By Heather Lusk
Diners will soon be able to spend some time in jail enjoying a hot meal at Cell Block 104 in Lebanon, which is scheduled to open in August. The basement of the former Boone County Jail will house the first distillery in the county, Boone County Jail Distillery, while the upper two stories are leased to the restaurant.
Sean Stoller, owner and “warden” of the building, will become the master distiller once the distilling process begins. His family purchased the property at an auction in 2014 and renovation work began in 2015.
It was the building’s history that piqued the interest of the family.
“We saw a one-time opportunity to make this something of a destination,” said Stoller, “something that had history and something we could build brands and have fun incorporating both.”
The building was built in 1938, but the first jail in the same location dates to 1877. Stoller said that a tunnel that once connected the jail to the courthouse exists but has been blocked.
Five spirits will be distilled in the basement and sold at the restaurant with names like the Warden’s Reserve Whiskey and Conjugal Visit Rum.
“It’s all about having fun and incorporating the jail and somewhat of its history,” Stoller said.
Indiana law prevents the distillery from offering tours or tastings until they have been open for three years, but Stoller said that he hopes to include that option in the future.
“We want to help people understand what the difference between, say, a potato vodka, a corn vodka and say a sugar bean vodka is,” Stoller said.
The restaurant name comes from a group of inmates who called themselves the 104 Club, as they were repeat offenders and jail’s address is 104 W. Washington.
“We try to share as much of the history and the past of the jail,” he said. “The building has a lot of flair.”
