If you walk into Iron Smoke Distillery in Fairport, you might notice a large brick wall, covered in black paint. Across the bricks are names with some of them even displaying messages. Iron Smoke CEO and Co-Founder, Tommy Brunett says there’s an inspiring story behind the wall.

Brunett has been a supporter of Make-A-Wish in the greater Rochester area for more than five years and gives back through donated bricks on his Angel’s Share Wall. The term ‘Angel Share’ comes from the whiskey aging process when a small amount of whiskey evaporates into the air. Brunett says that small amount is like a “sacrifice to the heavens”. When Brunett and his team were thinking of a creative fundraiser to support local wishes and also tie in his business, selling bricks was a way to rally customers and the entire community.

“People have really gravitated toward this, and it’s a highlight of our tours,” he says. “The goal is to sell out the entire wall and extend it out to the entire building and I know we can do it.” 

Brick donations begin at $25 and go up to $500+. General donations to support wishes in the Rochester region are also accepted. Iron Smoke and those who have supported this fundraiser have already raised over $20,000, helping to support local kids with critical illness.

Brunett, a proud dad himself to two teenage boys, says the stories from the wall have really touched him personally. Not just helping wish kids, like the young girl who met the princesses at Disney, but also the stories of the individuals displayed on the bricks. He says that people come back, years later, to see their brick and make another donation to Make-A-Wish.

“It’s become more than just ‘names on a wall’…it’s so much more than that. It’s a symbol of goodness.”