As you can tell from this blog, I’m a fan of the Indianapolis area and it’s the “big city” when I go out with my wife or friends. And I did a search on Google for the “best bourbon bars in Indy” and I chuckled when I read the list. I think it’s one thing to have a list of the best and fanciest bourbon bars, but there should also be a list of the best bourbon bars in Indianapolis for normal everyday people. So here it is – My top picks for the Indianapolis and surrounding areas.

A few things to note about my selections:

1. I had to have actually been to the bar. I don’t want to tell you something is awesome and never have been. If it’s on the list, I have personally walked in and ordered a drink.
2. I’m not the “fancy” cocktail kind of guy. I want to have a good tasting pour of bourbon when I go to a bourbon bar. I might go for an old fashioned, but I’m going to want a good bourbon list with reasonable prices. I might pay extra for a barrel pick or something like that, but I’m not going to pay extra because you have a cool fountain in your bar and your mixologist uses ingredients they use at Hogwarts for potions.
3. I’m drawn to the downtown and the north/northeast side of Indianapolis due to where I live. You’ll see my bias in the selections.
4. I’m not one who loves huge crowds. I want a place I can sit and have a drink with some conversation. If it’s a trendy bar where I have to pay to get in, count me out. If it’s going to be super crowded always, count me out.

If that sounds like you, then you are going to love this list. If not, you might want to find another list of the top bourbon bars in Indianapolis.

1 – Joe’s Grille Fishers

Joe’s Grille wins my picks for best prices on bourbon. I stumbled on this place a few years back as I was looking for a quick stop to grab a drink and some food on my way to the airport. After we visited, I followed them on Facebook. I didn’t go for another few years and then all of a sudden, I saw a post that was talking about their new updated bourbon menu. So on my next trip to Indy, I made an effort to stop and grab a drink.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the bourbon list makes up for that. Dang. They have a great selection and even better prices. When I can get a pour of Noah’s Mill from Willett for $5, we are talking Elks Lodge prices. They also seem to have a pretty good selection of barrel picks and hard to find bourbons. I could go to HC Tavern and pay almost $30 for a pour of Booker’s Bourbon, but I can get the same pour here for $12 (and it’s literally just down the road a few miles).

I haven’t tried much of the food, but I’m all in for the bourbon. This is now a destination stop for me before I drop any money on a bottle of bourbon that is a little higher in cost. I stop here and try it (if they have it) and then go and make my purchasing decision. It’s way cheaper than most places in the area and the selection can’t be beat for the price point.

2 – Final Third Cigar and Whiskey Lounge

I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of cigars or cigar smoke, but I’ll make an exception for this great find in Ingalls, Indiana. Final Third Cigar and Whiskey Lounge is the place to be if you want an eclectic choice of bourbons, ryes, and whiskies. And it’s not as smokey as one might think a cigar bar might be.

It wins my pick as the best hidden gem bourbon bar in Indianapolis.

I saw a friend post something about this place on Facebook, so I did a little investigating. It seemed like my kind of place, but I needed a reason to head that way to stop in and check it out. When my father-in-law decided to drive the strangest way to a beer festival, we ended up driving through Ingalls and I yelled TURN RIGHT HERE AND LET’S HAVE A DRINK.

I was glad we did! As you can tell from my picture, they have one heck of a selection and the people in there are super nice. I know they partner with the Indiana Bourbon Club (not the one I run, but still a great one) for some barrel picks as well.

I now have this as a standard stop if I’m ever in the area.

3 – 1933 Lounge

This one wins my pick for best date night spot for a bourbon lover in Indianapolis. My wife is a sucker for a big steak and she loves the shrimp cocktail with the cocktail sauce. And honestly, I don’t want to have the fancy steakhouse experience. So I enjoy bypassing St Elmo’s and just walking up the stairs to the 1933 Lounge. You have access to a smaller menu and a full bar. It’s my kind of place.

The prices here are steep, but that’s what you should expect with this being one of the top steakhouses in Indiana. I recommend getting the sliders and a barrel select bourbon from their list. I personally like the barrel picks from Woodford, West Fork, and Journeyman Distillery.

You don’t have to have a reservation for the Lounge and I recommend getting there right when they open. You can go belly up right to the bar and watch the bartenders at work. If you head to the one in Fishers, I recommend getting the Elmo sushi roll (it’s the freaking best). If you are downtown, you can walk down to Ruth Chris or Spoke and Steele (not on the list, but both great places).

4 – Broken Barrel

I’m not 100% sure why I like this place that much, but I do. It wins my pick for vibe and smaller venue. I’ve been once and I was impressed enough to go again. The prices were mid-range and there selection was pretty good as well. I went to the Carmel location, but I see there is also one in the Geist area.

I went here with my wife and a good college friend to celebrate the end of another semester of a teaching. I got to try Old Rip Van Winkle and it was a fun time. It’s attached to Wolfie’s, so that’s a plus and it seems like it’s a little hole in the wall place. That hits two boxes for me. It also has a speakeasy feel without being overdone. I wasn’t mad either that the vodka was cheap for the wife. If I’m in the Carmel area and need a place to grab a drink before or after going to Vine and Table or Total Wine and More in Nora, this is my place. It’s also not far from Keystone or Westfield, so it’s a nice meeting spot if you have friends in either of those locations.

