It wasn't so long ago that distilling was the exclusive right and privilege of mega-brands that only distilled in flavorless, corporate-sized batches in Lawrenceburg.
Thanks to the hard-changing fights by some of Indiana's largest craft brewers, the state allowed the purchase of distiller's licenses, and a new era of Hoosier production was born. Peruse our list for a centrally-located-but-statewide look at all the best local distilleries to get a glass of that burning love.
Written by Sarah Murrell
Carmel / 351 Monon Trail
Our friends at Sun King are responsible for changing a lot of alcohol-related legislation, pushing the alcohol lobby to open up craft beer production to larger volumes all over the state. They were also the first major beer label to jump on the new distilling law, and thus Sun King Distillery was born. Go check out a full mixed drink menu as well as food from Oca by Goose the Market, Foxgardin and others.
Fletcher Place / 636 Virginia Ave
The sister business to Repeal restaurant is a hearty endorsement of the end of Prohibition, from its name to its products. Tucked into a slim storefront in the west end of Fletcher Place, their custom still churns out vodka, rum, gin, whiskey and their best-selling rhubarb liqueur. Take a tour (it's about 15 steps total) of their distillery, taste the products, and then have them whip you up a cocktail at their bar and tasting room.
Fletcher Place / 702 Virginia Ave
Arguably one of Indiana's most successful distilling startups, Hotel Tango were the first to stab their flag in the hill within city limits. Across the street from Bluebeard in a former carriage repair barn, they started making small-batch liquors and serving them in their rustic cabin of a tasting room and bar. Though production has moved over to Tinker House on 16th, the smokey, petey smell remains, and the fireplace is still the coziest spot on Virginia Ave.
Kennedy-King / 1660 Bellefontaine St
It's not exactly downtown, but West Fork is putting out a sophisticated industrial vibe from their home in Kennedy-King. And just like their label design and furniture, the flavor of their whiskey-centered product is clean and focused. From unbarreled corn spirits to deep, caramel-brown bourbon, they are exploring the category like no one else in town. Heads up to Fireball devotees: swap that for their 3rd Degree and you'll never go back.
West Clay / 12702 Meeting House Rd
Indy's neighbors to the north are getting their fair share of great new distilleries, and the folks at Danny Boy Beer Works are cornering the market in West Clay. Working out of the Tank 13 building, Danny Boy's got their first bottles of Buddha Vodka on shelves, with a spiced rum, whiskey and more to follow as soon as they're aged to perfection.
Castleton / 9402 Uptown Dr
This Indy-based distilling brand is probably most familiar to 317 cocktail drinkers as Indiana Vodka. Since vodka can be distilled from just about any starch and is ready as soon as it's blended to bottle strength, they've had their flagship spirit available for a while. Keep your eyes peeled for their Spring Mill Bourbon and American Gin.
Bloomington / 922 S Morton St
As if you needed more reasons to plan a drinking trip to B-town, Cardinal has perfected the art of vodka, gin, and other standards as well as their usual offerings. They've had their coffee liqueur, Songbird, for a while and recently added Nocino, a black walnut-based amaro made to be drunk on its own as a digestif, or mixed into a cocktail. Don't worry — their website has plenty of suggestions on how to drink it.
Nashville / 418 Old State Rd 46
The only hard truth on tap at Hard Truth Hills is this: these guys make great juice, and their distillery tucked into the hills of southern Indiana is the prettiest one in the state. They've massively expanded their distilling and barrelling facilities, so get ready to see these in your local liquor stores pretty soon. When the leaves are changing, treat yourself to a visit to their headquarters in the woods.
Borden / 19816 Huber Rd
Way down yonder on the O-hi-O (well, nearly) the Huber family winery and orchards' distilling arm is making booze from just about every kind of Hoosier-grown produce there is, from apples to blueberries. They make an incredible lineup of apple brandies — the ideal addition to any horchata or spiced cider this winter.
Nashville / 4484 Old St Rd 46
With a wink toward the slightly redneck roots of American distilling in this part of the country, Bear Wallow plays with the idea of homemade, farmhouse hooch distilled when the local preacher wouldn't be away to smell it. They make good whiskey, but most folks know them for their library of slightly sweet, all-natural, 40-proof "Hoosier Hooch," which they've got in maple, blackberry, lemon, and dangerously drinkable flavors.
Lebanon / 208 N Meridian St
Small batch and small-town combine forces to make one of the best emerging new liquor brands in central Indiana. Housed within the former Boone County Jail, the distillery's two (for now) juices are labeled with Prohibition-style art on vintage-look labels. Full disclosure — we haven't tried this but if the branding is any indication of the booze, it's going to be great.
Fort Wayne / 224 E Wallace St
Fort Wayne has gotten some serious distillery upgrades (and another one on the way with the recent announcement of Hotel Tango's HT2 tasting room in FtW), chief among them being Three Rivers. The distillery is producing the standard lineup (vodka through bourbon and rye) as well as an unusual Pilot Series, a limited-availability one-off bottling of special projects by their distillers, and only available on-site.
Know of a bomb distillery we missed? Hit us up at [email protected]!
