The bottle that justifies a visit to Boone County Jail Distillery isn't the one with the cleverest prison pun on the label. It's the Kinnard and Drake Toasted Barrel Bourbon — a four-year-old whiskey re-barreled into new oak that's been toasted but not charred, producing a viscous, vanilla-heavy pour that tastes like it costs twice what it does. Most coverage of this distillery leads with the building — yes, it's literally in a former county jail, complete with cells, a secret tunnel from the 1938 fortification upgrade, and reportedly a ghost. The building is a good story. But stories don't age bourbon. The toasted-barrel finish is a specific production decision that tells you more about what this distillery is actually doing than any number of mugshot photo ops in the tasting room. That's where we're starting.
Boone County Jail Distillery is located at 104 W. Washington Street in Lebanon, Indiana — on the main city square, in the former Boone County Jail building. To be clear upfront: this is an Indiana distillery, completely unrelated to Boone County Distilling Co. in Kentucky despite the name overlap.
The jail was originally built in the late 19th century and received a major fortification upgrade in 1938. It served as a working jail until 1992. The Stoller family purchased it in 2014 and saw a distillery where others saw a derelict lockup.
Nicki and Sean Stoller — sister and brother — own and operate the distillery. Their family’s liquor industry involvement traces back three generations, starting with their grandfather, who drove liquor to local stores immediately after Prohibition was repealed. The distillery is proudly female and veteran-owned.
Boone County Jail Distillery’s bourbon — the Kinnard and Drake line — is currently sourced from a corporate distillery in Southern Indiana. The gin, vodka, absinthe, and moonshine are distilled on the premises.
The Kinnard and Drake Straight Bourbon uses a high-rye mashbill and is aged four to five years. Honeysuckle and cinnamon on the nose, butterscotch and apricot on the palate, with rye spice on the finish. Creamy, round bourbon with low alcohol burn despite the 92-proof bottling.
The house-distilled Conjugal Visit Moonshine is a 100-proof blend of pot-distilled and column-distilled corn whiskeys.
Standard bourbon barrels are charred — the interior set on fire for a controlled burn. Toasting is different: a toasted barrel is heated at a lower temperature for a longer period without an open flame. The wood’s sugars caramelize more gently, and crucially, no carbon layer forms.
Boone County Jail takes their four-year-old bourbon and transfers it into a second, toasted-only barrel for additional maturation. The first barrel provides foundational bourbon character; the second barrel layers toasted-oak sweetness on top. The finished product is notably thick on the palate — viscous enough that reviewers consistently comment on the mouthfeel before the flavor.
Indiana’s aging climate sits between Kentucky’s relatively mild profile and Iowa’s extreme swings. Lebanon is about 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The temperature cycling drives standard barrel-aging interaction.
The double-barrel approach on the Toasted Barrel expression pushes the profile in a specific direction (sweet, oaky, vanilla-heavy) — whether you fall on the “vanilla bomb is delicious” or “vanilla bomb is boring” side of that divide is entirely a palate question.
Nicki handles the business leadership; Sean brings the production knowledge. Neither came from a distilling background — they came from distribution and import. As the distillery develops its own whiskey program, the Stollers have indicated house-distilled whiskey is coming.
Kinnard and Drake Straight Bourbon — 92 proof, ~$40-45. The entry point. Honeysuckle, cinnamon, butterscotch, apricot. A solid daily pour.
Kinnard and Drake Toasted Barrel Bourbon — ~$50-55. The standout. Thick, viscous mouthfeel with heavy vanilla, toffee, and oak influence.
Kinnard and Drake Single Barrel — 115 proof, ~$60+. Pear, honeysuckle, and a much stronger rye kick.
Conjugal Visit Moonshine — 100 proof, ~$25-30. Sweet, corn-forward, dangerously drinkable.
Barrel-Aged Gin — ~$35-40. Gin rested nine months in used bourbon barrels. A bridge spirit for bourbon drinkers who think they don’t like gin.
OAKR’s blind tasting panel scores every bourbon across more than 100 flavor notes, organized into 10 macro categories. Spirit Match scores tell you which Kinnard and Drake expression is most likely to work for you.
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Bourbon enthusiast, spirits industry analyst, and the voice behind OAKR's distillery guides, brand reviews, and bourbon education content. Visiting distilleries, dissecting mashbills, and translating the craft into data since 2024.
The toasted-barrel Kinnard and Drake is the standout. Does that vanilla-heavy, oak-forward profile match your palate? OAKR’s data shows you the answer.
