By Jessica Todd
Hotel Tango Zionsville co-founders Travis and Hilary Barnes announced June 9 that the business will permanently close July 1. The distillery is at 10615 Zionsville Rd.
“After a few tough years of trying to weather the storm of COVID, inflation and the requirement preventing self-distribution, we have made the hard decision to close the tasting room,” Travis Barnes announced in a written statement.
Attempts to reach the owners for comment were not immediately successful.
Hotel Tango Distillery was founded in 2014. Some of its spirits include cherry liqueur, orangecello, limoncello and ‘Shmallow.
The business opened a tasting room in Zionsville in 2021. The Fort Wayne location, opened in 2020, will also close.
“Unfortunately, the increased costs from being unable to self-distribute made these two locations unprofitable,” Travis said in the announcement.
Hotel Tango will keep its original location in the Fletcher Place neighborhood of Indianapolis, as well as its event center, The Foxhole. The business wants to focus on growing its retail sales in the Midwest.
“As a company, we are dedicated to creating disciplined spirits and cocktails that bring people together. We will continue to do that by focusing on our retail footprint and the experiences we can offer in the Fletcher Place tasting room,” Travis stated
The co-founders thanked staff members and the community for supporting the tasting room the past few years.
“In January of 2020, we were thrilled to bring the Hotel Tango experience to the people of Fort Wayne, and the same for Zionsville in 2021. Since our opening in 2014, we have always strived to be a place where everyone feels welcome and one that gives back to the communities we serve. While our presence may have been shorter than expected, we hope we served you well,” Hilary Barnes stated.
The Zionsville tasting room will hold its last live music night on Saturday, June 17 at 7 p.m. with Devil’s Jade, an Indie/Folk cover band, set to perform.
