DEKALB, Ill. — Consumers routinely want to know the origins of their food and drink. The owners of Illinois’ only estate distillery (which means growing and distilling on the same property) understand that and hope it makes their whiskey and bourbon even more attractive in the marketplace.

“Raising Spirits One Seed at a Time” is the motto of DeKalb County’s Whiskey Acres Distillery. Partners Jim Walter, Jamie Walter and Nick Nagele grow, harvest, clean, mill, mash and distill the product on the Walters’ Keslinger Road farm just south of DeKalb.

Nagele said nearly three years of planning went into the first bottles of whiskey now appearing on local liquor store shelves. “DeKalb is known for corn,” said Jamie Walter. “We’re just looking for new markets to diversify, new ways to use that corn.”

An attorney who returned to the family farm about 15 years ago, Walter said the distillery allows them not only to diversify, but have a more direct connection with consumers.

Their whiskey is being sold at DeKalb-area liquor retailers, including the Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits Shop – where it sold out the first day after hosting a tasting in the store.

Nagele said they are also proud to tell consumers they use their resources conservatively. A batch of white corn whiskey, for example, uses locally-grown corn, winter wheat, malted barley and just 380 gallons of water. Some of their newly-bottled spirits also have a hint of apple flavor thanks to about 800 pounds of the fruit from Jonamac Orchard in nearby Malta.

“The apples act as a filter, giving the whiskey a hint of apple flavor,” Nagele explained. “We’re not adding sugar, just creating a smoother whiskey.”

On a frigid Saturday in January, the distillers used social media to call in a few volunteers to help core and cut those apples. “I can assure you, there’s nothing automated here,” Nagele said with a laugh.

Although they’ve created some excitement for the label, Walter said their primary product will be bourbon, which takes longer to age – specifically, in new, charred oak barrels. The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits state that bourbon made for U.S. consumption must be:

•Produced in the United States

•Made from a grain mixture that is at least 51 percent corn

•Aged in new, charred oak barrels

•Distilled to no more than 160 proof (80 percent alcohol by volume)

No minimum specified time is set for aging, but Nagele said they plan to age their bourbon various times, depending on the size of the barrel.

“Smaller barrels age faster – 12 to 24 months,” he explained. “A 53-gallon barrel takes at least 36 months. We won’t put bourbon in a bottle until it’s ready.”

One more move the partners are making to create excitement for their product is a tasting room that will open at the farm this summer. The building that will house the tasting room was rebuilt of stone and timbers from a dairy barn on the property, and the stone patio was created from a razed sheep barn near Genoa, nearly 20 miles to the north.

“When people visit our tasting room, they can look to the east to see the grain growing, to the west to see the distillery process and down into their glass to enjoy the locally produced spirit,” Nagele mused.

For more on Whiskey Acres, visit www. whiskeyacres.com (you must verify you are 21 years of age to view the site) or find Whiskey Acres on Facebook for more frequent updates.