With a name that is synonymous with Indiana, Mellencamp Whiskey Company has hit the ground running.
What is the story about the brand that has partnered with Hard Truth Distilling Co. in Brown County, Indiana, to release a series of limited-edition bottles of whiskey?
Founders Levi Collison and Hud Mellencamp are longtime childhood friends and neighbors. Collison explains that the seed was planted on an evening in 2020 while sitting around the campfire. “Hud and I are both getting a little bit older, and as a young man ages, you begin to think about your future,” he says. “We both thought it would be a very cool thing to go into business with each other in pursuit of an endeavor that we are interested in and both love.”
As the evening wore on, they began to discuss some common interests, which led to Mellencamp bringing up the idea for establishing a whiskey company. Collison describes that idea as one that came together “very serendipitously.” Mellencamp began the work by scouring the internet to learn about the industry and brainstorm names before approaching his dad, John Mellencamp, and eventually Lights Out Bourbon Owner Chris Lytle, for input. Mellencamp recalls wanting a catchy name like Lytle’s company, “but within the realm of Mellencamp world, as he describes it.
“After rolling around other ideas in Mellencamp lore, it eventually led to a few ideas,” Mellencamp says. “John said we could use any of the song names and any of the paintings we could find on his website.” From there, the two began work on the project for several weeks weeks before returning to John. Collison recalls filing for the LLC at 12:37 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and smiles, saying “once we decided we were ready to do it, we were ready to do it. It has evolved from there and it’s a labor of love for both of us.”
From the beginning, Mellencamp focused on maintaining strong local Indiana ties. “We talked to couple of people in the Indiana area,” he says. “We wanted to make sure it was local, and Indiana was a big part of it because that’s kind of our footprint. We were born and raised in Indiana, and we like to be part of the community as much as possible.”
It was not until their last meeting when things seemed to come together. That meeting was with Hard Truth Distilling Co. “Hard Truth had never done a collaboration before, so it was new ground for both of us to come into this meeting,” Mellencamp says. “It turned out that we had a lot of things in the same mindset. They wanted to do something for the farmers; we wanted to do something for the farmers. They wanted to keep it local; we wanted to keep it local. The master distiller lived a quarter mile away from both Levi and I our whole lives, and we didn’t even know it. So a lot of random things came together that day and we found out we could all work together well.”
“Bryan Smith, head distiller, shares a lot of the same interests with us, whiskey obviously being one of them, but Bryan is a big fisherman like me,” Collison adds. “He also has a love for some good bands that both Hud and I are into. So when we get together, about 50% of the talk is about whiskey and 50% is talking about what we enjoy doing, and that is why it works so well. It’s not only a business partnership, but Mellencamp Whiskey is a friend of Hard Truth and Hard Truth is a friend of Mellencamp Whiskey. We are working toward a common goal together.”
Both companies entered the project to produce four limited edition bottles that would have their own distinct flavor. With two bottles already released, the third is scheduled for release in late September. Collison states that the releases are always during the spring and fall. “This whole project centers around the farmers, the grains they produce and giving back to farmers – keeping it farm-centric,” he says.
“We give a portion of revenue from each bottle to Farm Aid through Hard Truth’s Grounded in Truth initiative,” Mellencamp says. Both emphasize the release dates are a tip of the hat to planting and harvest season for farmers.
Both founders approach their business with passion and a goal to make this their full-time career. Currently, both work full-time, daily jobs while juggling the demands of being business owners. From the beginning they have taken zero outside investment from anyone for this project, and any expenses incurred are covered by the two of them. Collison works as a manager in the communications industry, and says “this is the American dream, and what a labor of love is. We work eight hours for someone else, and then come home and willingly put in those overtime hours working on Mellencamp Whiskey Company. We are both excited and happy to build something for ourselves and Indiana.”
Mellencamp tours as a manager for his dad, and can promote the brand while John is onstage and during time off while on the road. Although his dad is not involved as an owner, Mellencamp says “he is incredibly supportive, especially for something that he does not participate with [drinking], but he opened his mind to what the industry can do besides the drinking aspect. He will help us from the artistic side for the bottle labels, and assisted with the company logo.”
The recent release does have the elder Mellencamp giving additional advice. He assisted with giving feedback on the aroma. This recent release is his favorite, which is a harvest rye whiskey finished in French oak. John’s influence can also be recognized in other areas. Not only are the ingredients sourced from Indiana farmers, but last fall, things came full-circle with Mellencamp as the company was able to have their whiskey showcased at Farm Aid.
When asked about the whiskey, the two describe their product as “bold.” Prior to beginning their endeavor, they described their whiskey preference to each other to find middle ground. Fortunately, with four bottles they can provide their personal flavor profile and experiment with others. Collison is a self-described “rye guy,” and enjoys a high proof with more bite, whereas Mellencamp likes a sweeter bourbon style. Mellencamp points out that “even with the higher-proof liquid, with the sweet mash process, it can be a higher proof and not be as overwhelming as other products on the market.”
“A local Indiana liquor store is going to place Mellencamp Whiskey throughout Indiana, and we plan to do in person events,” Mellencamp says when asked about recent favorite company moments. Also, while in Nashville, Tennessee, he was looking for a bottle. Ducking into one store, he was told that not only did they carry it, but it was sold out with preorders for the recent release.
Collison’s favorite moment was being at Farm Aid and attending the Mellencamp Whiskey tasting. “Having 250 people hold up a glass of Mellencamp Whiskey with great music in the background was a moment when things felt like it came full-circle,” he says. “That was the moment I realized we did something we could be proud of, and had accomplished something real.”
Both are excited about how the company will evolve. “We are creating Mellencamp Whiskey to continue the legacy that John really created with Farm Aid, but at the same time doing it in Hud’s own way and making it Hud’s own thing,” Collison says. “We want to continue that legacy for farmers into the future. We plan to pick up that mantle and the continuation of the Mellencamp name and the association with Farm Aid into the future. Levi hopes that in 20 years, when people hear the name Mellencamp, they will not think about ‘Pink Houses’, but about ‘Pink Houses’ and Mellencamp Whiskey!”
For info on upcoming in-person events, apparel, drink recipes and announcements, visit mellencampwhiskey.com. Also follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
