After nearly six decades of farming, Tom Bindner and his family are enjoying the smooth taste of his final corn crop.
Diane Williams, is Tom and Linda Bindner’s daughter. When Diane and her brother, Dean, visited the Century Farms Distillery booth at the Iowa State Fair in 2021, they knew they had found the perfect Christmas gift for their dad: bourbon whiskey made from corn grown on their 130-year-old western Iowa family farm. Siblings Don and Dennis agreed, corn was delivered, and the distilling process began.
Diane drove to the distillery in Spencer, Iowa, about an hour northeast of the Bindner farm in July 2022. She watched as her family bottled and sealed several bottles of whiskey that had been quick-aged using wood chips. Four sealed oak barrels containing what would become bourbon were left to age at the distillery.
Bourbon Time
She recently made the trip to Spencer again. Diane’s husband, Tim, flew on their single-engine Cessna plane. Iowa was so beautiful below, as the wooded, rolling hills of the south gave way to vast fields and windmills in the north.
Tom, Linda, Dean, and Don met them at the distillery, where owners Ryan and Amanda Bare led the family in bottling, sealing, and labeling 110 bottles of the 39-month-aged bourbon, which went home with the family.
The beautiful labels feature a photo of the farm’s founder along with his trusty mules, and a QR code linking to the farm’s story on the distillery’s website, cfdistillery.com.
Cheers to 150 Years
The Bindners are leaving one barrel to age in the distillery’s warehouse. They’ll bottle it for the farm’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2042. “Our great-grandchildren will be able to toast with our farm’s bourbon at their weddings,” Diane said.
Any whiskey not purchased by clients is sold to the public by Century Farms Distillery. The two and a half barrels of remaining Bindner Farms Bourbon Whiskey will be bottled and distributed to retailers around Iowa.
Honoring Dad
Diane and her brothers knew this gift was special, but they had no idea how serendipitous the timing would be. Due to some health concerns, after 58 years of planting and harvesting, Tom had to step back from farming with Dean in 2022. The corn that made Bindner Farms Bourbon Whiskey was from Tom’s last harvest.
Whether dealing with health issues or running a farm, some days are better than others. As Tom worked alongside his family bottling their bourbon, he looked around the room and said, “Today is a really good day.”
EDITOR’S TAKE:
What a wonderful gift for someone who dedicated his entire life to caring for the family farm and raising corn. This tribute to Mr. Bindner is about more than just some corn distilled into bourbon. It reflects the strong family ties and traditions that make farm families special. Also, it demonstrates the respect and admiration of a family for their father and leader. It says, “job well done my good and faithful servant”! We’ll raise a toast to that!
What does your dealership do to honor those long-standing farm/ranch families who have been loyal customers over the years? Do you put their picture on your website or on your social media? What about a day named in their honor at your dealership? Perhaps even a free oil change. Give it some thought, I’m sure you can come up with some original ideas of your own.
