Spirits of French Lick—Respect the Grain

Gamblers and gangsters, artists and architects, frontiersmen and businessmen—these ethereal inhabitants of French Lick’s past were truly a restless bunch. The legends guarantee a place in history, with new stories yet to be told, in this rediscovered bastion of Americana.

Spirits of French Lick—the largest pot-still distillery in Indiana— is leading the way, representing both quality of the Hoosier artisan distilling process, while paying tribute to its inseparable past, and the many pre-prohibition era distilleries that once dotted the hills of Southern Indiana. By implementing best practices from those early times, with improved modern methods, Spirits of French Lick has created a unique place in the industry. Not only in terms of its story, but also in methodology: double-pot still distillation, retention and concentration of flavor and aroma.

“From field to glass we present to you the finest in small batch American distilling, bringing both quality and tradition back to our state.” – John Doty, Owner Spirits of French Lick

Established in 2016, as an outgrowth of French Lick Winery, Spirits of French
Lick focus on four pillars of distilling: bourbon, brandy, botanical spirits and American whiskey.
Relying on time-tested practices, and new innovations in the distilling program,
we craft a spirit that has defined character— equally driven by grain, barrel, yeast and experience—following our motto, “Respect the Grain.”
Crafted using only the finest agricultural products that can be sourced or grown, with wheat and corn products cultivated on our own multi-generational, female-owned Hoosier Homestead Farm, using sustainable farming practices.

One of the few artisan distilleries equipped with a grain mill on site, complete with a seed cleaner, to help produce a purer spirit, free from offending flavors.
The Lee Sinclair, a four-grain bourbon with a mash of corn-wheat-oats-barley, is the flagship product. It’s a powerful testimony to the historic Sinclair, once a prominent French Lick businessman, responsible for making the West Baden Springs Hotel dome the architectural feat it is.
One of the many things that separates Spirits of French Lick from other Indiana artisan distilleries is the creation of a new hybrid, open-pollinated strain of heirloom corn called Amanda Palmer, used in the estate bourbon. The development of this strain, and the use of alternative grains in distilling (including oats, kasha and buckwheat), makes Spirits of French Lick very unique.
Spirits of French Lick products are not limited to locals, they are distributed throughout Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri. Purchases can also be made on-line through an eCommerce platform www.seelbachs.com which has distribution to 33 states.
Through our unique products, including our single-pass, Calvados-style Apple Brandy, citrus-forward Old Tom Gin, and Indiana’s first commercial Absinthe—we live, breathe and create distilling history.