If you’re a whiskey fan, you’ve probably consumed a lot of bourbon and rye that was produced in Indiana that has been sold under many different brand names. That’s because MGP, one of the biggest contract distillers in the country, is located in the Hoosier State and makes whiskey for names like Dickel, Templeton, and WhistlePig. Another Indiana distillery that doesn’t get nearly as much attention, but is one of the best craft operations working today, is Hard Truth Distilling Co., and it recently released a trio of whiskeys that are its oldest to date.

Of course, age doesn’t always mean better with whiskey (or with people, for that matter). But any time a craft distillery that hasn’t been around for that long is able to release an older age statement whiskey, it’s a significant achievement—and the whiskeys in question from Hard Truth are all seven years old. The distillery, which is located in Nashville, Indiana, has been around for just over 10 years, and in that time it has released some really good bourbon and rye whiskey (even the amburana-finished expression from a few years ago managed to be decent, despite the whiskey touching that controversial wood). The distillery focuses on using the sweet mash process to make its whiskey, as opposed to the more common sour mash process in which a portion of the previous distillation is added to a new batch to maintain consistency.

“If you’ve been following our story here at Hard Truth, you will understand how important a seven year age statement is for an authentic grain-to-glass whiskey maker,” said master distiller and company partner Bryan Smith in a statement. “Our sweet mash process creates a delicious whiskey at younger ages, but after seven winters and summers, these whiskeys have been transformed into something truly special. I cannot wait for you to try them.”

The first seven-year-old whiskey is a straight bourbon made from a mashbill of 73 percent corn, 19 percent rye, and 8 percent malted barley, bottled at 112.3 proof. The palate is very fruity, with notes of honey, maple, vanilla, and ripe peach. The next whiskey is a wheated bourbon made from a mashbill of 69 percent corn, 19 percent wheat, and 12 percent malted barley, bottled at 116.1 proof. This whiskey is a bit sweeter, as you might expect, with notes of honeysuckle, pear, and ripe apple. The last whiskey (and my favorite) is the rye, made from a mashbill of 94 percent rye and 6 percent malted barley (just slightly different from MGP’s 95/5 recipe), bottled at 107 proof. Look for notes of black pepper, dried fig, and apricot here (and try this one in a Manhattan).

In addition to these whiskeys, Hard Truth recently released two cask-finished expressions as part of its 2026 Barrel Finish Reserve series that are worth checking out. The first is the French Oak Finished Bourbon, which was finished in toasted French oak casks. The second and more recent release is Mizunara Finished Wheated Bourbon, which gives the wheated bourbon recipe a secondary maturation in Japanese oak. We did not get to try this one yet, but official tasting notes describe candied pecan, peach cobbler, salted almond cookie, and Bavarian cream on the palate.

You can find various Hard Truth expressions available to purchase at liquor stores and websites like ReserveBar now.