For a second year Bloomington-based Great White Smoke has partnered with Hard Truth Distilling Co. to host the Bourbon & BBQ Festival at Hard Truth’s distillery campus in Brown County, from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 18.
The highlight is barbeque — with 25 teams competing in barbeque and Charred Truth live fire competitions. Prizes include a People’s Choice Award and possibly a golden ticket to the World Food Championships, which will be in Indianapolis later this year. Dave White, champion pitmaster with Great White Smoke, is running the competition portion of the festival.
Hard Truth will have two releases on Saturday: the 2026 Barrel Finish Reserve Double Oaked Sweet Mash Rye and a special Amburana Finished Bourbon, a bourbon and rye blend and is a distillery-only release.
Ariana & the Bourbon Britches and the Blue Bridge Boys will provide live music on Hard Truth’s outdoor stage during the festival.
Tickets are $60 general admission, $15 for kids age 12 and younger, $125 for the Charred Truth package, and $260 for the VIP package. General admission ticket-holders will get a tasting card and one food sample at each competitor’s station, an enamel pin and three whiskey samples (for ages 21 and older only). Charred Truth tickets allow the holder into the Live Fire and BBQ competition areas. The VIP ticket-holders get access to the House of Rye VIP Lounge, with drinks and grazing boards.
The event will have cooking demos, yard games, whiskey tasting stations and more. Hard Truth Distillery is at 418 Old Indiana 46 in Nashville. For more information or tickets, go to hardtruth.com or check out the Bourbon & BBQ Festival page on Facebook.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Second Bourbon & BBQ Festival is Saturday at Hard Truth Distillery
Reporting by Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
