Do Distilled Spirits Have Terroir?Grain Panel Dug Deep on the Topic

Bob Benenson
1 day ago
5 min read

Artisan Grain Collaborative Discussion Focused on Grain Varieties and Locations

*Production equipment at Chicago's Judson & Moore Distillery, site of the August 4 panel discussion and tasting presented by Artisan Grain Collaborative. Photo by Bob Benenson*

For many years, the concept of terroir — the French term describing how soil, climate and geography impart a unique flavor profile to a crop — was largely reserved for the wine world. When it came to spirits, conventional wisdom held that the heat and intensity of the distilling process stripped away those subtle environmental variables.

But a growing movement of Midwestern craft distillers is challenging that assumption.

Artisan Grain Collaborative (AGC) on August 4 hosted a panel discussion titled "Digging Into the Terroir of Whiskey" at Chicago’s Judson & Moore distillery. Moderated by AGC’s John Clarke, the panel brought together pioneering distillers to discuss how grain varieties, agricultural practices and regional geography directly shape the character of what ends up in the glass.

Joined on the panel were Collin Moore, co-founder and head distiller at Judson & Moore; Ari Klafter, head distiller at Thornton Distilling Company; and Mike Swanson, owner and distiller at Minnesota's Far North Spirits. Jamie Walter, co-founder and president of Whiskey Acres Distilling, also joined the conversation to discuss the recently launched Estate Whiskey Alliance.

*From left, John Clarke of Artisan Grain Collaborative, Collin Moore of Judson & Moore, Ari Klafter of Thornton Distilling, and Mike Swanson of Far North Spirits. Photo by Bob Benenson*

Beyond Commodity Corn

Opening the discussion, John pointed out that the rise of standardized, commodity grain— namely Yellow Number Two dent corn — narrowed the flavor landscape of American spirits. Working directly with local farmers, however, opens up a realm of distinct heirloom varieties that mass producers simply cannot replicate.

"Grain is another flavor lever that you can pull as a distiller," John noted, citing Rob Arnold's seminal book The Terroir of Whiskey.

For Collin, experimenting with local grain yields striking results. He poured two Judson & Moore bourbons made with the exact same mash bill, yeast, aging room and barrel specs. The only difference? The corn variety.

"They are very different whiskeys," Collin explained, reflecting on his work with heirloom varieties such as Bloody Butcher, a red corn sourced from Illinois farmers. "Folks look at you kind of with a confused look... most folks don't realize there are different varieties of cereal grains at all. Corn is corn is what most people think. So that's been a really fun part of engaging with folks all along the grain chain."

The Science of Flavor in the Field

Mike, who operates Far North Spirits on his family farm in Hallock, Minnesota, brought hard research to the table. Seeking to understand why his winter-hardy rye didn't taste like conventional commercial rye, Mike spearheaded a crop research study evaluating 15 distinct rye varieties.

"We found that all things being equal, the variety of rye alone will pretty dramatically change the flavor of the whiskey," Mike shared. While he initially assumed barrel aging would smooth out those differences, the data proved the opposite: "The barrel is an amplifier, and the aged distillate has more readily recognizable differences variety to variety than just the white whiskey."

Collaborating with researchers at Michigan State University, Mike discovered that open-pollinated rye varieties produce significantly higher levels of 4-vinylguaiacol (4VG) — a compound contributing to flavor depth — than hybrid varieties. Moreover, the exact same rye varieties grown in different regions produced varying levels of 4VG, pointing squarely to the impact of microclimate and soil health.

"I started looking at my farm like an ecosystem," Mike said. "Every single step is connected."

A Distinct Midwestern Identity

For Ari at Thornton Distilling, capturing a sense of place means leaning into regional ingredients. Operating out of Illinois' oldest standing brewery building — complete with an 1857 limestone-filtered artesian well — Ari focuses on American Single Malt whiskey designed to evoke the Midwestern prairie.

Ari highlighted his work sourcing peat locally from a private landowner near the Mississippi River in Morrison, Illinois, and malting it with Sugar Creek Malt Co. in Indiana.

"Peat takes thousands of years to develop... and [our peat] is strikingly different than Scotch peat," Ari explained, noting that the localized plant fibers and prairie grasses give the distillate a unique floral and earthy character. "That told me that there's a very, very strong flavor contribution that is coming from peat and is coming from the region it's harvested in."

Certifying Provenance: The Estate Whiskey Alliance

Near the end of the panel, Jamie took the floor to discuss how distillers can protect these terroir-driven practices and communicate them to consumers.

Jamie co-founded Whiskey Acres in DeKalb, Illinois, focusing on grain grown right on their own farmland. To ensure that "estate" claims aren't co-opted or diluted by industrial producers, Jamie and fellow craft distillers partnered with the University of Kentucky and the James B. Beam Institute to form the Estate Whiskey Alliance.

The alliance enforces strict certification standards: at least two-thirds (66 percent) of the grain used in a certified product line must be grown on the distillery's estate or under the direct operational control of the distillery through farm partnerships.

"We had to fight and claw... to really put some teeth into the certification program to make sure that it didn't get co-opted," Jamie said, noting that major industrial players pulled out after failing to meet the rigid audit requirements. "It really is finally reaching a critical mass... getting the messaging out that none of us as craft distillers on our own can probably achieve."

The Future of Whiskey

While commercial markets remain flooded with mass-produced whiskey, the panelists expressed optimism that consumers will increasingly seek out spirits defined by regional authenticity rather than factory scale.

As Mike put it, quoting advice given to him early in his career by the late industry legend Dave Pickerell: "Say what you want to say from this place... That regional style is one of the best things that all the craft distillers can offer the marketplace that only we can."

LEARN MORE ABOUT ARTISAN GRAIN COLLABORATIVE

The photos below highlight the spirits tasting that took place at the conclusion of the panel discussion.