There is no local tequila, but this Indiana distillery made the state's first agave spirit

Don't be a fool and ask your bartender for a "local tequila." 

Sure, you want to support local — there are locally made beers and wines.  And with craft distilleries on the rise, we are now seeing local vodka, rums and whiskeys. 

One thing you will never see in Indiana is local tequila. 

Tequila has Denomination of Origin.  In other words, if it’s not from Mexico, you can't call it tequila.  Most come from the Jalisco state and all are made from the blue agave plant. 

But Nashville's Hard Truth Distilling Co. has an alternative.  Distillers Bryan Smith and Cole Smith have made Indiana's first "agave spirit." 

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Hard Truth's agave spirit is made using a 100 percent blue agave nectar that comes from Mexico.  Basically, the piña of the blue agave plant is cooked and they extract the fermentable portion from it, Bryan Smith said.  Hard Truth distillers then ferment and distill the product in-house. 

"It's raw material, just like you would start with to make any other beer, wine or spirit," said Smith. 

Distillers then age the spirit in used whiskey barrels with French oak staves. 

"I love tequila so as a distiller I was really interested in trying it," Smith said. 

However, it is expensive, he added.  Therefore, they are only making the agave spirit in very small batches.  On Nov. 24 they released 100 bottles at $74.95 each. 

It has "maple, oak and butterscotch notes," Smith said. " It is less like a tequila and more like its own thing.  It's a really interesting spirit." 

About 50 of the 750-milliliter, 86-proof bottles remain and are available at Hard Truth Distillery's Nashville tasting room at 44 N. Van Buren St. The distillers plan to make more in small batches. 

Hard Truth Distilling Co. is part of the Big Woods/Quaff On Brewing family.  Big Woods has five restaurants in Nashville (two locations), Bloomington, Indianapolis (Speedway) and Franklin. 

What the what? 

Here are some more examples of naming restrictions on alcoholic products. 

Champagne can only be called Champagne if it comes from the region of Champagne, France. 

Bourbon does not have to come from Bourbon County, Kentucky, but it does have to be made in the United States.  It must be made from 51 percent corn and stored in new charred-oak barrels and cannot contain any additives.  It must also be distilled at 160 proof or less and put into the barrel at 125 proof or less. 

Scotch whisky (spelled without the "e") must be produced in Scotland to be called scotch. 

Call IndyStar mobile producer Amy Haneline at (317) 444-6281.  Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @amybhaneline and on Facebook.