If you're familiar with our story and the origins of Batch 22, you know that Matthew's dad, Alan, played a pivotal role in the birth of our spirit. It was at Alan's urging that Matthew first started to experiment with making aquavit at home in his kitchen in Burbank, California. The original thought was to attempt to re-create the amazing spirit they had tasted together on a movie set in Eastern Europe decades before.

Thanks to Alan's encouragement (Matthew sometimes referred to it as "hocking me to do it") a delicious prototype emerged from the Los Angeles test kitchen. Alan was among the very first people ever to taste the earliest iterations of what would become Batch 22, and it was with his encouragement and moral support that Matthew pursued further development with his best buddies Marc and Bruce.

When the perfect formulation was finally reached (yes, the 22nd round of Mason jars crowding up a countertop) the trio realized that there could be only one name for their uniquely delicious concoction: "Batch 22" was not only a literal description, it also offered a special "tip of the cap" to the man who played Yossarian in the movie "Catch 22"—the man who planted the idea of homemade aquavit in Matthew's head.

Alan passed away on Thursday, June 29, at his home in Southern California. He was not only a loving father to Matthew (and brothers Adam and Tony), he was also a wonderful friend and cheerleader for Batch 22. We'll always be grateful to him for his kind words of encouragement and for igniting that spark of creativity that led to us to something truly wonderful. Thank you, Alan. We'll miss you.