Fall leaves | Cinnamon | Allspice | Apple pie | Nutmeg

Chocolate mousse | Sweet oak | Cinnamon | Candied pecans | Light gingerbread

Chocolate malt | Tiramisu | Toasted pecan | Dry oak

Hard Truth Farmer’s Reserve Whiskey is the second in a series of four collectible whiskeys in collaboration with Mellencamp Whiskey Company, which was founded by Hud Mellencamp and Levi Collison. Hud is singer-songwriter John Melloncamp’s son, and the label for Farmer’s Reserve features artwork by John. According to Hard Truth’s website, the Melloncamps and Collison are from Indiana and have a strong relationship with Hard Truth Distilling and have “come together to celebrate their shared Indiana heritage.”

Before you assume this is just another celebrity or Amburana-finished whiskey and write it off, think again. Hard Truth has had an impressive early showing with their in-house distilled bourbon and rye. This whiskey is a blend of both; a previously unreleased mashbill of their Sweet Mash Bourbon and their Chocolate Malt Rye that is then finished for an undisclosed amount of time in toasted Amburana barrels. But the whiskey’s special sauce is how it all comes together. Their bourbon is on the sweet side, giving off chocolate mousse and sweet oak notes, while the chocolate malt adds a layer of tiramisu and toasted pecan notes that make this whiskey so captivating. In fact, the Ambrauna finish takes a backseat in this blend and only adds complexity instead of overpowering it. Hard Truth Farmer’s Reserve Whiskey takes the promise already on display with Hard Truth’s standard whiskeys and how blending them in creative ways goes on to yield something truly special.