Discovered this place off of Highway 20 while staying in Galena. We had the place to ourselves on a Friday night. Barkeep was a friendly, helpful young lady along with the large house cat, who we enjoyed getting to meet. Drinks were really good, and menu was unique with lots of great options. Spacious inside with a nice gift shop - lots of options on that end as well. Really enjoyed our visit, and the drinks and service were top notch too. read more

We stopped in on a Thursday night and the place was pretty empty. We did not do a tour and elected to sample a few of their drinks in the bar area. You can sit by the bar or in one of the many leather couches they have..we chose the latter. My wife had their Chocolate Martini and I had their Old Fashion along with a single shot of their bourbon. All drinks were very good. This is a family owned and operated craft distillery. They do not serve food at the distillery but they go at their other location in downtown Galena...Public House. They make their own Bourbon,Gin, Vodka,Rum and Rye Whiskey ..so something for everyone's palette. read more

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It's going to sound weird, but the star here is not the drinks (though those are good) or the ambiance (super homy), but it's the staff and service. The folks here are incredibly helpful and super knowledgeable about their products and similar spirits out there. There is no food, but I think there might be some snacks. The drinks are quite excellent. Check out their menu, but if you want something more standard, they can make that as well. The quality is very good, though the prices are slightly on the higher side especially for being in a pretty rural area. The distillery is beautiful, with super comfy plush chairs, games, TVs and everything you could want while you sip your tasty cocktail. They also have a nice gift shop for you to check out. Swing by when you're in the area!! read more

Another wonderful visit to Blaum Bros. Distilling! We had various drinks, as you do... But this time, we took home some of their Bourbon Apple Pie cocktail-to-go options for ourselves and friends. And... the BYOB - check the photo. We grabbed a couple of the premium bottles, and it was definitely a cool experience. We had a guide the entire time assisting with the labeling, where you put them, how to line them up, and how it's poured from the barrels. This was something I've never done before, and I appreciated the guidance and the fun time I had going through the process of a bottling experience. We need to make it back - this stuff is liquid gold, and it tastes even better than it reads. So dark on the pour... you know it has spent its time in the barrel getting all that flavor. I tasted it with friends and family, and it is beyond what I expected for the complex flavor profile and how it hits you at different times. Without water, with water, different amounts. It has been so fun unlocking the different tastes this bottle has to offer. We have all enjoyed every sip - I'm so glad we were around for this release! read more

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Chill spot to have a cocktail while in the Galena area. The couches are so comfy that I could have taken a nap! Restroom was clean and well stocked. Plenty of parking right out front. read more

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What a lovely ambiance inside! Great place to sit down and relax while enjoying a handcrafted cocktail. We very much enjoyed our visit and purchased the BBQ sauce. John was an excellent bartender and took the time to give us an in depth review of the menu. Would definitely visit again. read more

Blaum Bros Distilling - Distilleries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Fun store and tasting is buy by the half ounce or a tasting of 3 whiskies plus a tour of the distillery for $40 per person. Free parking and nice ambiance and the most comfy sink yourself in the leather and enjoy the store. There's a store with T-shirts and all kinds of bourbon or whiskey items, including cups and whiskey glass cups plus the cutest mini baby whiskey flask glen cairn glass. read more

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Love this place. Their whiskey is getting better and better each year. Cool bar and nice mixed drink menu. A must before hitting the town proper. read more

Located in Galena ..not the downtown, but on the outskirts. When you enter you are in the store, and adjacent to is the bar with lots of cozy seating , bar and games. There is also some historical pieces on display. There were several cocktail options to chose from. My husband had an old fashioned and I tried a lemonade cocktail. The brewery is owned by two brothers and have been distilling for several years. They do offer tours and definitely would be interested in attending a tour next time in Galena. read more

Blaum Bros Distilling - Distilleries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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the bourbon was low quality cmpared to other distiileries The service was slow. Tour too expensive. the chairs were the only good part that i liked . I would not come here if you are gong to Galena read more

Blaum Brothers is a great distillery in Galena. It is not directly in the heart of downtown Galena and is on highway 20. The space has a cocktail bar and a shop to take various liquors to go. The cocktail bar is very nice inside and includes various seating options- stools, couches & tables. They have games to play which is always fun. The cocktail I ordered was absolutely delicious. The bartender working was very nice and friendly as well. I always like to stop when I'm in the Galena area! read more

