Follow the Indiana Grown Tasting Trails for Hoosier Spirits
In partnership with: Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Wines, Liquors and Beers – Oh My!
Dorothy had the yellow brick road; Hoosiers have the Indiana Grown tasting trails for beers, wines, whiskeys and more. Both serve as reminders that there’s no place like home.
The Indiana Grown initiative promotes all types of agriculture products grown or processed in the state, helping residents shop local.
Indiana’s tasting trails offer destinations to please every palate with 22 distilleries, 26 breweries and 51 wineries. In addition, completed cards stamped with every destination on each trail provide a complimentary item from Indiana Grown.
The Discipline of Distillation
Hotel Tango stands out among the distilleries for its military precision in crafting award-winning spirits.
Travis Barnes, co-owner with his wife Hilary, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who learned in boot camp the only way to do anything is the right way. He interjects that disciplined military mindset into his branding.
“You can find nods to the military in our packaging, branding, tasting rooms and cause marketing campaigns,” he says.
MREs (meals ready to eat) inspire product labels. Military imagery is evident in the name and decor of the Foxhole, the event space adjacent to the flagship Fletcher Place tasting room in Indianapolis. Even the name Hotel Tango represents the NATO phonetic abbreviation of the owners’ names.
That discipline garners numerous accolades, including 2022 Distillery of the Year at the Indiana State Fair, gold medals for its signature bourbon and packaging from the San Francisco Spirit Competition, and a 94-point rating and Top 30 Bourbons Under $40 distinction from Wine Enthusiast.
Service holds importance, too. Memorial Day and Veterans Day mean fundraising campaigns for partner veteran organizations like American Legion, with the distillery’s efforts in 2022 providing $35,000 for the organization.
See more: Where to Find Local Indiana Produce, Meat, Flowers and More
Heritage in Every Harvest
While military precision guides Hotel Tango, Mallow Run Winery’s branding is marked by heritage.
Named for the Mallow Run stream running through the 600-acre property, the winery has a tasting room set in a barn built in 1835 by George Mallow, stream namesake and great-great-great-grandfather of Bill Richardson, winery owner with wife Laura Emerson Richardson.
“Mallow Run Winery is still family owned and operated, with history that speaks through the beams of the barn when you walk in,” Bill says.
Another mission is supporting other local endeavors, as emphasized by its annual Artist Series Wine Label Competition.
“It not only gives us an opportunity to highlight Indiana artists, it allows us to give back to local organizations that support art as well,” Laura says.
The 2022 competition honored the 100th anniversary of Franklin’s historic Artcraft Theatre, with a portion of wine sale proceeds benefiting the venue.
The winery operates through all seasons, with Winter Warm-Ups scheduled each weekend between Jan. 7 and March 26, 2023. Each weekend will offer a different hearty soup meal and live music on an enclosed, heated patio from 2 to 5 p.m.