A few weeks ago, I wrote a nice post highlighting my top 5 bourbon bars in and around Indianapolis. My rule was simple: I had to have been to the bar in order for it to make the list. As that post made its rounds, I started getting comments on other places I should try and that might make the list in the future.

And some random guy named Matthew reached out to me on Facebook and said this:

My man, love the articles you are putting out. Stop by Wiseguy Lounge on Mass Ave. If you think these bars have a good selection, I think you’ll consider our spot for one of the best on the state. Our private selection is like none of that I’ve seen: Stagg, Blantons, Eagle Rare, Weller Full Proof, Elijah Craig barrel proof, Russell’s Reserve, Wilderness Trail, multiple Knob Creek and Knob Creek ryes, among many others. Then our overall selections is growing to almost over 500 with everything from the allocated items such as the full Weller lineup to smaller craft distilleries. Would love to host you for a tasting there sometime! Cheers!

Matthew

I clicked on the Matthew guy and it looked like he didn’t live in Indy, but I didn’t say no right away. I had another person comment that I should try out the Wiseguy Lounge as well, so I was thinking there might be some merit to this random Facebook message. And I’ll be honest. I have this thing for finding random strangers online and making lifelong friends (shout out to the Park Shark and Aaron who I randomly met on Craiglist and now park and stay at his house in Green Bay).

So my kid was with the grandparents and I decided to take my wife to give this place a try.

And there is nothing more reassuring than walking into the place and his being your first view…

When I think of a great bourbon spot, I always think of a New York style pizza place…..right?

This is actually why I’ve never been here before. I never knew the Wiseguy Lounge existed. There was no sign outside or anything to give me the notion there was a bourbon bar here. I had actually parked across the street less than a year ago and had no idea this place was even here.

But if you ask the nice people serving pizza where the lounge is, they’ll tell you to walk through the restaurant and head towards the bathrooms. Then you’ll see it.

And what a sight it was to see as we rounded the corner.

I guess that random guy on Facebook wasn’t wrong after all. And come to find out, he is actually the beverage manager for the chain of bourbon bars. Which was also a revelation for me, because I had no idea this place existed and little did I know that they actually have multiple locations (2 in Cincinnati, 1 in Louisville, KY, 1 in Covington, KY, 1 in Lexington, KY, and 1 in Chattanooga, TN).

My wife and I sat down at the bar and were talking about the two guys on the right that were drinking beers in this bourbon mecca. We couldn’t figure it out, but we decided we were going to try some bourbon and possibly a cocktail or two.

Our bartender Adriana was quiet at first, but after a little bit, we found out she went to the same college as me and my wife and we became fast friends. We were handed a bourbon list and a cocktail menu and I started looking through all of the options.

And there were a lot of options. This was just a few of the many pages of options.

I guess that random guy on Facebook wasn’t lying. I had a little bit of trouble deciding what I was going to try, but I decided I was going to have a few 1oz pours of their barrel selects (you know I have a thing for barrel picks). Matthew also suggested a few through our chat, so I wanted to try one or two of those as well. My wife decided to have two different cocktails (the Marylyn Monroe martini and one other one – I forget the name). She was impressed with both of the cocktails, but she wished she would have been able to try a few more.

In terms of the bourbon I tried, here are the bottles:

1 – Knob Creek 9 Year “The Bookie”

I picked this one not knowing there was a gambling/mob theme with a lot of the names. I thought this one would be in the Booker’s taste profile with the name, so I just went for it. It was full of flavor and was impressive to start my tasting. For the $6/oz pour price range, I would grab this one again in a heartbeat. It was a beefed up version of Knob Creek and it did have a little bit of that Booker’s flair (not all the way, but I might have talked myself into it as well).

2 – 1792 Full Proof “The Dangerous Dram”

I chose this one from a recommendation from Matthew that was confirmed by our bartender. She said this was a top seller and a crowd favorite.

