"Sledge also does a monthly hootenanny," Visit Granbury wrote in March 2019, in a short piece introducing a new distillery on the Sledge family ranch in Tolar. That article listed chuckwagon dinner, live entertainment, distillery tours on the first Saturday of the month, and two spirits.
Now the Sledge Distillery events page puts it in capital letters: HOOTENANNY EVERY SATURDAY. The distillery out at 8210 Paluxy Hwy celebrates its 10-year anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 7. Over those years, a place you planned around once a month has become a regular stop on a Hood County weekend. A free shuttle now runs between the distillery and Granbury Square, so Tolar and the Square work as one evening.
A ranch project that was still on paper in 2018
In June 2018, Hood County News profiled the project before it opened. Mark and Susan Sledge were building the distillery with help from childhood friends, around a moonshine recipe from Mark's father, John Walter "Dub" Sledge. The distillery's own site traces that recipe to the South Pacific, where Dub distilled for fellow servicemen during World War II.
The same profile reported that the Sledges had gotten their distillery license "a couple of years" earlier and were aiming to open to the public on Saturday, Nov. 3. So the 10 years Sledge is marking this November covers the whole run, starting before the gate opened to the public. The plans in that article covered a 150-plus-acre ranch with a large wedding barn, chuckwagon cooking, a cantina, and a railcar being turned into guest quarters.
By the 2019 Visit Granbury write-up, the venue was open. It had a 6,000-square-foot banquet hall with five sets of double doors that open outside, a 3,000-square-foot house for bridal parties, covered cooking patios, a game lawn and a dance floor under the stars. In other words, it was a wedding and party venue that also made moonshine and threw a public party once a month.
What a Saturday looks like now
The current schedule runs like a small town's worth of activity squeezed into eight hours. Here's how Sledge lays out a regular Saturday:
- 2 to 10 p.m.: Cocktails, the Outback Bar and the Outback/Coffee Bar
- 2 to 8 p.m.: Guided tastings, $15 per person
- 3 p.m.: VIP tasting and tour with one of the owners, $45 per person
- 3 to 9 p.m.: Broken Plow Cantina food service
- 4 to 6 p.m.: Mixology class in the Speakeasy Bar, $65 per person
- 6 to 10 p.m.: Speakeasy Lounge
- 6 to 9 p.m.: Live music
Two of those items show how far the place has come since 2019. The chuckwagon dinner has given way to the Broken Plow Cantina. According to the distillery, the Delgado family arrives every Saturday morning to cook a Mexican-inspired menu from their own recipes. The railcar that the 2018 plans pictured as overnight quarters now runs as a speakeasy. The private events page describes it as a renovated 1894 Santa Fe railcar, listed next to the Social House and courtyard, a Cook Shack, and bar and retail service.
Fridays have their own pace now too. The gate opens from noon to 5 p.m. for what Sledge calls a relaxed shopping day: a tasting or a cocktail on the porch, with staff in the Social House. There's no food service on Fridays, and the distillery says you're welcome to bring snacks.
| Visit Granbury, March 2019 | Sledge's events page, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Hootenanny | Monthly | Every Saturday, 2 to 10 p.m. |
| Food | Chuckwagon dinner | Broken Plow Cantina, 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Tours | First Saturday of the month | $45 VIP tasting and tour, Saturdays at 3 p.m. |
| Spirits named | Two | At least seven |
| Friday hours | Not mentioned | Noon to 5 p.m. |
The bottle list grew along with the calendar
In 2019, Sledge sold Spirit of '42, pitched as a stand-in for vodka, and Mango Moonshine, the first in a planned line of flavored moonshines. The current lineup includes Dub's Spirit of '42 Moonshine, Sir Cooper's Southern Gin, Rocky Branch Bourbon, Butter Pecan Moonshine, Toasted Coconut Moonshine, Palomino Gold and Cougar Hollow Whiskey. The distillery describes its process as small-batch and hands-on. It grinds grain and cooks mash on site, and it ages its whiskey in new oak.
The mixology class on today's Saturday schedule isn't new, either. In July 2024, Hood County News covered a hands-on cocktail class held next to the copper stills, built around Rocky Branch Bourbon and Sir Cooper's Southern Gin, and reported that earlier classes had sold out.
The bottles have also moved closer to town. The distribution page lists three Granbury stores. Both Bootlegger Liquor locations, at 4208 Fall Creek Hwy and 4517 East US Hwy 377, carry Butter Pecan Moonshine, Rocky Branch Bourbon and Dub's Spirit of '42. Spirits of Granbury at 840 E Hwy 377 lists Butter Pecan, the bourbon, Toasted Coconut and Dub's. Sledge says listed shops keep a limited selection on the shelf but can order other products by the case, and that neighborhood stores can order cases through Big Twelve Distributors.
The free shuttle connects Tolar to the Square
The drive from the Square is about 12.2 miles and 16 minutes via Paluxy Road. The longer route on US 377 and FM 56 runs about 15.7 miles. For an evening of tastings, though, the shuttle matters more than the route.
Sledge runs a free shuttle on Fridays and Saturdays. The ride takes about 15 minutes each way. In Granbury, pickup is at the Historic Granbury Square address, 137 E Pearl Street, at the side entrance on Crockett Street, in the parking space behind the building. At the distillery, it's the circular drive in front of the Social House.
The posted schedule:
- Friday, Square to Sledge: noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
- Friday, Sledge to Square: 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Square to Sledge: every hour from 2 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Sledge to Square: every hour on the half hour from 2:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Seats are free but you need to book them, and a round trip takes two bookings, one for each direction. You can book through the links on the shuttle page or by emailing [email protected] with your name, date, time, number of seats and direction. Sledge doesn't post a date on this schedule, so check the page the week you plan to ride.
The timing makes for an easy two-stop Saturday. You can have dinner or browse on the Square, catch a late-afternoon shuttle out, and ride back into town on the 9:30.
Three Saturdays on the calendar
Visit Granbury lists free, 2-to-10 p.m. Hootenannies at Sledge on each of the next three Saturdays.
This Saturday, Oct. 31: A Toga Halloween Party with DJ 91.
Saturday, Nov. 7: The 10-year anniversary party. Beatlegras Band brings the bluegrass, and the Social Riot Hat Co. Har Bar returns for hat-making. Every bottle sold that day earns a raffle ticket for a special bottle from the Sledge team. The drawing is at 9 p.m., and you must be present to win. The last shuttle back to the Square leaves at 9:30, so shuttle riders can stay for the drawing.
Saturday, Nov. 14: Shotgun Josephine, Brandon Scott and Danielle Mills.
A few house rules are good to know before you go. Sledge says it never charges a cover. Smoking is allowed only in designated outdoor areas. Because of insurance rules, pets aren't allowed, though trained service dogs are welcome. Children may come only if an adult supervises them the entire time. The distillery's note to parents suggests a sitter for kids under 16. If the weather forces a cancellation, Sledge says it will post updates on Facebook and Instagram.
Alexa Boedeker has called Johnson County home since 2000, and our team works across Hood County and the rest of North Texas. If you'd like more Saturday ideas around Granbury and Tolar, or help with a move in that part of Hood County, reach out to The Alexa Boedeker Team. Contact us.
