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Bourbon & BBQ Festival
Embrace the heat this summer with Bourbon & BBQ at Hard Truth!
Join us Saturday, July 18, as 25 teams take to Hard Truth Distilling Co. to compete for one of three golden tickets to the World Food Championships. A panel of judges will select winners in a series of categories and you, the spectators, will help select the top team for the People’s Choice awards.
Hard Truth will also be celebrating the release of two Barrel Finish Reserve whiskeys that day: Double Oaked Rye and a special Amburana-rested bourbon and rye blend. And, while the teams work their meaty magic, Ariana & the Bourbon Britches and the Blue Bridge Boys will take the Hard Truth on the Rocks stage together to keep the crowd movin’ and groovin’. General Admission tickets include entry to the event, one food sample at each team’s station, an enamel pin and tastings of our new whiskey. Serious barbecue fans can up the ante with the Charred Truth admission package, which also includes entry to the live fire Charred Truth competition, where teams will vie for a golden ticket to the 2026 World Food Championships. Or, take it all the way to the top with a VIP package that adds an air-conditioned VIP lounge with included grazing boards and beverages, and samples of the new-release whiskeys.
See below for full details.
Bourbon & BBQ at Hard Truth
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026 Time: 4-8 p.m.
Location: Hard Truth Distilling Co.
Ticket options:
General admission
- Entry to the BBQ competition grounds
- Tasting card and one food sample at each competitor station
- Enamel pin
- Three, one-quarter-ounce whiskey samples, including new releases (21+ only)
Charred Truth package
- Entry to the Live Fire and BBQ competition areas
- Tasting card and one food sample at each competitor station
- Enamel pin and Bourbon & BBQ souvenir rocks glass
- Three, one-quarter-ounce whiskey samples, including new releases (21+ only)
VIP package
- Access to the House of Rye VIP Lounge, which includes drinks and grazing boards
- Three, one-quarter-ounce whiskey samples, including new releases (21+ only)
- Entry to the Live Fire and BBQ competition areas
- Tasting card and one food sample at each competitor station
- Enamel pin, Bourbon & BBQ souvenir rocks glass