5 – FoxGardin Kitchen and Ale

Foxgardin wins my pick for the best place to grab a bourbon and have an amazing meal. Plus it wins my very prestigious prize of best old fashioned in Indianapolis. If you haven’t been to this amazing restaurant in Fortville, Indiana, you are missing out.

But when it comes to bourbon, you need to know about a little secret. There is a small bourbon bar upstairs once you get into the restaurant. If you ask, you can go grab a drink (and grab dinner) in a small intimate setting. They have quite the bourbon list and they have one of the best old fashioneds I have ever had (Foxy Old Fashioned). If you can’t get a seat upstairs, you can head to their patio (also upstairs) or the one downstairs.

And don’t sleep on the food. Some of the best meals I have had over the past 5 years have come from this place. I love the bone marrow fries, the Yucatan Shrimp, and the Jalapeño Beer Cheese Soup. And don’t forget about Jane’s Pies (ask for the selection of the day).

Conclusion

Indy has a good selection of bourbon bars and I think you won’t be disappointed with your selection. I have my personal preferences, but I think you will find that there are a lot of great options. If you are looking for a good selection at great prices, consider going to Joe’s. If you are looking for a unique little place, try Final Third. If you are taking a date, consider going to 1933. If you are looking for a laid back place, consider Broken Barrel. If you are looking for a great dinner, visit FoxGardin.

If you have a place I need to check out, leave a comment below and I’ll make it happen (and write about my experiences).

In my life, I’ve always been one who likes to stand up for the small guy. As a former small business owner (and current), I know the value of one customer and the power of a positive referral.

I take this attitude for this post. I am a firm believer that most of the best bourbon you will ever taste is located within 20 miles of your house.

Don’t get me wrong. There are some amazing allocated bourbons that I would love to get my hands on, but that’s not going to happen. I could spend the time searching, or I can spend the time enjoying great bourbon with a great community near home.

I want to highlight a few of my favorite things in the bourbon industry that aren’t a line outside of liquor store. These are real people, making real connections, and having a good time doing it. I’m talking about the bourbon scene behind the bourbon scene.

So here we go:

1. A Taste For Whiskey – If I could give you one tip, it would be to subscribe to this channel. Jeff is a freaking whiskey savant and his tasting ability is unmatched. He’ll tell you straight up that you should buy a bottle of vanilla extract instead of buying Pappy 23 year. And then he’ll lead your taste buds on a journey to flavor town with a barrel pick from Indiana Liquor Group. In this YouTube Channel, you’ll find him with the guy that catered my wedding (Chef Jason Reynolds). Chef and I go way back and I have literally eaten his food for 4 straight years. He knows his stuff. In this YouTube channel, these two come together and pair bourbon with food. It might sound too good to be true, but it’s killer content. I will always trust the two of them with my taste buds. No questions asked.
   
   
2. Local Barrel Selects – If you visit any liquor store, the odds are you going to find a few Barrel Selects or Store Picks in house. That’s my bread and butter. How can it get better than trying something no one else will ever try again.
   
   Well – It’s even better if you know the person (or the taste profile) of the person (or people) choosing a barrel. I can stand in a liquor store and have no idea what to grab. If I walk into an ILG store, I know that a store pick is going to rock my world. I know that Jimmy’s Pick of Woodford is amazing. I know the Old Hamer picks are going to be killer. And I know Chocolate Persuasion and Fig & Honey from Yellowstone are going to be a pick that I’ll come back to time and time again. And don’t get me started on New Riff #2551 (a literal platinum level pick in a competition I wish I could judge).
   
   Short and sweet – If you know the people and you know their tastes, you know the person behind the barrel. I’ll subject that my taste buds aren’t as trained, but I can align in their ballpark.
   
   I think Indiana Liquor Group (aka every store in Muncie, Anderson, New Castle, and Marion, Indiana) and the Batesville Liquor Store are my stores that I “align” with. And I’ll trust their tasters as my own mouth (that sounds weird as hell). I hope one day I can get invited to go on a tasting with them.
   
   
3. Local Tastings and Events – I’m mentioning Indiana Liquor Group again, but it’s because they are my hometown liquor store. They are my first stop unless I want to drive to Indy to go to Storied Company. And if you look up at the picture up top, you’ll see an amazing tasting done with some great people.
   
   If you are lucky enough to attend a tasting like this, I’ll give you some tips. Come for the entire time and bring a bottle or two to share at the tasting. And you won’t be disappointed. I went to a scotch tasting and my dad and I got to try some crazy awesome scotches. I shouldn’t have had that opportunity, but it was something I will talk about for years to come.
   
   This picture above is from a tasting of barrel selects from Indiana Liquor Group. We had a chance at a bottle of Weller, but we had a great time tasting some amazing whiskey.
   
   
4. Bourbon Fantasy Leagues – This is a silly one, but it’s still all about the community. I joined the Indiana Bourbon Club after visiting Final Third Cigar Bar (a must stop). And then I saw an amazing opportunity for a fantasy football league. I won’t share the exact details of the league (I’m not sure of the legal standing of league like that), but I’ll share that I am mad I didn’t get in the top three.
   

Again – I’m not arguing there isn’t great bourbon out there. Instead, I’m saying there is a bigger value in the community than there is in the bourbon itself. I think most bourbon lovers would agree. That’s why I’ve started a Facebook Group for the lovers of this blog (Bourbon Master). I think the community is 75% of the bourbon world. The rest is just a great drink on the rock (or neat).