Stuart Hobson and Heartland Distillers
Hey, kids! This month's Indianapolis Monthly (February by the cover date) has a great little piece on Stuart Hobson, the former owner of Fisher's Liquors who's now making his own vodka with his new company, Heartland Distillers, I had a chance to go chat with Stuart before the holidays (and snap some pics), to get the skinny on his new Indiana Vodka. Artisinal spirits are taking off like fire-water in Chicago and points north. Heartland is Indiana's first entrant into the market -- although we hear there's another on the way. Hobson also says his license is the first new distiller's license granted in Indiana since Prohibition. (And no, his still isn't named "Carl". That's the family name of the still maker -- from the old country.)
5 comments:
1. Is it any good?
2. Where can I buy it? (Kahn's?)
I'm totally on board with this one, but when do we get the Indiana gin? Lord knows we've got bathtubs...
Sounds great!
By the way, Huber Winery does have an offshoot, Starlight Distillery. They have been limited to dessert wines and port, but I believe they just released or are about to release their first brandy.
I have heard of other wineries wanting to start sister distilleries as well.
The more the merrier!
Actually, Huber operates their brandy distilling (still a fortified wine) under a farm license. IIRC, there are a couple of other wineries who distill from by-products as well. Which is all to say that Heartland is something completely different -- a full on *new* distillery. (And as you know there are a whole heap of commercial distilleries in the southern part of the state, but their licenses all existed before Prohibition!) There's your odd Indiana fact for the day.
BTW, we hear one additional license has been granted since Hobson's to a Chicago-area micro-distillery based in Indiana.
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