: Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Casks 750ml","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Product:\u003c\/strong\u003e This release in the Whiskey Acres Cask Finished Series takes the distillery's estate-grown Illinois bourbon and finishes it in freshly emptied Cabernet Sauvignon casks from Dunn Vineyards — one of Napa Valley's most legendary mountain estates. What makes these casks exceptional is the wine that previously lived in them: Dunn's Howell Mountain Cabernet is aged 32 months in 100% new French oak, a full year or more longer than most Napa Cabs, which means the casks themselves carry deep layers of dark fruit, baking spice, and tightly wound tannin character. Dunn also deliberately selects lower-impact toasted wood to let the purity of the mountain fruit speak — a quality that makes these vessels ideal finishing containers for whiskey, adding complexity without overwhelming the grain. The resulting bourbon comes in at 105 proof with a nose driven by berry jam and caramel, a palate rich with mocha, French oak, and wood spice, and a long finish of buttered cornbread and lingering warmth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Whiskey Acres is Illinois' first estate distillery — and one of only a handful in the entire country certified as a true \"farm distillery,\" meaning the grain goes from seed to spirit without ever leaving the property. Founded in 2013 on the Walter family's 2,000-acre farm in DeKalb, Illinois, the distillery was built by fifth-generation farmers Jim and Jamie Walter alongside co-founder Nick Nagele. Jamie, a self-described \"recovering attorney turned distiller,\" made the leap after years of watching premium corn grown on some of the Midwest's most fertile land get sold as commodity grain. At Whiskey Acres, that same corn — along with estate-grown rye, wheat, and barley — goes into every batch, mashed with water drawn from the farm's limestone aquifer. Their grain-first philosophy is genuine: as Jamie puts it, great whiskey isn't made, it's grown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottle Info:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Proof: 105\u003cbr\u003e- Size: 750ml\u003cbr\u003e- Style: Cask Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey\u003cbr\u003e- Finish: Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Casks (32-month wine-aged French oak)\u003cbr\u003e- Distillery: Whiskey Acres Distilling Co., DeKalb, Illinois\u003cbr\u003e- Mashbill: Estate-grown grain (corn-forward bourbon mashbill)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Nose: Berry jam, caramel, custard undertones\u003cbr\u003e- Palate: Mocha, French oak, wood spice, vanilla pudding, peanut brittle\u003cbr\u003e- Finish: Long, buttered cornbread, lingering wood spice\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is Howell Mountain Cabernet?:\u003c\/strong\u003e Howell Mountain is a sub-appellation of Napa Valley, perched above the fog line at elevations between 1,400 and 2,100 feet in the Vaca Mountains. The elevation, thinner volcanic soils, and extended sun exposure produce grapes with thick skins and concentrated tannins — resulting in wines that are famously structured, mineral, and built for decades of aging. Dunn Vineyards has farmed there since 1979, and their Cabernets are aged 32 months in 100% new French oak — a longer élevage than nearly any other Napa producer. When those casks come to a distillery, they carry all of that dark fruit intensity, tannic grip, and French oak character with them, making them exceptionally potent finishing vessels for bourbon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Whiskey Acres Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45157305417923,"sku":"787790847366","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/files\/Whiskey_Acres_Cask_Finished_Series_Bourbon_Whiskey_Finished_in_Dunn_Vineyards_Cabernet_Casks.webp?v=1777574823"},{"product_id":"whiskey-acres-straight-bourbon-whiskey-bottled-in-bond-750ml","title":"Whiskey Acres Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled-in-Bond 750ml","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Product:\u003c\/strong\u003e Whiskey Acres Straight Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond is the flagship expression from Illinois' first estate distillery — and the one that put the farm on the map. It shares the same 75\/15\/10 corn-wheat-barley mashbill as the distillery's standard Straight Bourbon, but aged a minimum of 5 years and bottled at exactly 100 proof, it carries noticeably more depth and structure. All of that grain was grown right here on the Walter family's DeKalb farmland, mashed with limestone-filtered aquifer water, and aged on-site — seed to spirit, start to finish. Binny's Beverage Depot called it \"a new standard for craft bourbon,\" and the Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition backed that up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Whiskey Acres is Illinois' first estate distillery and one of only a handful in the country certified as a true farm distillery — meaning every bottle traces back to grain grown in the same