Andrew Howell is Founder & Co-owner of Thornton Distilling Company, maker of Dead Drop spirits, where he leads the sales and marketing efforts of the emerging Dead Drop Spirits brand and the Thornton Distilling Co. Tasting room,  restaurant, award-winning cocktail bar, and wedding event space. Andrew fell in love with craft beer and brewing in college while working at Piece Brewing. Later, while leading the marketing department at a Chicago record label, Andrew realized he was more passionate about home brewing and distilling than the music industry. In 2015,  Andrew and his partner founded Thornton Distilling Co. and started restoring Illinois’ oldest standing brewery, built in 1857. They celebrated their grand opening, December 2019 and launched distribution during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dead Drop Spirits are now available throughout Illinois, Indiana, New York, and New Jersey. Thornton Distilling Co.’s flagship terroir driven American Single Malt Whiskey; “Prairie Peat” is slated to be released in late 2024.