Topic: A Sip of Knowledge with Blaum Bros. Distilling Co.

Hosts: Liz Rhoades, Lew Bryson, & Martin Duffy

What You'll Learn: Join a trio of drink industry veterans in weekly conversation on whiskey, spirits, distilling, marketing and the current state of the drink industry. This week, Mike and Matt Blaum join the group to discuss Blaum Bros. Distilling Co.

About Matt Blaum (Co-founder, CEO, Distiller):

While he is anything but normal, Matt was born in Normal, IL. Matt was sibling-less for the first two lonely years of his life, until his brother Mike was born. It was at that moment, when he laid eyes on his new baby brother, that he knew bourbon was in their future. Matt graduated from St. Ambrose University with a degree in International Business and minors in Economics and German. After a brief stint in marketing in central Germany, he came back to the states to work on a two year full-time MBA program at Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management, in Arizona. After acquiring his MBA, Matt spent his career in sales, marketing and management until opening his own Nuclear Pharmacy business in the Chicagoland area. In 2013, he finally fulfilled his dream of opening a craft distillery with his brother in historic Galena, ILL.

About Mike Blaum (Co-founder, COO, Chief Distiller):

Mike did some hard time in Cook County back in 1980, and has been out of the womb (and on parole) ever since. After graduating with a B.S. in Computer Science from Western Illinois University, Mike didn’t want to join the ‘real world’ yet, so went on to earn an M.S. in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University. There he received a U.S. Department of Defense scholarship and was subsequently recruited by the National Security Agency (NSA), where he spent his entire non-alcohol related career as a Systems Engineer and Program Manager. After receiving an M.S. in Integrated Homeland Security Management and after a few years in the Baltimore/D.C. area, Mike and his family moved to the United Kingdom, where he spent nearly five years working at a remote Royal Air Force base, drinking cask ale and eating fish and chips. More importantly, he discovered his love for whisky and the technical aspects behind its production. But in the end, Mike decided to quit working for Uncle Sam and start working with Brother Matt, because nothing counts so much as blood (Mike stole that quote from that Wyatt Earp movie).

Liz Rhoades, founder of Spirit Safe Consulting, former research scientist for DIAGEO, distilling consultant, spirits writer for The Whiskey Wash & presenter.

Lew Bryson, former managing editor for Whisky Advocate Magazine for 20 years, whiskey author, beer/whiskey writer and presenter.

Martin Duffy, former DIAGEO Master of Whisky for the Midwest, DIAGEO Reserve Brand Ambassador for The Republic of Ireland, North American Brand Representative for Glencairn Crystal.