Around The Bend: The Indiana Whiskey Co.
Step into the spirit of Indiana at The Indiana Whiskey Company.
Since 2011, this locally rooted distillery has been pouring bold flavor and pride into every bottle.
Crafted with Hoosier-grown ingredients and distilled right here in South Bend, it’s more than whiskey—it’s Indiana in a glass.
Around The Bend takes a deeper look into the stories of beloved favorites and hidden gems throughout St Joseph County that make this place unforgettable. These places we cherish didn’t just appear—they were built with passion, purpose, and stories worth telling.
The Indiana Whiskey Co.: An Authentic Taste of Indiana
“Growing up I wasn’t a big whiskey drinker. I think I was raised on Canadian Club.”
The Indiana Whiskey Co. founder, Charlie Florance, didn’t plan on becoming a whiskey distiller. He went to Purdue University to study chemistry and physics.
“I hate to admit this, but all I wanted to do was blow stuff up. I already enlisted (in the military) before college and during school I was interested in chemistry and physics just so I could see things go ‘boom,’ and figure out how to make them ‘boom’ more efficiently and more effectively."
"When you talk about distillation, you’re just controlling the ‘boom.’ You’re boiling stuff at a much slower rate.”
The heart of Indiana Whiskey started from a scribble. Florance drew an innovative design for a whiskey still on a napkin that currently hangs in the tasting room of their building.
A whiskey still is equipment that heats fermented liquid to a controlled boiling point, vaporizes the alcohol, then condenses the vapor back to liquid creating a distilled spirit.
The scribble of the still came to life through the hands of a local manufacturing company, Deluxe Sheet Metal, and the dream started to take shape on the west side of downtown South Bend in 2011.
“Sample Street has been a hub for manufacturing most of South Bend’s history. We wanted to tap into some of that feel, and I think we nailed it.”
Not only was the still manufactured locally, but the ingredients for their whiskey are sourced locally as well.
“Something we like to pound our chest about is every single ingredient comes from as close to home as possible…the entire ecosystem’s been huge for us. Whether it’s grains, whether it’s raw materials, whether it’s the metal that goes into our stills.”
Eric Klepper is the man behind the distilling, and he agrees that making truly, authentically Indiana whiskey is important.
“We always try to get what we can from the state of Indiana but at the end of the day what makes part of the product (the still) came right here from South Bend and that’s the focal point of this place, so we always like to celebrate that because it’s a one of one.”
Not only are the ingredients inherently local, but the business as a whole speaks to the true spirit of South Bend.
“It just brings together two industries that South Bend is known for,” shared Klepper. “We’ve got agriculture and manufacturing…so put them together to make bourbon.”
This homegrown business is truly something special for Florance and his team.
“We’re so grateful that the South Bend community at large has really rallied around us. I know that Hoosiers can get their drinks from lots of different places. And the fact that they’re supporting something that’s locally made and that’s basically born with Indiana ingredients and Indiana know-how with our still manufacturer, I think says a lot.”
What makes the still even more special? It’s not only a one of one, but the design is unique and allows Indiana Whiskey to take a different approach to distilling.
“The copper pot still is open flame, hence all the fire brick. Made entirely out of copper which is good for us for a couple reasons. If you ever cook with copper pots, it heats up slower, but evenly. So, a really good conductor of heat,” shared Klepper.
The hardest part of the distilling process? Having to wait for the whiskey.
“The hardest part of making whiskey is having to stare at these barrels watching them age,” admitted Klepper. “With how small we are it makes it tough to have a massive surplus of whiskey to put away.”
While “controlling the boom” might be down to a science, Klepper says there are parts to whiskey making that you can never predict.
“We’ve got our recipes, we can be as precise as we’re going to be and think we’re scientists sometimes going through this process but then you put the spirit in the barrel and let nature take over and run its course, and it does a beautiful thing in there.”
When you put whiskey in a barrel you have all grain flavor and no barrel flavor. As it ages, you get more barrel and less grain. Clear as…whiskey? It comes down to taste preference.
“You can’t go wrong with the bourbon,” added Klepper. “It is super versatile, you can sip on it, it’s good for mixing, just don’t put it in coke. It makes all the classic cocktails super well, it’s approachable for a new person, (and) somebody who’s seasoned has appreciation for it.”
“Our rye whiskey is very different compared to other ryes…it drinks a little bit sweeter. That’s my go-to for making old fashions. Our single malt that we make is one of my favorite sippers. There’s something about it. It has this underlying cocoa note that comes through. Out of the flavors, I’ve always been team chocolate. That’s my go-to. There’s not much I haven’t mixed it with. It’s so good!”
And Florance’s favorite?
“My tastes are very…unsophisticated. So, I just go with straight bourbon 9 times out of 10. One part bourbon, one part ice, one part glass. That’s it.”
While Florance’s tastes might be unsophisticated, his business model and ideas for the future are.
“I think the sky’s the limit. We’ve been growing every year. The problem with whiskey is you can only sell as much as you made two years ago. Every time we sell some, we put a little bit more away…I think we’ll just do it methodically, one foot in front of the other and just drive continued growth for the future.”
Cheers to many more years of controlling the “boom.”
Tasting Notes
From Ashley Kosowski, General Manager of The Indiana Whiskey Co.
- For a whiskey tasting you want to take two sips. The first one shocks your palate, the second gives you the flavor.
Silver Sweet Unaged Corn Whiskey – "Tastes strangely like tequila. Once we barrel that and it ages, it becomes our 'Just Whiskey' Bourbon Whiskey."
Bourbon – 80% corn 10% wheat 10% barley – "It’s high in corn content, no rye, a little smoother and sweeter and similar to Maker’s Mark."
'Rye-Centennial' Rye Whiskey – Lower rye at 60% – "Tears in every bottle. Like working with oatmeal. Squeeze the liquid out and save the liquid. That’s rye, very difficult."
'The Flyover Malts' American Single Malts Whiskey – 100% barley. "Very similar to scotch."
For flavored whiskey, they take their 'Just Whiskey' Bourbon Whiskey and add house made simple syrup and extracts. All extracts come from from Lebermuth in South Bend.
Breakfast of Degenerates – "One of our most popular flavors, it is maple. Good in old fashions, good on the rocks, good in orange juice and good on pancakes."
Ashley’s Favorite Flavor: Hoosier Sweet Heat
Visit Indiana Whiskey Co.: 1115 W Sample St, South Bend, IN 46619
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