All About Little Chicago Moonshine

Hartman Distilling, better known as Little Chicago Moonshine was a small distillery run by Gary Hartman for a few years out of Hamilton, Ohio.

The distillery set itself apart from others in the area, not by trying to be the biggest place on the planet, instead purposfully keeping it small. It was a labor of love, and a salte to a long-gone way of life in Hamilton.

Everything about Little Chicago pays homage to the past and to the heritage of “crafting” moonshine.  Little Chicago pays homage to Hamilton Ohio’s prohibition-era nickname that it got from it’s… seedier side.  In fact, Gary’s Grandfather operated a grocery store on Symmes ave, and they happened to carry 50 pound bags of sugar there. What do you estimate one could do with a bag of sugar that big?  I doubt customers were making a metric ton of cookies.

Their product (as of writing) is still available at some liquor stores around the area, but won’t likely be around forever, so if you’re curious to give it a try – make sure you jump on it if you see it!

The Little Chicago Moonshine Timeline

  • June 2016 – The distillery applied for its license
  • October 2018 – Little Chicago releases their second product, a lightly aged moonshine.
  • January 2020 – In a Facebook post the distillery announces that they are for sale.