Iowa grows more corn than any other state in the country. Until 2005, it didn't have a single licensed distillery making bourbon out of any of it. That fact — the largest corn-producing state in America going from Prohibition through the entire craft spirits boom without a working distillery — is the starting point for understanding Cedar Ridge. When Jeff and Laurie Quint opened the doors in 2005 in the rolling farmland between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, they weren't reviving a historical brand or continuing a family distilling tradition. They were starting from zero in a state that had literally no modern infrastructure for making whiskey. The first licensed distillery in Iowa since Prohibition. Twenty years later, Cedar Ridge is the top-selling bourbon brand in their home state, they've built one of the most aggressive cask-finishing programs in American whiskey, and their son Murphy Quint has taken over as Master Distiller. The operation is still family-run, still surrounded by the corn they use, and still aging whiskey in rickhouses where the temperature swings from 95°F summers to -20°F winters — a climate that does things to bourbon that Kentucky's comparatively mild weather simply can't replicate.
The Quint family’s path to whiskey started with wine. Jeff and Laurie purchased a vineyard property between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in 2003. When the licenses came through in 2005, Cedar Ridge became Iowa’s first legal distillery in nearly a century. Their first bourbon was released in 2010, five years after the distillery opened, using Iowa-grown corn and aged in Iowa’s extreme climate.
The winemaking background directly shaped Cedar Ridge’s production approach. They have access to their own estate wine barrels — Port, Marquette red wine, and other varietals they produce on-site — which they use to finish bourbon and single malt whiskey. They also use a solera blending approach for their QuintEssential American Single Malt series — unusual in American whiskey and directly traceable to the family’s winemaking roots.
Jeff Quint’s son Murphy joined the business in 2014 and now serves as Master Distiller and Master Blender. Murphy has driven the expansion of the cask-finishing program, the development of the single malt line, and the 20th Anniversary Edition Bourbon released in 2025.
Cedar Ridge’s bourbon mashbill is 74% corn, 14% malted rye, and 12% 2-row malted barley. The corn is Iowa-grown, sourced directly from local farms. Iowa corn at 74% of the mashbill produces a sweet, full-bodied base spirit.
The secondary grain is malted rye rather than raw rye. Malting the rye changes its flavor contribution — malted rye tends to produce a softer spice character with more bread and malt notes, compared to the sharper, more aggressive pepper of raw rye.
Cedar Ridge operates as a grain-to-glass distillery. The distillery uses a combination of pot and column distillation. Cedar Ridge’s approach favors retaining the corn-forward sweetness of their high-corn mashbill, which is why even their younger bourbons read as sweet and approachable.
Iowa’s climate runs from summer highs in the mid-90s to winter lows that regularly hit -10°F to -20°F — a temperature range of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit across the year. Cedar Ridge ages in non-climate-controlled rickhouses — the barrels are exposed to the full range of Iowa weather.
The cask-finishing program is Cedar Ridge’s most distinctive feature. Their standard bourbon ages in new charred American oak barrels, and then selected batches get secondary aging in used wine, port, or sherry casks. The current lineup includes Port, Amontillado Sherry, Madeira, Tokaji, Marquette red wine, and second-use new American Oak for the Double Barrel expression.
Jeff Quint built the distillery from a vineyard purchase in 2003. Murphy Quint joined in 2014 and now serves as Master Distiller. The generational handoff is meaningful — Murphy’s tenure has coincided with the expansion of the product line.
Cedar Ridge Iowa Straight Bourbon — 86 proof, ~$30. The flagship. 74% corn mashbill, Iowa-aged, sweet and approachable. Vanilla, kettle corn, light caramel. The daily-pour entry point.
Cedar Ridge Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon — 100 proof, ~$40. Same mashbill, single distilling season, aged at least four years, bottled at exactly 100 proof. More structure than the 86-proof version.
Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon — varies, typically 115-120 proof, ~$50. Uncut, unfiltered. Everything about the Straight Bourbon amplified. This is where Iowa’s extreme aging climate shows most clearly.
Cedar Ridge Port Cask Finished Bourbon — 94 proof, ~$45. The signature cask finish. Estate Port barrels add dried cherry, stone fruit, and a darker color.
Cedar Ridge Amontillado Sherry Finished Bourbon — ~$50. Nutty, oxidative, with a drier profile than the Port finish.
Cedar Ridge Double Barrel Bourbon — 105 proof, ~$50. Re-barreled in a second set of new charred American oak. Heavy toffee, leather, and tannic grip.
The QuintEssential American Single Malt — 100% 2-row malted barley, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, finished in rotating wine and port casks using a solera-style blending method.
OAKR’s blind tasting panel scores every bourbon across more than 100 flavor notes, organized into 10 macro categories. Spirit Match scores show you which Cedar Ridge release is most likely to land for your specific palate, not the average drinker’s.
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Bourbon enthusiast, spirits industry analyst, and the voice behind OAKR's distillery guides, brand reviews, and bourbon education content. Visiting distilleries, dissecting mashbills, and translating the craft into data since 2024.
The widest cask-finishing program in American bourbon, powered by estate wine barrels. Which finish fits your palate? Spirit Match tells you.
