Ok, so craft distillers are a blast. They are generally more colorful and not restrained by some corporate entity or body of management somewhere analyzing everything they do. That's why I love meeting and talking to Craft Distillers. The two Blaum Brothers (Matt & Mike - and yes, they are really brothers) did not disappoint.
Let's cover some basics first. The distillery is located in Galena, Illinois on highway 20. You can't miss it. A great tasting room with a cocktail culture, lots of comfy chairs, and of course a merchandise store where you can buy all sorts of good stuff including their whiskey (more on that in a bit).
The building is repurposed, but the funniest thing about it, is that one part of the building (which is now used to store full barrels) used to be a church for the latter day saints. The brothers refer to the area as the church of latter day "faints". Can you see where this is going?
Both guys are huge movie buffs, and if you take the time to read the back label of some of their bottles, you will get a sense of what I'm talking about. They actually have had to debate with the TTB about what they put on the back label. Not because it's wrong or misleading by any stance. But because it's not necessarily about whiskey. See the image.
These guys have a great sense of humor, and we picked up on it right from the start when we started filming. So much so that they started doing the close for some of the episodes. It's clear these two are close brothers and have a great working relationship. Which carries over to some of the other things they do outside of whiskey. Never taking themselves too seriously, they make their own parody video's. These two aren't Step Brothers. But they are "Doing it their way".
Most every distillery has a cat or two running around. And Blaum Brothers is no exception. This was one of the biggest long haired cats I had ever seen. The best part is it's name. Mark. Why Mark? Because as the brothers tell it, sales people would stop in all the time and ask to speak to Mark or Matt somebody, and they wanted to make sure they had a Mark working there. These guys just don't stop.
One thing they do take seriously, is their whiskey. Not only do they stand behind their whiskey, but their images are on the bottles. So, as Mike said, "...we aren't going to put something in a bottle if we don't approve of it. It's our faces on the bottle. That's just wrong."
Now I have had their Bourbon before, but it was a long time ago. So I was excited to taste their Bourbon again. It's really really good. I don't know why I haven't been drinking this more. Wait, I do know, I live in a control state and we haven't been able to get it here in Iowa. However, I think that's going to change. Check out the video below for the tasting.
2024 is the Blaum Brothers 10 year anniversary. That's a big milestone for any craft distiller, and they don't seem like they are slowing down. They actually have a single malt whiskey that is coming out later in 2024, so be on the lookout for that if you like American Single Malt Whiskey. I know I will.
If you get a chance to make it to Galena, take the time and stop at Blaum Brothers. Either the tasting room on Highway 20 or the new downtown location on main street in downtown Galena. However, if you ask for Mark, you are going to get to talk to a cat.
I wonder how I can get in one of their videos?
What am I drinking while writing this? Blaum Brothers Straight Bourbon Whiskey on Ice - 100 Proof
Nose: Dried cherries, Vanilla, Carmel and Toffee
Pallet: Creamy, good mouthfeel, burnt brown sugar, Carmel, a hint of tobacco, Oak
Finish: Medium long, Vanilla, dark Chocolate, dried cherries , Oak
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