Blaum Bros Distilling - a drink in a coupe glass - Distilleries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

This is definitely a stop I'd recommend. We had almost 20 people with us on our tour, including one guy who kept standing way too close to the tour guide and had main character syndrome. Most of the tour involved a bit of walking, looking at the stills from up close, and listening to our tour guide Gary. He is originally from New Jersey and has a great sense of humor. He is also personable and kind. The tour went on a bit longer than advertised, which is something other reviewers have also noticed. It was fine for him to mention that they're a smaller operation than Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's, and I appreciate taking pride in a small-scale, local product! But at least 5 times, he mentioned them in a derisive manner, which was off putting. Did we need a printed article about how the environmental effects from char from whiskey barrels is enough near the Jim Beam factory to necessitate lawsuits from the local population? I feel like there are other ways to explain that charring whiskey barrels turns trees and structures nearby black. The tasting was solid overall. You get three tiny cups worth of a sample - I don't love the taste of hard alcohol myself, so I was not thirsting for huge portions of pure liquor by any means. Even so, it was strange to see three options and only have one include a whiskey/rye/bourbon variety, the other two being gin and spicy vodka. I think (?) most of the product made here is whiskey/rye/bourbon of some sort, so 2/3 of the cups would be better to give a contrast within that specialty. Many dislike the Hellfire vodka, but I like spicy food, so it was super interesting to try it in the tasting. Hanging out a bit in the bar area (where the tasting also is) was nice. Everyone behind the bar was super friendly and approachable. They have a massive variety of mixed drink options, so it's "something for everyone" (even people who don't drink, with mocktails and such). The apple pie drink was amazing! We also saw one of the eponymous Brothers there and enjoyed talking to him a bit. read more

Stopped in over a weekend trip in Galena. I really enjoy Blaum Bros. spirits and was excited to visit so my wife and I booked a tour, which was billed as 35 minutes. It ran a little over an hour so we learned a lot about the history of the distillery and production but ran longer than we expected. The drinks after were really good and we bought a few bottles of bourbon to enjoy for later. read more

Ugh - this is such a tough review because the drinks and alcohol is fantastic but there are aspects - service, overall- of Blaum Bros that were a real miss for me. The hits: - the bourbon whiskey was fantastic - in line with great small distilleries along Kentucky's bourbon trail. - In general (except the hellfyre which was trash), all of the liquors were delicious. - the tasting room had a great cozy vibe and mixed drinks were great - Post-tour bartenders were great, and the drinks after the tour were much better tasting than the drinks before the tour, almost by a landslide. The misses: - Our tour guide, Gary, kept talking (and talking...) about random stuff and how much better his tour was than Jim Beam and other big bourbon distillers. I've been on over 20 different distiller tours, and this was quite frankly, one of the worst. It kept dragging on (and on and on and on), and didn't feel organized in the flow. Our tour was advertised as 35-45 minutes and finally ended 1 hour and 15 minutes later - well over 30 minutes beyond advertised. - The bartenders before our tour had no sense of urgency. Drinks were made incredibly slow, despite us waiting to hop on the tour. We arrived 15 minutes before our tour as recommended, and I ended up needing to join the tour 5 minutes late because I was still waiting for our drinks to be made. - The parking lot is far too small for the volume of visitors they receive. It is a TIGHT lot. - At the end of the tour, they gave us a small sample of three of their liquors in a shot form. I would only give a straight shot of hellfyre vodka to my worst enemy. That was AWFUL. I only had the slightest sip and my mouth was burning for 10 minutes, and I usually love spicy foods. I could see how this may be a nice addition to a mixed cocktail for people who enjoy spicy drinks, but this needed a warning straight. - checking out from the gift shop is at the bar, and it felt like the bartenders didn't even try to pretend that they were interested in checking me out with my gift shop purchases after we had already closed our tab from a couple rounds of drinks. It took 5-10 minutes to get their attention, and she didn't even offer me a bag to carry out my purchases in. Advance warning: coming in here is a walking advertisement of Trip Advisor. They had signage and cards all over about how they are top rated on trip advisor and I'll be honest, the only people I know who uses trip advisor is elderly tourists on bus trips. read more

