Hard Truth Distilling Co. Introduces First Sweet Mash Bourbons

Posted on by Scott Dilley

Hard Truth Distilling Co. is celebrating a milestone with the release of its first bourbons produced grain-to-glass.

Hard Truth Distilling Co.’s new trio of Sweet Mash Bourbons will be available for purchase at its Brown County, Indiana distillery on Saturday, February 24, and in select markets beginning Friday, March 1. The distillery’s long-term lineup which already features Sweet Mash Rye and High Road Rye will now include three bourbon whiskies.

Fast Facts about New Sweet Mash Bourbons:

  • Sweet Mash Bourbon:
    • 73% Corn, 9% Rye, 8% Malted barley
    • Bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV)
    • Produced in small batches of 30 or fewer barrels
    • Non Chill Filtered
    • Nose: Caramel, pecan, clove, fruit, and oak
    • Palate: Toffee, caramel, cherry, and sweet cream
    • Finish: Warming coffee, vanilla, and oak that linger on the palate
    • Price: $44.99
  • Sweet Mash Wheated Bourbon:
    • 69% Corn, 19% Wheat, 12% Malted barley
    • Bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV)
    • Bottled in Bond
    • Produced in small batches of 30 or fewer barrels
    • Non Chill Filtered
    • Nose: Toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate, and custard
    • Palate: S’mores, toasted almond, and candied fruit
    • Finish: Mocha and shortbread that build to black pepper and maple
    • Price: $54.99
  • Sweet Mash Four Grain Bourbon:
    • 78% Corn, 9% Rye, 9% Wheat, 4% Malted barley
    • Bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV)
    • Bottled in Bond
    • Produced in small batches of 30 or fewer barrels
    • Non Chill Filtered
    • Nose: Butterscotch and vanilla
    • Palate: Honeycrisp apple and butterscotch lead into rich tobacco and oak
    • Finish: Honey and cracked black pepper
    • Price: $59.99

Known for award-winning craft spirits, sweet mash whiskey, and a 325-acre destination distillery, this moment marks a new chapter in the Hard Truth story.

We’ve taken a lot of pride in the process of building our distillery and working with industry leaders such as Vendome Copper & Brass Works to create a truly state-of-the-art facility. This moment, though, is particularly special because the first batch of sweet mash whiskey from our still, many years ago, was bourbon. We’ve always been a bourbon company, we’ve just been waiting for the right moment to introduce ours to the world.

Bryan Smith, Master Distiller & Co-Founder

While its bourbon was aging, Hard Truth was doing more than just waiting for it to be ready. Over its first six years, a line of successful Hard Truth craft spirits was introduced including Cinnamon Vodka, Toasted Coconut Rum, and Maple Bourbon Cream. Building on the market demand from those spirits, 2021 saw the release of Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye, the first grain-to-glass whiskey fully produced by Hard Truth. This whiskey received numerous awards from the industry’s most respected critics, firmly establishing Hard Truth’s place in the American Whiskey community.

Today brings a new whiskey focus to Hard Truth. Their long-term lineup featuring Sweet Mash Rye and High Road Rye will now include three bourbons: Hard Truth Sweet Mash Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, and Four Grain Bourbon. The Sweet Mash Bourbon will be released at 90-proof, and both Wheated Bourbon and Four Grain Bourbon will be 100-proof and bottled-in-bond, a legal designation with a history dating to the 1800s as the gold standard for authenticity in the whiskey world.

Bottled-in-bond is proof to the world that we’re making everything, grain-to-glass on our property. We are a group of serious, hard-working whiskey distillers making honest whiskey here in Brown County. That’s why we always intended for bottled-in-bond to be part of our story.

Bryan Smith, Master Distiller & Co-Founder

Staying true to its Hoosier roots, the distillery’s strong support for Indiana family farmers is present in each of its whiskeys. Most of the wheat and all of the corn used to produce bourbon at Hard Truth is grown by Doug Miller, a local, fifth-generation Indiana farmer located just 60 miles from the distillery. A majority of the rye is also from Indiana, grown in the southwestern part of the state by farmer Dr. Duane Kuhlenschmidt.

After the grain is delivered to Hard Truth, it doesn’t leave the distillery until after it has been bottled in a custom sweet mash bottle. Throughout that process, nothing is left to chance — from the high-quality grain, a custom-made Vendome column still, and barrels specifically produced for each unique mash bill.

Intent on creating distinct flavors through innovative barrel processes, Smith worked closely with Andrew Wiehebrink, Director of Spirits Research at Independent Stave Company to create custom toast and char profiles designed to complement the sweet mash coming off the still. These custom Cooper Select barrels are built using 18- to 24-month dried staves, aged far beyond the typical three to six months.

What you will find in each bottle is the result of years of curiosity, research, and good old-fashioned instincts, as well as continuous work from the Hard Truth team. We were fortunate to spend hundreds of hours with industry legends including Dr. Pat Heist and Shane Baker of Wilderness Trail, Doug Miller, and Andrew Wiehebrink. However, we weren’t held back by tradition or precedent. We are pioneering our own path. We like to say that Hard Truth Sweet Mash is the future of our tradition.

Bryan Smith, Master Distiller & Co-Founder

Image Credit: Hard Truth Distilling Co.

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