Gastronomy from Gascony
amid accomplished company!
A great early fall day for a field trip, Saturday 09-27-25. To Joe and Liz Henry’s farm we go! Their spread in Dane County’s Town of Vienna, 20 miles due north of Madison, covers some of the best crop land in Wisconsin. Out our windshield, farmers were taking off field corn for silage. In a couple of weeks they’ll harvest the shell corn, given the forecast for more warm, dry weather.
But the last of the season’s corn harvest was already in the bins this very day at the J. Henry & Sons Farm, which grows seed corn and so much more. Even an old farm kid can learn something new: seed corn must be harvested on the cob and before the frost, lest the germ for next year’s crop be extinguished, our host explained.
In 2009 the Henrys began growing bourbon whiskey — or, rather, the barley, wheat and — unique among distillers — an heirloom red corn (variety W335A) developed at the University of Wisconsin in the 1930s. Purported to be less starchy and more protein-rich. Joe’s dad Jerry grew it on the farm before the variety almost disappeared with the dodo bird. The grains are fermented, distilled into whiskey and aged in a giant rick house — all right on the farm. First batches sold in 2015. Now that’s adding value to erstwhile commodities!
→ Visit the Henry farm for a tasting.
Grown right at home
At each of (I think) nine tables was set a J. Henry whiskey bottle filled with the raw ingredients in proportion to the mash bill. A cob of the red corn rested alongside. The occasion was a dinner celebrating the release of the enterprise’s latest offering: La Flamme de L’Armagnac — whiskey aged in oak barrels in which Armagnac brandy once rested in southwestern France. Tastings of the seven J. Henry whiskies were invited and accepted.
This was no hot dogs and burgers cookout but a French-inspired, six-course feast prepared by Madison Club chef Adam Struebing featuring brûlot-glazed duck, mushroom spätzle, grilled Atlantic salmon, and burgundy-braised chicken legs. Attentive waiters topped off our glasses of French wine.
The Lovely Lisa and I were honored to sit at the head table with Joe and Liz — she is a former Alice in Dairyland who this evening arrived from a cheese event at World Dairy Expo. We were joined at our table by two other convivial couples. Son Joe Z. Henry put on a light show in the night preparing a flaming whiskey fruit cocktail to accompany our dessert chocolate cake.
Over dinner, Joe told of competing with the multi-nationals dominating the spirits industry. Japan’s Suntory, for instance, owns Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark; Campari owns Wild Turkey; Sazerac owns Buffalo Trace and even Pappy van Winkle. Tribulations of a start-up like choosing the bottle then realizing that its distinctive shape fights the label machine. But the bottles do look mah-velous.
Joe comes from honest French stock; ancestors first settled like many of their countryman around Belleville. Witnessed first-hand brandy distillation in France’s Gascony region; from October through November a wagon carrying the alembic pot still visits the small vineyards. The community gathers to sample the resulting liquid amidst a great feast while the still is producing, with food, song, and even dancing on tables. The inspiration for Saturday’s dinner on the farm! (No tables were harmed.)
Blaska’s Bottom Line: First met the Henrys 30+ years ago when, Joe reminded me, we both served on the same board of directors. Joe a few weeks ago chanced upon this blog and posted, “Thoroughly enjoy it and scarily seem to agree with all your comments.” Grateful for reconnecting and his generous invite.
2 responses to “World-class food & drink on a Wisconsin farm”
What a beautiful tribute and compliment to your friend and host
Gemutlichkiet!