Four Finger Distillery is throwing its annual Finger Blast Party across three central Indiana cities Saturday, September 26, celebrating an origin story rooted in a workshop accident rather than a marketing gimmick. The locally owned craft distillery will host the celebration simultaneously in downtown Lebanon, downtown Indianapolis, and downtown Westfield, according to WISH-TV.
The name behind the party traces back to co-owner and master distiller Brad Colver, who lost a pinky finger to a miter saw in the fall of 2014 while installing a door during the initial buildout of the original Indianapolis facility, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. That injury eventually inspired both the distillery's rebranded name and its annual celebration, per WISH-TV. Co-owners Lisa Ellis and Angie Harter describe the business as more than just a distillery, telling the station it is meant to be “a place to gather.”
From 1205 Distillery to a Household Name
Before it became Four Finger Distillery, the company operated under the name 1205 Distillery from its 2014 founding until the 2022 rebrand, a nod to December 5, the date Prohibition was repealed. The station's report notes the distillery has produced small-batch spirits in Lebanon since 2014, building a lineup that now includes bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, absinthe, and rhubarb liqueur.
Beyond those staples, the company also makes a peated bourbon blended from 75% corn and 25% peated malt, plus a 120-proof absinthe distilled with real wormwood and poured through traditional absinthe fountains, according to Indianapolis Monthly. The magazine's reporting also describes the flagship Indianapolis tasting room at 630 Virginia Avenue, set inside the historic former Virginia Avenue State Bank building, complete with a private seating nook tucked inside the bank's original safe-deposit vault.
Lebanon Becomes the Production Hub
All three tasting rooms draw from a single source: an expanded production facility at 126 W Washington St in Lebanon, which also houses The Gathering House, a bar-and-restaurant complex. WISH-TV reports the Lebanon site includes Just Love Coffee, the Gathering House Grille, and a full bar, alongside handcrafted cocktails, food, live music, and weekly events.
The distillery also offers tours and a barrel program that lets customers create their own whiskey blend, the station reports. Each location carries its own personality: the Westfield tasting room at 120 Camilla Court is designated as an adults-only cocktail lounge where patrons can order delivery from outside restaurants since the site has no internal kitchen of its own. Open mic nights run Tuesdays in Westfield and Wednesdays in Lebanon, with live music filling both locations on Fridays and Saturdays, plus weekly trivia offered at all three spots.
A Cocktail Built on Local Partnerships
During the segment, co-owner Angie Harter demonstrated how to make the Rhubarb Smash, combining citrus-forward gin, rhubarb liqueur, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and fresh mint shaken with ice before pouring. The menu also features classic old-fashioneds and espresso martinis made with the distillery's own coffee liqueur and Calvin Fletcher's coffee.
That coffee liqueur is crafted with cold-brew coffee locally roasted by Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company in Fletcher Place and sweetened with pure Indiana maple syrup, according to Vino Indiana. The pairing puts a local roaster just down Virginia Avenue from the flagship distillery into the glass alongside Indiana-made spirits, reinforcing the small-business collaborations that run through the brand's three-city footprint.
Growing Alongside Changing State Rules
Four Finger's multi-location model is expanding as Indiana lawmakers adjust the rules governing craft producers. In February 2025, the Indiana Senate passed Senate Bill 109 to raise the annual production limit for state artisan distilleries from 20,000 gallons of liquor up to 30,000 gallons per calendar year, according to the Indiana Senate Republican Caucus.
A year earlier, House Bill 1086 was signed into law, formally defining craft manufacturers in state statute and allowing artisan distilleries and craft breweries to offer temporary drink price discounts during parts of the day, per the Brewers Association.
Guests interested in Saturday's Finger Blast Party or the distillery's rotating specialty events can check the company's website for details and sign-up information, per WISH-TV.
