When Dane County corn farmers Liz and Joe Henry toured the Kentucky Bourbon Trail a decade ago, Joe was inspired to make bourbon. Liz wasn’t quite sold on the idea, but once they arrived home, Joe had already made up his mind. Today, Henry Farms Prairie Spirits’ line of award-winning J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon products has gained a following in the Milwaukee area and is featured at establishments including Bartolotta Restaurants, Goodkind, Palomino and Comet Café.
Starting in April 2015, J. Henry & Sons has released 92 Proof J. Henry & Sons Small Batch, Five Year Aged Bourbon, and then went on to release Patton Road Reserve, Cask Strength, in August 2015. Their most recent bourbon is Bellefontaine Reserve, Cognac Finished Five Year Aged Bourbon, released this past February.
While it may seem like the company experienced overnight success, J. Henry & Sons was more than a decade in the making through strategic business planning and Joe’s commitment to the five-year aging process. Joe obtained heirloom red corn from UW-Madison. Naturally red in color, the corn is the same variety Joe’s dad had once raised on their farm property. “Using the heirloom red corn is a nod to the farm’s history, and it differentiates our bourbon,” Liz said.
For a product to be legally sold as bourbon, the mash has to contain 51% or more corn, and it must be aged in new charred oak barrels. The Henrys grow all the grains used in the mash right on their farm—corn, wheat and rye, and they purchase the barley malt from Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. in Chilton, Wis. “Rather than trying to get into the malting part of bourbon, we decided to purchase it from Briess to make sure all the product in the bottle is from Wisconsin, so we can support another local Wisconsin industry,” Liz said.
Although J. Henry & Sons has a distiller’s permit, they don’t distill on site. They’re dedicated to making only bourbon, and rather than investing a large sum of money into their own still before knowing if their business model would work, they partnered with Paul Werni of 45th Parallel Distillery in New Richmond (not to be confused with Parallel 44 Vineyard and Winery). Werni mashes, ferments and distills. The Henrys then bring it back to their farm, where they barrel and age the bourbon for a minimum of five years, which changes the flavor profile considerably.
“It was a sound business decision, because it allowed us to know that if we had to unwind this without taking a huge loss, we wouldn’t go deeply into debt,” Liz said. She also wasn’t sure if their two sons, Joseph Zachary and John Robert, would be interested in being part of the business, but they’re now on board. The former helps with customer relations, education and marketing, while the latter is earning a degree in agricultural business and global economics. While growing up, both sons also helped plant, pick and harvest the feed corn on the farm.
“We feel really good to continue promoting that this is an all-Wisconsin product,” Liz said. “We don’t want to necessarily take on the big Kentucky producers, but we also want to show that you can make a really good-quality bourbon outside of Kentucky with all of these Wisconsin inputs.”
J. Henry & Sons bourbon is available for retail purchase at several Milwaukee area locations, including Discount Liquor, Ray’s Wine & Spirits and Sendik’s Fine Foods in Brookfield. For more information and upcoming tastings and events, visit jhenryandsons.com.
