Written by LISA TRUESDALE
A Trio of Indiana Distilleries Cardinal Spirits, Hard Truth Distilling Co., and 450 North Spirits
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here are nearly four dozen unique distilleries in the Hoosier State, but here are three you can get to in a day. Heading south from Indianapolis, it’s easy to make a circle from Bloomington to Nashville to Columbus (or vice-versa) and then back to Indy. Better yet, spend a relaxing long weekend in one of these small towns, each with its own distinctive personality.
Cardinal Spirits When founding Cardinal Spirits in 2015, Jeff Wuslich and Adam Quirk set a number of ambitious goals for their new distillery. They wanted to celebrate creativity and make something they could hold in their hands. They wanted to create a workplace where their employees would enjoy showing up and feel fulfilled with their work. And, they wanted a place where they could help foster connections in the community. Nearly 10 years later, the two co-founders have definitely met those initial goals and more. Their distillery in Bloomington has it all — a tasting room, informative tours, a cocktail bar, a restaurant, and a spacious patio overlooking the B-Line walking and biking path. It’s a popular gathering place where
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Photo provided by Cardinal Spirits
Bloomington, Indiana
people meet, not just for unique and delicious cocktails but also for trivia and game nights, cocktail classes, and live music, including a holiday series. Wuslich and Quirk, along with their two distillers, have gone above and beyond on that creativity goal. Though some distilleries
choose to focus on only a handful of spirits, the folks at Cardinal make several varieties of whiskey, rum, vodka, and gin, plus amaro, brandy, and specialty liqueurs, most of which are distributed to a dozen states so far, and they also ship to 38 states. They’re hyper-focused on ingredients too, using only fresh botanicals, fruits, and spices, and never anything artificial. Amazingly, there’s a full pound of locally roasted coffee in every six bottles of the
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