An early love-turned-profession Hofmann grew up in Tacoma, Washington and was interested in flavor from an early age. âI was fascinated by the idea of things tasting different, especially the simplest things,â he says. âThe beauty of whiskey is that itâs four ingredients, and one of them is water, and yet itâs one of the most complex beverages on the planet. I became enraptured by the idea of distilling and taking this very simple, humble thing like barley, an ancient grain, and turning it into this complex beverage.â He got his start distilling apple brandy in his University of Washington dorm with a converted water purifier during his freshman year of college. An obsession soon took hold, and before long, he dropped out of school to study distilling at the Institute of Brewing & Distilling in London and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.