Alltech Crop Science to grow non-GMO corn for use at Town Branch Distillery

Published 10:30 am Thursday, September 6, 2018

From staff reports

LEXINGTON – Alltech’s Town Branch Distillery has announced it will start using non-GMO corn from the Nicholasville farm of Alltech co-founder Mrs. Deirdre Lyons this November. Alltech’s crop science division has been busy cultivating plants in order to use its own organic solutions in hopes to optimize its yield and ensure a healthy harvest for use in bottling Town Branch Bourbon and Town Branch Rye.

“We are raising non-GMO corn that we can introduce into our bourbon production here in Kentucky,” said Mrs. Lyons in a prepared statement. “Growing the corn on our own farm enables us to see this important bourbon and whiskey ingredient all the way through, from seed to sip.”

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The corn crop forges a deeper connection between Alltech’s natural approach to agronomics and the production of its line of bourbons and whiskeys.

“Mrs. Lyons’ farm gives us a new opportunity to integrate our crop technologies into the production of our very own beverage products,” said Dr. Steve Borst, general manager of Alltech Crop Science. “The natural applications we’re using to prepare the soil will promote a healthy root system and enable the corn to uptake nutrients. By increasing yield, we can maximize the potential of every acre of her farm.”

To be classified as straight bourbon, whiskey must be distilled using a mixture of grains with at least 51 percent corn. Town Branch Bourbon is 72 percent corn and requires around 550 pounds of corn per one barrel to give the consumer a finished bourbon product.   

The corn will be harvested in November and used at the Town Branch Distillery to produce two different bourbons – Town Branch Bourbon and Town Branch Rye.

“Having our own local farm produce corn enhances our sustainability for Town Branch Bourbon and Town Branch Rye,” said Mark Coffman, master distiller at Town Branch Distillery. “It’s really special and rare among distillers to be able to craft these beverages from farm to bottle.”