Growing up in central Illinois, Eric Simanek was surrounded bycorn destined for feed or alcohol. He holds degrees in chemistry from Illinois and Harvard. A member of the chemistry faculty at TCU, he enjoys sharing his love of science with all ages and sharing whiskey with good friends.

Rob Arnold is a native of Louisville, Kentucky and a third generation member of the whiskey industry. With a passion for both science and whiskey, he holds degrees in microbiology and biochemistry. Since 2011, he has been the head distiller at the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.