We didn't do the tour; we poked our heads into the distillery - but just did the tasting room. Quite a variety of drinks. They have an "aged premium rum" which was noticeably smoother than regular rum. They had a "spicy vodka" that had a jalapeno taste to it. Quite a few drinks that many people are familiar with - yet also a number of more "unique to Blaum Bros" drinks. There's TVs to watch, a golf game, and checkers to do while you enjoy your drink. If you get there when the history guy is around - he'll share some cool history with you . read more

Really cool and unique place to stop on your way in or out of crowded downtown Galena. Friends recommended Blaum to us and the parking lot wasn't too packed yet in between lunch and dinner so we stopped here after a local hike and let our dogs rest on the cool pavement. The old fashioned I had was smooth, sweet, potent and complete with a large round iced cube. My hubby tried the Boo Radley and watching our bar tender heat up the lemon was entertaining on its own! It gave the drink a smoky citrus twist and unique flavor. Clean restrooms inside and nice merch you can buy, in addition to individual bottles to take home. If you have the time, and are over 21 of course, Blaum is definitely worth a stop. read more

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This business is NOT POC friendly. Came here to do the tour and grab some drinks with my partner. After the tour we were waiting at the bar to order our drinks. We waited as everyone else got served before us even though we were at the bar first. We didn't think anything of it at first but began to notice all the other customers were white (we are both black.) First red flag. The bartender finally came around for our order. I asked if she could make the whiskey sour without egg whites as I do not like that. She gave me a super hard time about it and basically was trying to shame me into saying the way I was trying to order it wasn't good. Second red flag. We got out drinks though and hung out for about 45 mins before heading back to the bar. Once again the SAME thing happened: everyone else was served and we were made to wait. Very strange, third red flag. When she finally came to us after helping everyone, laughing and joking around for 10 mins were her coworkers and cleaning up the entire bar we ordered. She took about 15 mins to make us our drink. I tried mine and didn't like it. After waiting for her to finish her personal conversation with the other bartender I asked if she could make me something different because I didn't like it. I was informed that I'd have to pay for the new drink as they don't give free drinks away. Mind you I took 1 sip of the original drink and waited 10 mins for her to come back to request a new one. I've never heard of that before. She asked if it was a personal preference of taste or if something was just wrong with the drink. I was actually in disbelief that they wouldn't make me something different after I had already paid for 4 other drinks. The final red flag! We left feeling like black people are not welcome here. Would not recommend for other POC. read more

Went here today with friends to take the tour and enjoy the drinks. First time here. Enjoyed the tour. Informative and fun. Wesley (our tour guide) was excellent. We sat in the lounge afterwards for about an hour. Loved the drinks. Happy! read more

Blaum Bros Distilling - Wesley (our tour guide) - Distilleries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Wish I could give more than 5 stars! We stopped in randomly on our way out of Galena during the holiday week around 4 PM. This place was happening! A super cool vibe (clubby leather couches), friendly service, and most importantly INCREDIBLE drinks. The chocolate martini was so tasty. Not sure where else you can get a $12 martini this good. The show stopper though was the smoky bourbon. My daughter ordered it (a $2 minor up-charge) thinking it would just be a smoky flavor (which she loves) but gosh! What a surprise. The show put on was unbelievable as the bourbon was mixed, ice ball added then placed in a glass dome to heat and flavor it. I'm sure the servers/bartenders don't love having to deal with this drink but you'd never know it. They genuinely seemed excited to serve the bourbon. We will stop here every time we go to Galena. Don't miss this distillery. You'll love it. Promise. read more

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Once upon a time there were these two brothers, Mike and Matt. One has long, flowing hair like Fabio and an awesome beard. The other has no hair. Both make fantastic whiskey. I've watched this duo go from sourcing whiskey to distilling incredibly delicious whiskeys and the neat thing is, it is older, even better, and pretty darned affordable. Aside from making whiskey you'd want to drink (and vodka, gin, and rum), these two are a pair of characters. Check out the back labels - you will always be surprised by something witty. The tasting room is just top notch with leather, comfy chairs, a first-class bar that rivals most of what you'd come across, and talented bartenders. Everyone is friendly and knowledgeable. While I've never been on an "official" tour, I've seen the entire operation. Trust me when I tell you that Blaum Bros does it right. Visit. Drink. Laugh. Enjoy. Cheers! read more

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Emily was the bartender she did a fantastic job! The drinks are amazing!! Highly recommend. We don't go to Galena without coming here! Very cozy environment. read more