fields where the distillery stands. Founded in 2013 by fifth-generation farmers Jim and Jamie Walter and co-founder Nick Nagele on the Walter family's 2,000-acre DeKalb farm, the distillery was built on a simple conviction: great whiskey isn't made, it's grown. Jamie, a former attorney turned distiller, and Nick, whose family has farmed Illinois since the 1860s, grow multiple varieties of corn, rye, wheat, and barley specifically selected for whiskey production — then distill it all with water drawn from the limestone aquifer running beneath those same fields. It's one of the most genuinely grain-to-glass operations in American craft spirits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottle Info:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Proof: 100\u003cbr\u003e- Age: At Least 5 Years\u003cbr\u003e- Style: Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Bottled-in-Bond\u003cbr\u003e- Mashbill: 75% Estate-Grown Corn, 15% Soft Red Winter Wheat, 10% Malted Barley\u003cbr\u003e- Awards: Double Gold — 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Nose: Vanilla caramel corn, cinnamon, nutty oak\u003cbr\u003e- Palate: Caramel corn, ripe apple, lightly toasted coconut\u003cbr\u003e- Finish: Long, soft, sweet red berries fading into peppery spice\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is Bottled-in-Bond?:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bottled-in-Bond is a federally defined standard established by the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 — one of the oldest consumer protection laws in American history. To carry the designation, a whiskey must be the product of a single distillery, from a single distillation season, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. It was originally created to protect consumers from adulterated spirits, but today it's shorthand for something more: a whiskey with accountability built in. For a craft estate distillery like Whiskey Acres, meeting that standard with grain they grew themselves is a statement about exactly what's in the bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Whiskey Acres Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45157305450691,"sku":"748252983336","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/files\/Whiskey_Acres_Bottled_in_Bond_Bourbon.webp?v=1777574798"},{"product_id":"whiskey-acres-straight-rye-whiskey-bottled-in-bond-750ml","title":"Whiskey Acres Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml","description":"\u003cp\u003eEstate distilled and estate grown from the 2016 harvest, this is Whiskey Acres’ single-season, 87-proof straight rye from DeKalb, Illinois. As a true whiskey, it’s distilled by one distiller, from one season, aged at least four years in warehouses, and bottled at 43.5% ABV—no shortcuts. Whiskey Acres operates on a multi-generational family farm, controlling grain from seed to still for traceable, farmcrafted character. Expect the higher proof and aging to deliver a bolder rye profile with polished structure. Harvest-specific and grain-to-glass, this is the collectible way to experience Whiskey Acres’ rye at its most honest and season-defined.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Whiskey Acres Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54048710230211,"sku":"748252984432","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/files\/WhiskeyAcresFarmCraftedRye750ML.webp?v=1784307781"},{"product_id":"whiskey-acres-7-year-straight-bourbon-whiskey-107-proof-750ml","title":"Whiskey Acres 7 Year Bourbon Whiskey 107 proof 750ml","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eWhiskey Acres is Illinois' first estate distillery, run on the fifth-generation Walter family farm in DeKalb since 2013. Founders Jamie Walter, his father Jim, and Nick Nagele took a true \"seed to spirit\" approach — growing their own corn, wheat, and rye on the same 2,000-acre farm where the distillery sits, milling it on-site, and drawing water from the limestone aquifer running beneath the property. Legendary Maker's Mark master distiller Dave Pickerell consulted in the early years, helping shape their process from the ground up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis 7-Year expression represents a genuinely rare thing for a young craft distillery: real age. Distilled from a 75% corn, 15% soft red winter wheat, 10% malt mashbill and matured at least seven years in 53-gallon, Char 3 Kelvin Cooperage barrels, it's bottled at a robust 107 proof — showcasing what patience and quality Illinois grain can do when a farm distillery lets the barrels do their work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Whiskey Acres Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54048711147715,"sku":"787790846369","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/files\/hf_20260714_170706_f5077a69-2e15-4002-9f41-50d12bd67fb3.png?v=1784307608"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/collections\/Whiskey_Acres.png?v=1787250160","url":"https:\/\/whiskeylibrary.com\/collections\/whiskey-acres-distillery.oembed","provider":"Whiskey Library LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}