Our
Team
Peter Katz | President
Peter has more than 25 years of experience in wine and spirits distribution, and over 8 years in the restaurant industry. He knows a thing or two about great spirits, hard-working people, and building a remarkable atmosphere. With the addition of our three-chamber still and Matt Strickland at the helm of his team, Peter has no doubt that we’ll generate extreme excitement in the whiskey world once we’re ready to release our whiskey. “I’m very honored and proud to be a part of the ICD team,” he said. “We are producing exciting, world-class whiskey in a one-of-a-kind setting.” While whiskey is one of his passions, a world that is blood cancer free is another. Peter was the 2019 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) Man of the Year, is on the LLS Board of Directors, and is a relentless fundraiser “For The Cure.” He also serves as a coach for the Pittsburgh Riot 2010 softball travel team. At the end of the day, he is most proud of his family – wife Colleen, daughters Grace and Claire, and son Trevor.
Matt strickland | MASTER DISTILLER
Our Master Distiller began his career in alcohol many years ago when he began doing microbiology research for the Oregon Wine industry during graduate school at Oregon State University. Upon obtaining his Master’s degree he somehow stumbled his way into the wonderous world of whiskey distillation. And once he started working with stills, he never looked back. Since then, he has built numerous distilleries both as a distiller and as a consultant. He also began teaching the science and art of distillation through numerous organizations throughout the United States, Canada, and the UK. In an effort to further the field of whiskey education he has authored countless articles, webinars, and talks. He has also written two highly regarded books for the industry, Cask Management for Distillers (White Mule Press, 2020) and Batch Distillation: Science and Practice (White Mule Press, 2021). Matt lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and two precocious daughters. His hobbies include rock climbing and shopping for cars his wife will never let him buy. He also believes that irony is not a prerequisite for listening to Journey.
Nick Cherry | distiller
Nick Cherry is a Pittsburgh native who originally worked as a contractor that helped build Iron City Distilling. As he got to know our Master Distiller, we realized that he was a perfect fit to become a distiller in our fledgling booze factory. Nick is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys wake surfing, motorcross, and the occasional round of golf. He’s also one hell of a wine maker, vinting a full barrel of Bacchus’ nectar at home every year.
Austin Keeton | Director of Blending
Austin Keeton found his way to whiskey in one of the most death defying of ways. While serving as an American attaché to the Taiwanese military, Austin found himself falling from a plane with a failed parachute during a training exercise. Fortunately, the backup chute opened but forced him to land in the biological morass of a shrimp farm. (“Disgusting” doesn’t do it justice.) Upon being cleaned up, the Taiwanese officers took him out for a whiskey, and he’s been hooked ever since. Austin likes spending his time in our barrel warehouse, studying and learning the ins and outs of our maturation program. On his off days, you can likely catch him at a local music venue for a concert or just exploring the many cultural nooks and crannies throughout Pittsburgh.
Eddie Kubit | DISTILLER
Eddie joined the distilling team at Iron City as a second career. From a very early age, he was fascinated by the history of whiskey production in Western Pennsylvania. That lead to an interest in whiskey making, malting, fermentation, distillation and barrels. After a lot of reading and a bit of education, the opportunity arose to join the team at ICD. He traded in the sport jackets and neck ties of a tech sales representative, for cargo pants and work boots of a whiskey distiller and didn’t look back.
“I love my job and especially enjoy talking with people about it. The thing I like best about working at Iron City is the dedication and passion of the entire team. There’s a lot of great whiskey available. To be noticed, you must do something unique, something different. At ICD we are passionate about expertly recreating the most authentic spirits that made Pennsylvania famous for premium rye whiskey during the 19th century.”
Belinda Alvarez | Libation Specialist
Belinda Alvarez is enjoying her newest career adventure! Working at Iron City Distilling and being a part of its evolution is the culmination of 30 years of experience and knowledge in the spirits industry.
“It’s so fulfilling to be able share my knowledge with our guests and team members. Taking our spirits and creating cocktails that highlight their characters and seeing the enjoyment on their faces… priceless.”
Lee | Distiller
Lee grew up in North Carolina, then attended Dickinson college where he played on the lacrosse team, majored in Law and Policy, and fell in love with the state of Pennsylvania. He first found his love of spirit production while at an internship with a craft distillery and microbrewery in Raleigh, North Carolina. After graduating college and working at a contract distillery in Statesville, North Carolina for 3 years, he decided to come back to Pennsylvania. He feels very lucky to be part of such a strong and motivated team of like-minded distillers at Iron City. He is very excited to learn everything he can from this opportunity as well as play a small part in bringing pre-prohibition style Monongahela rye whiskey back to the shelves. In his free time Lee likes to play golf, smoke meats, see live music, and hang out with his dog.