Our Story - Phil Steger

Phil Steger

Founder & CEO

Founder | CEO | Entrepreneur | Inventor | Attorney | Activist

For Phil Steger, building a distillery and award-winning whiskey brand with globally accoladed production methods is about more than love and knowledge of the storied, ancient spirit — it’s about an unending journey of wonder and curiosity, human connection through real stories, and understanding of and reverence for Minnesota’s unique, ecologically diverse landscape.

Under his direction, Brother Justus Whiskey Co. developed new methods of producing whiskey from traditional ingredients and techniques modernized to produce new flavors and take better care of the land. Their products, including the international patent-pending Aitkin County Process® and Cold-Peated Whiskey® which created an entirely new category of whiskey, have challenged industry norms by reducing aging times while improving quality. This has resulted in Brother Justus Whiskey consistently placing at the top of competitions, including the third-best American Single Malt at the International Whisky Competition (2023).

Phil cultivated his deep love and respect for Minnesota’s land while ranging over its open prairies, quiet woods, deep forests, and Ice Age peat bogs. His experience running humanitarian aid and preserving centuries-old manuscripts belonging to monasteries in conflict zones before the outbreak of war drove home the power of stories to bring people together even in the hardest times. Years studying theology and living with monks, as well as, providing housing and community for families and migrant workers experiencing homelessness, cultivated his warmth for humanity, community, and hospitality. And the people he worked with showed him to create new ways where there did not seem to be any.

His loves and life’s work were channeled into whiskey. He knew, firsthand, that Minnesota’s bioregions could provide all the whole ingredients of world-class single malt—water, malted barley, white oak, and peat. He learned that Irish monks invented whiskey at the time they were creating the world’s great manuscript collections, and he discovered that a Minnesota monk, Brother Justus, equipped farmers with whiskey stills and taught them the distillation arts during Prohibition. With these inspirations and experiences, he saw the opportunity to make warmth and community the cornerstones of a company pursuing intentional innovation in a loud and crowded industry.

Steger earned his law degree from the University of St. Thomas and his bachelor’s degree in theology from St. John’s University. As an attorney, he helped companies decarbonize energy supplies and represented asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq. He has been recognized by Twin Cities Business as one of100 People to Know for his innovative work in showcasing Minnesota resources in whiskey making. The company's Cold-Peated® whiskey and Aitkin County Process® inventions won second place in the 2023 DISCUS Innovation Showcase and was named Fourth Most Innovative Spirit in the World in 2023 by The Spirits Business.