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Stopped by on a visit to Galena. Great tour very informational, Dennis a phenomenal guide. Very cool gift shop as well

My husband and I live in the Chicagoland area and have been long-time supporters of Blaum Bros. We love their cocktails and the comfy leather chairs in the lounge. Every time we come to Galena (at least once a year), visiting Blaum Bros. is a "must-do" for us. That being said, we only gave 4 stars because the last two times we came for drinks in the last two years, we were overcharged for drinks we didn't order. One of those times happened to be the night before our wedding. We ordered 3 drinks and were charged nearly $100 because the bartender was putting other people's drinks on our tab without our consent or knowledge. This last time, we were charged for two drinks that we didn't order. Fortunately, we were able to straighten out the bill both times, but we would obviously prefer it if we weren't overcharged in the first place. read more

Great service. Went in the tour and it was very informative. The cherry Brandy barrel bourbon was extremely good read more

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We decided to stop here on our way to dinner since 2 of us are bourbon lovers. What a great place! When you walk in, the right side has a tasting area, some merchandise, and spirits to purchase. The left side is a cool bar area with large and very comfortable seating. We tried their bourbon, rye, and HellFyre vodka, all great. We also tried a few of their cocktails, an old fashioned, the Washburne, and Rye Tai, all excellent! We bought some bourbon, rye, vodka, and Bloody Mary mix to take home, and were happy to hear we can purchase these at Binny's when we're home. We will absolutely be back when we're in town again. read more

Did you know that there is a manufacturer of craft distilled  Bourbon Whiskey in Galena, Illinois? No? Well neither did I.  I had the opportunity to meet Mike Blaum and Matt Brown from the Blaum Bros Distilling Company in Galena a few weeks ago at a private media event. They've been in business for 5 years and are doing so well that they are expanding.  We got a chance to sample their newest release:  Blaum Bros Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It's very exciting to hear about local businesses making it and supporting others as well. Another awesome fact is that they use ingredients from Illinois. Yes, indeed, they are "Illinois born, Illinois whiskey". They seem to have a cult-like following, and when a limited edition is released,  they sell out quickly.  If you haven't tried Blaum Bros liquors,  you're missing out on something special. read more

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I booked this on a whim for an activity before we headed back home. I really didn't expect a lot, we've been to a few distilleries in vacation areas and have found their product only ok. We also just got back from a Bourbon Trail trip. We arrived a little early and hung out in the bar/tasting room area. It's a cool space with nice, deep leather chairs. Dennis was our tour guide and he was great. We've been on several distillery tours and both walked away with some new knowledge. He even answered my husband's questions before he had a chance to ask. He was also very patient with one guy on our tour who asked a lot of questions (some of which were repetitive). If you're a Gen Xer, you'll appreciate the fun little touches in the distillery space. It was almost like a little scavenger hunt spotting them all. At the end we went back into the tasting area and got to taste three spirits, the spicy vodka, Bourbon, and one other I'm forgetting. I actually found the Bourbon quite smooth, which surprised me. Bourbon and whiskey aren't my thing at all. After the tour wrapped, my husband tried a few items only available there and took home a bottle of Bourbon too. If you've got the time, it's worth a stop. read more

If I could give 100 I would! I keep finding myself levitating back to Both the Blaum Brothers Distillery & Blaum Brothers Public House, Which is understandable considering the Cocktails are exceptional and the energy is always buzzing! I love bringing my friends and family to see what the Brothers & Company have going on! Thank you to Nicole, Claire, Gema, Jenny, Emily, Morgan, Jordan, Kasey, Niki, Johanna, Mariah, Mia, Sarah, Tracy, Brittny, Gary, Pam, Connie, Miabella, Matt, Mike & last but not least, the cat with thumbs, Mark! For having such great service and creating a relaxing environment to enjoy amazing handmade cocktails! This is a place I believe I will continue to return too! P.S. The Bourbon is Pretty Great too. read more

