Five Reasons To Visit Hard Truth Hills Distillery
Steve Akely and I were recently invited by distiller Bryan Smith to come spend a day with him at Hard Truth Hills Distillery in beautiful Brown County, Indiana. We toured the facility, had lunch, tasted some whiskeys, and learned about what they’re currently doing and what’s to come. Here are my top 5 reasons why you should visit.
1-The Facility
The production area is state of the art with a Vendome still. They have a restaurant attached, an area for mixology classes, and several large spaces that can be rented for events. The distillery walls are adorned with black and white photos of historical Brown County figures, and other interesting trinkets. There’s even a speakeasy room!
2-The Property:
Hard Truth Hills sits on 300+ acres of wooded hills. The distillery itself is connected to Big Woods restaurant and has decks overlooking a concert area outfitted with picnic tables and overhead bistro lights. It has a very lodge-like, vacation feel to it, and is perfectly set up for safe social distancing. The concert area is spacious and right next to part of the woods. Its winter now, but I can just imagine the ambiance when the trees are full again. I’ll definitely be checking out their concert series this spring and summer. They also offer ATV tours when the weather isn’t inclement. They drive; you drink. There are several stops on the tour at various spots throughout the woods. This is a one of a kind tour experience no one else is doing.
3-The Hospitality:
‘Hoosier hospitality’ is alive and well at Hard Truth Hills. We met Bryan and Ally and they were both so passionate about everything and absolute joys to be around during our visit. I’m also very much a fan of any place that offers me a cocktail at 10 AM. We had lunch onsite; it was delicious and well presented. I had mahi tacos (I usually only eat fish in coastal cities) but these were absolutely perfect; the street corn side is also to die for.
4-The Spirits:
Hard Truth Hills does more than just whiskey. They have a lineup of vodkas, gins, and rums as well as beers from their own Quaff On Brewery. In my opinion they have some of the best flavored rums on the market right now. I love their coconut toasted rum, and they now have a coconut rum cream; which is amazing. Steve and I were also able to sample their aged rum, and I was seriously impressed. Their cocktail menu is top notch; in the morning I had a Smoked Old Saz, and I finished out the day with a Love Potion (I was a sucker for the edible glitter.)
5-The Whiskeys!:
The Hard Truth Hills whiskey lineup includes: McCabe’s Irish Whiskey, Sipe’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Sipe’s Barrel Smoked Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and Schoonover’s Single Barrel Whiskey. All named after historical Brown County figures. Hard Truth Hills is currently sourcing their bourbons but they’re choosy about it. They don’t just buy someone else’s juice, bottle it, and slap a label on it. No, they’re taking it to the next level. Distiller Bryan Smith has worked closely with Andrew Wiehbrink at ISC to create the perfect finishing barrels. Check out Sipe’s Barrel Smoked Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The barrel was actually smoked with a combination of hardwoods, and they really show up in the flavors of the whiskey. If Bryan can make something this unique with sourced juice I can’t wait to see what he does with his own when it’s ready! The 14 year old Single Barrel Schoonover’s is also fantastic, and well selected. The bottle itself is also beautiful and well crafted.
