Hard Truth Distilling Co., located in Brown County, Indiana, announced a new Sweet Mash Rye whiskey project in collaboration with Mellencamp Whiskey Company.

The new partnership will include a four-part, limited collectors series of Hard Truth’s award-winning Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey to be released in the spring and fall. The first release called Harvest Sweet Mash Rye will be officially launched at the Hard Truth Distillery on September 9 during a special kick off event. Harvest Sweet Mash Rye will then be on sale immediately at the distillery and subsequently rolled out nationally to select retailers around the country from September through December.

Each release will feature a unique whiskey expression handselected and married by Hard Truth’s Master Distiller Bryan Smith, with Hud Mellencamp and Levi Collison from the Mellencamp Whiskey Co. Each bottle in the collectors series will feature original artwork by John Mellencamp.

Harvest Sweet Mash Rye will feature a new, yet to be released mash bill from Hard Truth utilizing 100% grains grown by the distiller’s farmer partners, all located within the state of Indiana, not far from their Brown County distillery grounds.

“By supporting and collaborating closely with our local farmers we are able to offer the highest quality and hyper-regional flavor profile in our whiskeys,” said Smith. “It is our farmer’s dedication to sustainable farming that inspired us to create our new ‘Grounded in Truth’ campaign that provides funding to educate others on how togrow the highest quality grains, while at the same time being good stewards of the land.”

Mellencamp and Collison both share a love for whiskey and a passion for their home state and the people there who grow grains and craft whiskey from America’s heartland. Hard Truth’s Smith, as they all learned later, lived less than a mile from Hud and Levi in the same small town of Bloomington.

“Our partnership with Hard Truth aligns perfectly with our values of supporting local farmers and sourcing high-quality local ingredients,” Mellencamp said. “We are excited to begin our journey as an emerging whiskey brand partnering with such an innovative, like-minded whiskey partner right in our own backyard. When we started Mellencamp Whiskey, we knew we wanted to stick to our Hoosier roots.”

Visit hardtruth.com for more information.