Hard Times Distillery

Specialties

We offer tastings and sales of our cane sugar and molasses-​based vodka Sugar Momma, and our Wasabi Flavored Vodka Green Geisha. We ferment and distill on site, and the distillery currently has two pot stills, four vodka reflux stills and a whiskey pot still.

The tasting room also carries many local products, including locally made jams and nuts.

Tours are conducted by the distillers/​owners James Stegall and Dudley Clark.

History

Established in 2009.

Hard Times Distillery was licensed with the federal and state governments in late 2009. We spent a year building the stills and fermentation line and then launched Sugar Momma Vodka in October 2010.

Green Geisha Wasabi Vodka arrived in March, 2012, and we are currently at work on whiskey and gin.

We’re kinda stubborn, and we courageously follow where our explorations take us, from still-​building to fermentation to designing our own labels. Growth has been careful and steady, as we approach Hard Times as a labor of love. Every piece of equipment in the distillery, and every bottle on the shelves, bears the mark of our hands. If this ever changes, we’ll let you know.

Imbibe wisely, help others.

The distillery regularly participates in events to feed the hungry, including Food for Lane County’s Chef’s Night Out and the Bounty of Benton County.