Nothing like heading to the middle of farm country in Iowa as winter is getting ready to launch fully to make a trip all sorts of interesting. While we didn't have any snow, it certainly was cold.
Learning about Carrol, Iowa and the surrounding counties and all the bootlegging that went on was extremely interesting. And, getting the back story on Iowa legendary Rye and Sextro Rye was just as engaging. And with characters like "Whiskey Rich" and "The Bootleggers Grandson", how could you go wrong?
Getting to talk to Whiskey Rich and Heath (the Bootleggers Grandson) was all sorts of fun. The stories that Whiskey Rich had were incredible. And, come to find out, they are the only distillery still making the Rye the way it was made during prohibition. I never would have guessed that what they were making was really a rum with rye. And to think, it's the same stuff that the Chicago outfit deemed as the good stuff.
The story of Lorine (yes I spelled that right) and her husband Frank "shorty" Sextro was amazing. Check out the video for some footage of the farm where she made her Rye and where the still was pulled out of the ground. We even have footage of the actual still itself. It sits in the tasting room. You can walk up and touch it. It's set up exactly how Lorine and Shorty would have had it set up back in the day.
Proof that not everyone from Iowa is a farmer, I had no idea that the crop Rye had to be planted in the fall so it could freeze and then grow in the spring. Check out the video of our trip out to the Centennial farm that supplies Iowa Legendary Rye with their Rye grain. Don't miss that the farmer's last name growing the Rye is an Irlbeck. Which is a connection to Joe Irlbeck who ran a huge bootlegging operation during prohibition in Carrol County and the surrounding counties. Which includes the town of Templeton...yes, that "Templeton".
Lots of history, lots of stories (too many to put in the show), and, a still set-up that I have
never seen. I've never heard of using marbles in a still. But they do. They are used in all of their stills. I never could get the exact number of marbles they used from Whiskey Rich. If you go, ask. Maybe you can get it out of the current distiller, Max.
Look, Carrol Iowa may not be high on your bucket list of places to go and check out. It's a small town in Iowa. But the history that is there in regards to Bootlegging and Rye is second to none. The guys at Iowa Legendary Rye will be happy to fill you in on what Lorine Sextro was doing during prohibition. Why they use 15 gallon barrels, and, you can actually see a still that was used during prohibition to supply Al Capone his Rye.
If you are outside of Iowa, you need to look for Sextro Rye. If you are in the state of Iowa, you are looking for Iowa Legendary Rye. Either way, look for it and give it a try.
Huge thanks to Heath (the Bootleggers Grandson), Whiskey Rich and Max for showing us around their distillery and telling us some fantastic whiskey history. Check out the full episode on our YouTube page. If you want to see one of the tasting video's and hear from the Bootleggers Grandson on what we are tasting, check out this Tasting Video. And, if you want to see more exclusive content such as other tasting videos and the full unedited video's, check out our Patreon page and become a member.
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