She wasn’t wrong. This was my favorite of the afternoon and my wife also agreed. This was packed with flavor and really hit up the oak, caramel, butterscotch, and overall yumminess notes. If this wasn’t the last bottle they had, I would have walked out with a bottle (little know fact, you can actually buy bottles of the barrel picks). The bartender said she only had that bottle left in stock (which was a bummer).

3 – Knob Creek 9 Year “Witness Protection”

I asked Adriana for her favorite barrel pick and she said she liked a pick with a little more rye and spice, so she recommended the Knob Creek Witness Protection pick. This one was good, but it wasn’t in my taste profile. It has a spice, but it was a little over the top compared to my first two pours. I would drink it again, but it would be my last place out of the picks I tried.

4 – Weller Full Proof “Jackpot”

Last but not least, I had a pour of the Weller Full Proof “Jackpot” barrel pick on the recommendation of Matthew. I have never honestly had Weller Full Proof, so I didn’t know what exactly to expect. I figured this would be the one time in my life I could try it, so I went for it.

It was delicious. It has the Weller flavor, but it was kicked up two or three notches. I’m still learning to love wheated bourbon, but it’s growing on me. This was soft on the palate for being 108 proof and it had that fruity flair at the end.

All in all, I was really impressed with their barrel picks. I think whoever is picking these barrel has a taste profile that’s in my ballpark and I’ll be more than ready to try more of these picks in the future. I’m going to go back on a Tuesday and have a DD so I can try a few more when they are on special.

I want to take a few moments to touch a few other things about my visit.

1 – Our breadstick – We decided we need a snack and we ordered a breadstick to spilt. Yes. One breadstick to spilt. It was the size of a freaking yardstick and it was tasty. I dipped mine in the habanero hot sauce and my mouth was on fire, but very happy. I wish we would have grabbed a piece of pizza to give it a try. I will the next time.

2 – Peanut Butter Tequila – As we were talking with Adriana, she was working on making different drinks to pitch to for the new menu. During our chat, she mentioned a weird concoction of peanut butter tequila and both my wife and I made a face of disgust. She poured us a small sample and we tried it and I was blown away. It was actually pretty dang good. It tasted like liquid peanut butter fudge. I’m not sure how it was made, but it would be good in a mixed drink or a shot. I could also say that it could cause one hell of a hangover.

3 – Prices – I was expecting that this place was going to be very expensive. If you were drinking the high end allocated bottles, it might be super pricey. Outside of that, the rest of the drinks were reasonably priced for the area. The specials were great and the barrel picks were priced in a range I was comfortable in as well. I’m not mad about the pricing at all.

4 – Old Fashioned – Near the end of our visit, a group of 3 people came in and order drinks. One of the people ordered this old fashioned and I watched Adriana make it. She made the old fashion and then poured it into an old Blanton’s bottle to smoke it. I’m not against a little show with my drink, but this just seemed silly.

5 – Mixers and Prep – Another thing we learned in talking with Adriana was all of the mixers and ingredients are made in house. I thought this was really impressive and it showed that the place cares about the quality.

6 – Size – This isn’t the largest place ever and it has a really nice speakeasy feel. If I went on a Thursday afternoon, I don’t think I’ll ever have a problem getting a seat. On a busy Friday or Saturday night, I would be a little worried about being able to get a seat. It’s not a problem, but more of just something to be aware of if you are making plans.

Overall Review

As my wife and I were driving off to dinner (landed at FoxGardin in Fortville), we had a little debrief in the car about the Wiseguy Lounge. And here is the one comment that I’ll start with from my wife:

I want to go back here every time we are in Indy.

My Wife

And I agree with her. We both really liked the place, the drinks, the bartender (Adriana), and even the breadstick. I was impressed with the barrel picks and I want to go back and try more.

I wish we would have known about this place before. I’m glad some random guy reached out to me on Facebook and told me to stop by. I think they may have made a customer for life. We are already making plans to stop by on our next trip to downtown Indy when we stay for a few nights.

So take my word. Walk into a random pizza shop, head towards the restroom, and enjoy a really nice gem of a bourbon bar in downtown Indianapolis.