A TASTE OF HOME

Mark's father, John Walter (Dub) Sledge, grew up in Hood County on Fall Creek. He was the second oldest boy in a family of eleven. When the uncles got together on creek, Dub would help make moonshine. 

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Dub and his uncle were drafted and he was sent to Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific. It wasn't long before Dub put his learnin' to good use. He accumulated materials to make a still and used mess hall scraps and fresh fruit to concoct high demand shine allowing him to sell or trade for anything they needed.  

When Dub returned from war, he married Kathryn Massey who didn't put up with drinking, dancing, or smoking. She agreed to marry him but his ways had to change and making moonshine would be at the top of the list!  He agreed, they married, and raised three children who didn't know him as a moonshiner although the stories lingered. When Dub passed away, his son, Mark, found his WWII recipes in his war chest, bought a still, and set out to recreate the family legacy which you experience now through our products.

AMONG FRIENDS

The Sledge family has been in Hood County for generations and it is common to be asked "now, who do you belong to?". Family gatherings at the creek were major social events. One driving force behind our spirits is a deep love for family, friends, and country.  When you step foot in the distillery, it is obvious this is a group of friends with deep Granbury roots choosing to work together for fun. It translates into our products, the atmosphere of events, and the way we approach hosting private parties. None of us have to do this, we choose to. Once you have been to the distillery, you are folded in with the rest of us - distillery family - it's just the way it is! When you come visit, you will be treated as friends upon arrival, but when you leave, expect a big hug knowing you are family.

MEET THE MAKERS

Mark Sledge and Gary Cooper aren’t just the distillers behind Sledge Distillery—they’re lifelong friends who grew up swapping stories and chasing ideas that usually started with “what if…”. One of those ideas was dusting off Mark’s father’s WWII-era recipe and giving it a shot, just for the fun of it. Turns out, it was something special. What started as a passion project quickly turned into a spirit lineup that folks now travel miles to taste. These days, Mark and Gary are still hands-on in every batch, keeping things honest, a little unconventional, and true to the roots that started it all.

MARK SLEDGE
Owner

GARY COOPER
Owner

NEXT GENERATION

Several family members are involved in distillery business as one day they will be the ones to take it over.  Evan Sledge owns Whiskey Morning Coffee which uses our bourbon barrels to age coffee beans and distributed wholesale and direct to consumer.  Lydia Sledge assists with cocktail creation and if you've been to the Speakeasy, you've probably met her.  Cole and Sarah (Sledge) Brunett work bartending, tastings, special events, and Sarah is responsible for all the animals that people enjoy while at the ranch.  It's fun to see everyone stepping in to different aspects of the business.  

Dub would never have foreseen his family's way of life and his WWII "job" would translate into a business entertaining visitors from near and far out here in the country.