NCET Biz Tips: Bently Heritage Estate Distillery is Artistry in a Glass
Reno has artistry on display when it comes to the fermentation, distillation, aging and bottling of ultra-premium spirits like vodka, gin, and soon-to-be whiskey. Bently Heritage Estate Distillery located at Bently Ranch is elevating the passion that connoisseurs have for spirits by making their spirit brands from grain sourced from their own land in Minden.
The art of distilling spirits is centuries old and has been handed down through generations. Bently has created an experience that is treasured by those who truly understand their mission to explore the abundance that nature offers and innovate on traditional techniques. Bently is truly a toast to tradition.
Going back in time, the industrial revolution and mechanization of farming allowed for families to leave the farm and start their lives in towns, cities, and suburbs. But in doing so, the link between distilling and agriculture was often forgotten. There was no longer an active voice in most people’s lives telling them about ‘the what,’, ‘the how’ and ‘the why’ of where their food and beverages came from.
Enter Bently Heritage Estate Distillery. Bently was founded as a way to reuse the historic mill campus buildings in downtown Minden as well as creating long-term support for agriculture in the valley to maintain the nature of the area. The 2,500 acres used for cultivation of sustainable grain (oat, rye, wheat, barley, and corn), the irrigation infrastructure, and the various open land all support the distillery. All function as part of the estate whole.
What sets Bently and its spirits apart from any other distillery? Technology. Bently runs a closed loop of grain and water into the distillation process, back to their compost pile, and back onto the land to improve the soil. They use energy saving internal control loops to recover heat and reuse it wherever they can. Thermal fluid is used to heat the single malt stills so distilling at high temperatures can simulate direct fire without the hazard. These technologies honor tradition while employing state of the art equipment and controls to produce outstanding rich flavored spirits.
Bently’s greatest successes are the products themselves and the 50 people who make and sell them. Their teams actively engage in sustainability audits to find places to conserve. All their production and QA teams consistently look to improve every aspect of the operation. Even if it takes 10-15 years to solve every issue they encounter or reach maximum sustainability and quality, they consider it a win.
Every business has challenges and Bently is no different. The spirits business is rife with insider leverage and huge producers exercising massive influence on the points of distribution. Bently relies on teams of storytellers to get their message out to the public. That message is about how special it is to have local products that are tied to an agricultural tradition with a sense of place.
Why should people spend more money on products like Bently’s? Aside from their rich smooth tasting vodkas and gins with tastes that blossom on the palate, they prioritize sustainability, quality, use of existing resources, reuse of materials, and improving the very same land they grow grain on. No invention of stories in a marketing department needed. And…Bently whiskey will be available in 2023!
What would people be most surprised to learn about Bently? People look at an automated plant and assume this means it just produces the products and the plant operators aren’t really involved. In many ways, it’s just the opposite. The operators actually have more time to monitor and modify, make decisions about the products, and develop relationships with them. Because operators aren’t running around hooking up hoses and turning valves by hand, they have more time to devote to the quality of the spirit.
Lift a glass and toast a tradition alive and well at Bently Heritage Estate Distillery.
Want to learn more about Bently Heritage Estate Distillery? Sign up for NECT’s Tech Wednesday on September 8 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. for an onsite presentation and tour in Minden with networking from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. More information at https://www.ncet.org/ncet-event-calendar/bently-distillery
Dave Archer is president/CEO of NCET which produces educational and networking events to help people explore business and technology. (www.NCET.org)