Spirits of French Lick sits in the historic resort town of West Baden Springs, Indiana, where mineral springs once drew wealthy visitors from across the Midwest. Founded in 2016 by three Indiana entrepreneurs—Pete Schroeder, Alan Bishop, and Tom Schroeder—this operation emerged from their shared passion for craft spirits and the area’s rich hospitality heritage. The distillery occupies a modern 10,000-square-foot facility that houses production, tasting rooms, and event spaces, marking the first legal distillery in Orange County since Prohibition. The trio didn’t come from distilling backgrounds—Pete Schroeder spent years in banking while Alan Bishop worked in manufacturing—but they shared a vision of creating premium spirits that honored Indiana’s agricultural bounty. They partnered with master distiller Paul Poggi, whose experience includes work at MGP Distillery, to develop their production processes and recipes. The operation focuses on grain-to-glass production using locally sourced corn and wheat when possible, with their copper pot still and column still setup allowing for both whiskey and white spirit production. Visitors find themselves in a sleek, contemporary space that feels more like a modern winery than a rustic bourbon barn. The tasting room overlooks the production floor through large windows, and the atmosphere balances industrial elements with comfortable seating areas. Tours walk you through their mashing, fermentation, and distillation processes, while tastings showcase their growing portfolio of aged and unaged spirits. The location puts you minutes from the famous West Baden Springs Hotel, making it a natural stop for visitors exploring the French Lick resort area.