Increased demand for its sweet mash whiskeys, including the recently introduced line of three sweet mash bourbons, has propelled award-winning Hard Truth Distilling Co. to break ground on its third rack house well before the company’s original plans to do so.
According to Bryan Smith, Partner and Master Distiller at Hard Truth, “Building a complex of rackhouses on our 325-acre property has always been the long-term plan, but recent product introductions, sales success, and growth into new markets required moving up our construction schedule.”
Smith said he continues to be encouraged by sales of Hard Truth’s sweet mash whiskeys — a notion reinforced by his recent tour introducing Hard Truth’s three Sweet Mash Bourbons to various markets across the country.
He was thrilled by the initial response to these, a trio that includes Sweet Mash Bourbon and a pair of bottled-in-bond offerings, Hard Truth’s Four Grain and Wheated Bourbons.
“Adding the core Bourbon lineup to our award-winning Rye whiskeys with retailers and behind bars has dramatically changed our visibility in the market,” he said. “Our sweet mash rye whiskeys continue to gain new fans every day — but, to establish yourself as a national brand, you need Bourbon.”
Rackhouse #3 will be 14,000 square feet and hold 8,000 barrels. Completion and move-in is slated for mid-July 2024. This will bring the total on-site capacity at the distillery to more than 20,000 barrels. The expansion puts Hard Truth on track to meet the growing demand for its whiskey with a tenfold increase, from 400barrels sold in 2023 to 4,000 barrels ready for release by 2028.
“The enthusiasm for our award-winning whiskeys from consumers, bartenders, retailers, and distributors has been amazing, ”said Smith. “The authenticity of our grain-to-glass approach is being welcomed all across the country by connoisseurs and new fans alike. Our goal was always to be a national whiskey company.”
While the new rackhouse is being constructed, another project is taking place that reinforces the distillery’s commitment to sustainability, local grains, and family farmers as part of its ongoing Grounded in Truth campaign. A new on-site stillage facility will be completed by mid-May of this year to contain and process the spent grains, or stillage, from the whiskey distilling process. After coming to the distillery, sugars from the grains are converted to alcohol, but many nutrients remain in the grains. The new facility at Hard Truth will allow for more efficient storage, separation of liquids from solids, and shipment of these to local farmers for use, respectively, as fertilizer nutrients and livestock feed.
More than ever a destination distillery
While excitement for Hard Truth’s whiskeys and spirits has spread across the country, so has the desire to visit where they are produced. In 2023, more than 400,000 guests – from all over the U.S. and abroad – visited the Hard Truth distillery campus.
Hard Truth offers guests an assortment of tours, including the Inside the Barrel Tour where guests tour a rackhouse and thieve directly from barrels and the Moonshiner’s Experience where they can spend a day making their own jar of moonshine.
For the adventurous, guests can also hop on an ATV with one of Hard Truth’s guides and explore the campus’s 325wooded acres while learning about its history of distilling or board the tiki boat for unique rum cocktails on the water.
The campus also hosts live music, mixology classes, themed events and product launches, an extreme trail race series, and more. Visitors are welcome to walk the grounds, visit the Hard Truth Tours & Tastings Center, or dine in the 250-seat restaurant that welcomes guests of all ages, groups large and small, and offers quality dining and a unique experience.
Guests can take their Hard Truth experience to the next level with an overnight stay at the Hard Truth Cabin, which is a short walk from all of the distillery’s top attractions. The cozy overnight rental features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a central gathering space with kitchenette, dining table and living room, gas fireplace, a screened in porch and custom furniture.
The Hard Truth private events team can also help guests plan personalized experiences for weddings, family reunions, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and more.
“We like to say that we unite people through our exceptional spirits, ”Hard Truth co-founder Jeff McCabe said, “From the start, our plan for Hard Truth has been to be an iconic, ever-growing distillery that is a Brown County, Indiana destination and treasure forever. If you visit us today, you’ll see that we’re well on our way to making that happen.”
About HardTruth Distilling Co.
Hard Truth Distilling Co. is an industry leader in the production of sweet mash whiskey.
Headquartered in Nashville, Indiana, they produce more than 20 premium craft spirits, including top-selling Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka, Hard Truth Maple Bourbon Cream, Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum, and Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream, as well as critically acclaimed Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey.
Sweet Mash Rye is a culmination of years of careful planning and precise crafting. The result is a complex, pleasant, high-quality rye that has garnered numerous honors including Hard Truth’s first batch of Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey which was named in the top 50 of Fred Minnick’s Top 100 American Whiskeys of 2021, and since then has taken home a gold medal in USA Spirits awards, double platinum medal in the Ascots, and scored a 93 by Whiskey Advocate. Most recently, a barrel-finished expression of Sweet Mash Rye was named the #34 best American Whiskey from more than 900 whiskeys tasted in Fred Minnick’s Top 100 of 2023.
In February 2024, Hard Truth marked a new chapter in its story with the release of its first grain-to-glass produced Bourbons. These include Hard Truth Sweet Mash Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, and Four Grain Bourbon. The Sweet Mash Bourbon was released at 90-proof, and both Wheated Bourbon and Four Grain Bourbon are 100-proof and bottled-in-bond.
Just two months into distribution, Hard Truth’s Sweet Mash Bourbons have received a warm reception both in the general market and from bourbon influencers and reviewers.
Hard Truth’s spirits are currently distributed in more than 20 states and has partnered with Reserve Bar for online sales in more than 40 states.
For more information on Hard Truth, visit hardtruth.com.
