Hard Truth, Holcomb cut ribbon on whiskey rack house; more growth planned
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Hard Truth Distilling Co. and Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday celebrated the completion of a new storage facility where whiskey barrels will age for years and that will enable the company to ramp up its output and sales.
Hard Truth estimates the new rack house will allow for an 800% increase in its whiskey production and meet a rapid increase in demand. The Nashville, Indiana-based distillery’s overall sales have increased 400% this year, the company reported.
The distillery’s leaders said rack house No. 3 is not far behind, with its ribbon cutting likely around the same time next year.
The rack house has no HVAC system and plays on Indiana’s fluctuating climate to age its spirits. Co-owner Jeff McCabe said Indiana and other nearby states are great environments to age whiskey because of that temperature variation. The hot and cold process allows the whiskey to seep in and out of the barrel’s wood to develop its flavor.
“We let God take care of that,” McCabe said.
The 15,000-square-foot black pole barn is already stacked to the ceiling with meticulously placed wood barrels with the Hard Truth logo stamped into the top. The rustic smell of the aging whiskey wafts through the barn doors.
“You know what that smells like,” co-owner Jim Dunbar said. “Money.”
Hard Truth leaders see “no ceiling”
Hard Truth has seen momentous growth since its inception in 2015 as an add-on to Big Woods Pizza Co. The distillery has grown to be nationally recognized and welcomed over 400,000 visitors to its 325-acre tree lush campus last year. Patrons may also recognize Big Woods Restaurants and Quaff ON! Brewing Co., which are included in the brand family.
The facility already has one rack house, but the addition will give Hard Truth a greater capacity for its sweet mash whiskeys. The new rack house elevates its current holding space from 4,000 barrels to 12,000. The barrels will sit in one of these facilities for four to eight years while they age and will be bottled once a taster determines it’s ready.
Chief Marketing Officer John Behling said the company plans to expand across the country and internationally. When they fill the next rack house, he said they will lay the cement for the next one.
“All of us work here because we love this industry,” Behling said. “When you have business success, that’s just the icing on top.”
Master distiller Bryan Smith has been with the company since it first began as an addition to the pizza kitchen. The growth they’ve seen, he said, is humbling and incredible but just the beginning. Opening this rack house is symbolic of its growth and their ability to bring their product to more people. With the steps they are taking now, he said they will reap the benefits years down the road.
“At the run rate that we’re running the stills at right now, we’ll be filling about one of those houses a year,” Smith said.
Master distiller Bryan Smith talks about the future and local pride of creating Hard Truth into what it is.
What sets Hard Truth apart, he said, is how the whiskey is made. Their sweet mash method uses fresh ingredients, requires more equipment and is more labor intensive. However, Smith said that process is resulting in a product on shelves unlike their competitors.
“We’ve got a very similar equipment, very similar barrels, very similar grains and processes to a lot of other distilleries,” Smith said. “But Hard Truth sweet mash whiskey tastes like it does because of where it is and the people that are making it.”
The rack house will be included on tours and barrel picks, which is when customers can pick a barrel for their bottle of whiskey to stem from.
Emphasizing local
McCabe said Hard Truth has a “virtuous system,” meaning it and others benefit from using local products and services. He said they use corn and wheat from Rush County and rye from Evansville. The stillage byproduct ends up back with farmers who feed it to cattle.
“When you’ve got a property like this 325 acres, and you’ve got 400,000 or 500,000 people a year, climbing all over it, taking a look, you can’t fake anything,” he said. “Everything you see here is the real deal.”
Companies like Hard Truth makes Indiana look more attractive to potential Hoosiers, Holcomb said, and consider moving to the state. He applauded the company for its growth, culture and product, saying it’s a great example of why the state makes a viable ecosystem for ideas to grow into successful businesses.
“But when we’re pitching Indiana, you go over those stats, but then you get to the quality of place,” Holcomb said. “And it’s this type of exact destination that puts Indiana on the map.”
The business is a highlight to potential CEOs and business owners to establish ground in the state, Holcomb told Inside INdiana Business. He pointed out the distillery began eight years ago and can now be found on shelves in over 20 states.
Gov. Eric Holcomb talks about how the craft distillery industry and companies like Hard Truth are bringing new eyes to Indiana.
The state’s craft brewery and distillery industry is a huge draw for people to discover more of what Indiana has to offer, Holcomb said. It also falls in line with the recent push to get people to visit and move to the state, he said, since it’s a destination and amenity the state has to offer.
“It really is improving and bettering our quality of life because of quality of place is improving,” Holcomb said.