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Two of southern Indiana’s biggest names are collaborating for a Hoosier-centric limited edition product sure to lure fans of whiskey and heartland rock.
Brown County’s Hard Truth Distilling Co., in partnership with the recently founded Mellencamp Whiskey Co., is releasing a new whiskey collection specifically celebrating and supporting Hoosier farmers.
Four collector’s edition whiskeys will be released over the next two years, coordinating with the spring and fall planting and harvest seasons. The first, called Harvest Sweet Mash Rye, will kick off Sept. 9 at the distillery. Afterward, the whiskey will be shipped out to retailers across the country through December.
“Our partnership with Hard Truth aligns perfectly with our values of supporting local farmers and sourcing high-quality local ingredients,” Mellencamp Whiskey co-founder Hud Mellencamp, son of musician John Mellencamp, said in a news release. “We are excited to begin our journey as an emerging whiskey brand partnering with such an innovative, like-minded whiskey partner right in our own backyard. When we started Mellencamp Whiskey, we knew we wanted to stick to our Hoosier roots.”
Hard Truth master distiller Bryan Smith said the company has been approached for this type of partnership before but passed since Hard Truth was focused on its own product. When Hud Mellencamp and partner Levi Collison made their pitch, there were a lot of ideological overlaps, Smith said, such as working with Indiana farmers and philanthropic motivations, that showed him there was “an opportunity to do something great here.”
Mellencamp Whiskey registered as an LLC in early January, is based in Bloomington and currently does not have an online presence. No, John Mellencamp is not involved in the endeavor, but his artwork will be featured as a backdrop on the bottle labels of the limited edition collection.
“John Mellencamp has always been a very authentic individual. His music speaks to everyone, but it comes from Indiana,” Smith said. “That’s similar to our whiskey. We hope it speaks to everyone, but it definitely comes from Indiana.”
Hard Truth recently launched its Grounded in Truth initiative, which provides resources and support to local independent and family farmers. An association with John Mellencamp, who is one of the founders of Farm Aid, made a lot of sense, Smith said.
“It just gives a little more power to what we’re trying to get accomplished,” Smith said.
A portion of sales from the whiskey collection will be funneled to the Grounded in Truth campaign.
The partnership heavily emphasizes local ties. Not to mention, Smith and Mellencamp learned through the collaboration that they grew up less than a mile from each other.
“There was just a lot of convergence coming together,” Smith said. “It was kind of a no-brainer.”
Each release in the collection will be a “unique expression of whiskey,” Smith said. When the bottles hit shelves, he predicts they will go quickly since there aren’t many barrels.
“It’s exciting to be able to release something to the world that’s not going to be replicated,” Smith said. “It’s truly an expression of the moment and of this partnership—and an expression of the hard work that our farmers have put in.”
As for the Harvest Sweet Mash Rye, the first to be released, Smith said it has a hyper-regional flavor profile. He called it a classic hard true sweet mash with a burst of orchard fruit as well as toffee and mocha flavors from aging in the barrel. The whiskey will be 106 proof (53% alcohol by volume)), which Smith said was perfect.
The grains used were all grown by the distillery’s Hoosier partners, which aren’t far from Hard Truth’s home base in Nashville.
The whiskey has been aging for about three years, Smith said, and was always intended to be a special release. The partnership with Mellencamp Whiskey fell into place at the right time, he said.
The next release will be in the spring 2024. Those following will be in fall 2024 and spring 2025.
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Dad said to forget all that macho s__t and learn how to play guitar. He never said anything about making whisky!
Lol