DUNCOMBE, Iowa — Brother and sister duo Brad Lemke and Alissa Nelson grew up on their family farm in Webster County helping their parents and grandparents harvest grain, corn and raise cattle.
Now, Lemke and his son primarily handle things at the 200+ acre farm, turning around 10% of the harvested grain on the farm into homemade whiskey for Wildcat Distilling Co..
First, Lemke grinds the grains harvested, then they break down the starches through a cook tank into a fermentable sugar at 170 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, Lemke and his son cool the mixture down and yeast to consume the sugars and yield alcohol.
Once that process finishes, Brad and his son "bump everything over to our 'still. Distill it, which is basically just separation of the two liquids in there, and we'll take and barrel from there."
The distillery, located in Duncombe in neighboring Hamilton County, offers Lemke, Nelson and their spouses — Amanda Lemke and Tony Nelson — a way to share their whiskey with central Iowa.
While the distillery is built on generations of farming experience, its name references another piece of antiquity: an infamous pair from the 1930s.
"It also ties back to the lore that's around this area: Wildcat Cave," director of sales Tony Nelson said.
Growing up, Brad Lemke and Alissa Nelson's relatives told them stories passed through town regarding infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde who robbed banks around central Iowa.
Bonnie and Clyde supposedly hid out in the Wildcat Cave near their family farm.
The siblings would visit the cave, which is now a common hideout and exploration spot for locals.
With the outlaws as inspiration, Lemke, Nelson and their spouses have teamed up to provide their product to interested Iowans.
"They love [the name]," Amanda Lemke said. [People] absolutely love it. When you start talking about it they're like, 'That is really, really cool.'"
Serving up homemade whiskey with the ones they love most, the family told Local 5 their business is a true "farm-to-glass" story.