Let me just start by saying that the definition we’ve assigned to Maryland rye whiskey…is flawed. I know, it’s not great to start off a post with such a contrarian […]
What Was the Gwynnbrook Distillery and Why Was It Important?
I’ve been wanting to write about Gwynnbrook for a long while. Unfortunately, Gwynnbrook isn’t a distillery name most whiskey enthusiasts are familiar with, but a distillery doesn’t have to be […]
An Argument To Rethink Something We Believe To Be True
“There were 6 distilleries licensed to manufacture medicinal whiskey during Prohibition.” If we’ve read it once, we’ve read it a thousand times. However, this statement is not true for a […]
Mount Vernon Rye Whiskeys- An Historic Tasting (1902-1947)
On November 23, 2024, at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery in Alexandria, Virginia, an incredible lineup of historic bottlings of rye whiskeys were sampled. The focus was on antique expressions […]
Who was William E. Kricker?
William E. Kricker was the master distiller for Baltimore Pure Rye Distilling Company after Prohibition. He was the man behind B.P.R. rye whiskey and Old Ruxton rye…but why was he […]
The Frost Family- Pennsylvania Pure Rye Distilling Royalty
The Frost family of Western Pennsylvania were acclaimed master distillers of Old Monongahela Pure Rye Whiskey in the late 19th and early 20th century. The patriarch of this family of […]
The Corrupt Origins of Pennsylvania’s State Store System
I’ve been seeing a lot of posts expressing disappointment around order cancellations and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s inability to meet the expectations of customers looking to buy whiskey. Well, […]
Who was John E. Fitzgerald?
Who was JOHN E. FITZGERALD- the namesake for Old Fitzgerald Whiskey? SPOILER ALERT! He couldn’t be the guy we’ve been told he was! I’ve never understood why a successful businessman […]
Standards of Identity for Spirits…as of 1939.
The standards of identity were established in under the provisions of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act of 1935. Amendments to that act have been being made ever since. This iteration […]
A Simple Explanation of Grain Farming- Distiller’s Edition.
Every whiskey geek should know how grain is grown. Most don’t. Do you? It occurred to me that there are very few places where whiskey geeks can really learn about […]