Review: Hotel Tango Shmallow Bourbon Whiskey

Indie Distillery

It's quite astonishing that Indianapolis, Indiana, didn't have a functioning distillery until 80 years post-Prohibition, given the surge in craft distilleries. Enter Travis Barnes in 2013, launching Hotel Tango, not a hotel but an artisan distillery. Situated in the Fletcher Place Neighborhood, this "Eclectic Americana" hub proudly boasts being the first service-disabled combat veteran-owned distillery in the nation.

Hotel Tango's product lineup spans from bourbon to orangecello, with the recent addition of the Unofficial HT Series, designed specifically for flavored whiskies to elevate their cocktail offerings. The inaugural flavor? 'Shmallow—a bourbon infused with the essence of toasted marshmallow, featured prominently in their S'more Old Fashioned.

The distillery's name stems from the NATO-inspired alphanumeric system, derived from the initials of Travis and his wife, Hilary. After a rebranding effort, the bottles and labels now exude a military-inspired aesthetic, complete with a tough biker cat reminiscent of George Peppard in the A-Team adorning the 'Shmallow bottle.

Personally, toasted marshmallow is a flavor I adore, so I might be slightly biased. Yet, amidst the flood of flavored whiskies saturating the market, Hotel Tango's 'Shmallow Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon promises a distinctive taste worth exploring, delivering on its promise to evoke the essence of a genuine toasted marshmallow.

Having detractors often indicates greatness. Some may argue, "This bourbon isn't authentic—it's not 80 proof," or "True bourbon must be at least 80 proof," but I'll counter that Hotel Tango Shmallow Bourbon Whiskey doesn't conform to those outdated standards. Its flavor is exquisite, evoking memories of joy from roasting marshmallows around a campfire in your youth. You have a choice: cling to bourbon dogma or embrace the flavorful champion that is Hotel Tango Shmallow Bourbon Whiskey.