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As a kid, Tom Herbruck used to dream about Johnny Appleseed. Now he's living the dream -- and making applejack. Well, you can add another drink to the menu: Herbruck will unveil his new Tom Foolery's Ohio Straight Bourbon Whiskey on Wednesday at Market Garden Brewery.

(Peggy Turbett/ The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At a very early age, there was already something different about Tom Herbruck. Not just because his dad had a vineyard or that he grew up learning about cider.

Not many kids, you see, romanticized Johnny Appleseed, the pioneer who introduced apples to Ohio in the 1800s.

Li'l Tom didn't just like to read children books about him; he wanted to be like Johnny.

"I was interested in apples and apple farming, making cider and distillation," says Herbruck. "I never saw it as a business opportunity – just a lifelong dream."

Well, he's living the dream: Herbruck is the owner of Tom's Foolery, a micro-distillery that has made a name of itself by making, yup, you guessed it, applejack.

Herbruck makes the stuff in a barn in Bainbridge Township most nights and weekends. He keeps a day job as an employee benefits consultant specializing in 401(k) plans.

It might get a little harder starting Wednesday.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, Herbruck will debut Tom Foolery's Ohio Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The public party will take place at Market Garden Brewery, 1947 West 25th St., Cleveland.

"We'll be providing a limited number of free samples and talking about the process," says Herbruck. "It's hosted by the Cleveland Bourbon Club."

You know, the CBC, that shadowy band of connoisseurs that gets together and, well, yeah, drinks bourbon.

"Our club represents a weird cross-section of society, with different political and religious views," says Matthew T, a Cleveland filmmaker and club member who handles the Ministry of Propaganda for the group. "We're all unified on one thing, however: bourbon. We like to drink it, but also look at the history of it and the way it's made – and I must add that Tom is a big nerd when it comes to this."

An enthusiastic nerd -- go ahead and ask him how he got those bourbon stills from the Jim Beam family. Or how bourbon is a proud American tradition.

As Herbruck says, "Just like you can only make cognac in France or scotch in Scotland, you can only make bourbon in America."

The evening includes prominent whiskey writer Charles K. Cowdery, author of "Bourbon, Strange."

Herbruck officially released his first batch of bourbon on Oct. 1, but it can take weeks for it to work its way through the Ohio Liquor Control distribution channels.

Herbruck is patient. After all, a few weeks is nothing compared to three years.

"That's when I started making the bourbon," he says. "It needs to mature a minimum of two years to be considered a straight bourbon."

It is possible to sell bourbon that has aged for less than two years, but it would not qualify as "straight" and would be an inferior product.

"There's no legal requirement, but I don't this as some money-making venture – because I have a day job," says Herbruck. "So I can afford to be patient in order to create a higher-quality product."

Tom's Foolery is one of five distilleries in Northeast Ohio. There are 39 total in Ohio – a number that continues to grow amid the micro-distillery movement.

Herbruck has also added rye to his stable of brands, with a release date targeted for spring 2015.

He estimates a total of 150 barrels produced of all three products combined – which, despite the growth in business, still puts him at the micro end of the spectrum.

He has no plans to cash in a Tom's Foolery 401(k) plan, however.

"Why do you think I called it Tom's Foolery?" says Herbruck. "There's not a lot of money in it, but there's a whole lot of fun getting to do what you dreamed about doing since you was a kid."