Hard Truth Distilling Co. is celebrating a milestone with the release of its first grain-to-glass produced bourbons.
The three new expressions include Hard Truth Sweet Mash Bourbon, bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV), as well as Wheated Bourbon and Four Grain Bourbon, both of which are bottled-in-bond and 100 proof (50% ABV).
Most of the wheat and all of the corn used to produce the bourbon is grown by Doug Miller for Hard Truth, a fifth-generation Indiana farmer. The majority of rye is also from Indiana. Local grains are distinct in each of the newly released bourbons.
After the grain is delivered to the distillery, it doesn’t leave until it’s been bottled in a custom sweet mash bottle. Master distiller and co-founder Bryan Smith worked closely with director of spirits research at Independent Stave Company, Andrew Wiehebrink, to create custom toast and char profiles.
Smith commented on the new releases: “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.
“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.”
Hard Truth’s Sweet Mash Bourbons will be available at the distillery on 24 February and then in select markets from 1 March. The Sweet Marsh Bourbon has an SRRP of $49.99, while the Wheated Bourbon is priced at $54.99 and the Four Grain Bourbon the most expensive at $59.99.