It's a $10 tour and you get 3 tastes at the end. It might have been worth it if the liquor were tasty but honestly, they were very rough and I didn't finish any of the samples, and neither did my tour-mates! This is my 3rd micro distillery tour and definitely it was the 3rd best. The information was pretty good and mostly interesting, although a little more seeing and a little less talking would have improved that part. Cute cat and lovely barrels! For example, it would be nice to see or smell the "beer" or "wine" at each step. (PS I'm not dumb--those are distillery terms I learned today, lol.) Anyway, the REAL problem with the tour was the liquor itself! The gin was soooo not smooth, and the same with the bourbon, and while the jalapeño flavored one smelled good and might be especially good in a Bloody Mary, it was not good to drink straight, either. How I might suggest improving the tour? 1. Charge $5 for people who just want to accompany friends on the tour and not drink, or offer other options. (My MIL, for example, can't drink and also can't smell, so really $10 bucks for ...?) Second, for those who don't like straight shots or find Blaum Brothers to be harsher than they like, how about offering soda and or tomato juice to mix with the tastes of liquor? It would be cheap and I bet more folks would appreciate your product. PS I'm sorry to be so brutally honest with a less than complementary review, but I have to say that the last tour I took, I found each taste better than the next and loved them so we'll, we considered investing in the company; we would have bought several bottles but they actually were out of stock for the year! So it's not that I don't appreciate hand distilled, small batch, original recipes liquors, I just found these to need more aging or perfecting. Sorry, David. Do you get a free drink if we review it but the review isn't so positive? read more

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We came in with a huge group. At least 15 of us . 2 hours later , over 600 dollars later or more . The manger said one of the guys where to loud he can't get severed anymore . LOUD ??? Wait a min he wasnt swearing , he was just talking loud / in which he has hearing issues. Is this a bar ? Or where we at church ??? The girls that work there really need to be trained customer service. The drinks are amazing I will give them that . Sec time and embarrassed to brag about this place. First time she wouldn't let us taste test a pickle to see if we wanted to buy a jar . Not sure I will come back . read more

They make the best sold Fashion in the world. The atmosphere and ambience is amazing. I would love a Blaum Bros where ai live and carry on the tradition. read more

We stopped by on a weekend getaway, Blaum Bros is pretty cool. Great vibe, comfortable atmosphere, and tasty cocktails. We took the tour and Dennis, the tour guide was very knowledgeable. Highly recommend the bourbon and the Hellfyre Vodka Bloody Mary kit. read more

Blaum Bros Distilling - a bottle of whiskey and a glass of whiskey - Distilleries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Fantastic place, super chill vibe and has a really creative cocktail menu. Definitely try a Sazerac, or a Gimlet. Shout out to whoever designed the menus and instead of honey called it "bee syrup" read more

Blaum Bros Distilling - Sazerac - Distilleries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Drinks are always amazing here but attention from the staff is hit or miss which is the only reason it's 4 stars. Also no food here so eat before you come for the delicious drinks. read more

Wonderful and informative distillery tour! Richard had the perfect delivery and attitude. Answered all questions with patience and humor. Would recommend the tour to everyone. Also, need to mention the Bourbon and Gin - Outstanding!!! read more

Blaum Bros Distilling - Richard leading the distillery tour. - Distilleries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Fix your parking. No, seriously.... absolute sh*t show. Did a 29 point turnaround to get out and nearly got hit pulling out due to others forced to park illegally and block the view. read more

During our Fall Getaway, we finished up our trip in Galena, and popped in to sample some local spirits. While we didn't have time to linger in the tasting room, I brought home a bottle of their rye and it lived up to expectations. Bonus points for the overall feel of the place and for the artwork on the labels. read more

Cute place in Galena! I went after your hours, so i wasn't able to check out how it all works. But, i did enjoy a whisky flight and some apple pie tasting cocktail! It was the best cocktail i had ever had! We bellyuped at the bar and enjoyed two flights of whisky. We also took home a couple bottles, gifting one for Christmas. The staff was friendly and courteous and also talked about the kinds of whisky and bourbon they had. Really knowledgeable and i appreciate it! They do a great job and wish these folks nothing but success! read more

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very friendly staff knowledgeable great tasting room and bar just a hair expensive for small tastes but what place isn't selection was great as well read more

Super cool place... the vibe was great and the staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. The have super comfy chairs and fun bar games available. They also have distillery tours and a great gift shop. The only thing I would be Leary of is the gpa directions from Main Street Galena... it will take you 29 miles out of your way to get there when it is just a mile off of Main Street. Now I will say it was a beautiful country drive and there was an amazing waterfall but nevertheless the directions had something to be desired from GPS... read more

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