What is Rock & Rye? Simply put, it is a rectified rye whiskey. Some Pennsylvanians may remember Rock & Rye from our childhoods as a medicinal treatment for a cold […]
The British Connection to America’s “Bottled in Bond” Whiskeys
What connects “bottled in bond”, a term we tend to associate with American whiskeys, to English investments? Let me explain… I am so VERY curious about the history of American […]
When Bottled in Bond Was Not Actually “Bottled in Bond”
The Bottled in Bond Act is something that most whiskey enthusiasts can recite the basics on fairly easily. A whiskey that’s bottled-in-bond is a 100 proof, four-year-old whiskey that’s been […]
From 1925 to Repeal: How the Medicinal Whiskey Makers Changed Everything
We’ve discussed the early 1920s, so let’s address what came next. We tend to think of Prohibition as an era of bootlegging and speakeasies…A time between the old timey whiskey […]
The Early Years of Prohibition: The Volstead Act and the “Band-Aid Legislation” That Followed
What happened within the distilling industry during the early years of Prohibition? In short, massive upheaval and a lot of confusion. The temperance groups that pushed for National Prohibition did […]
The Social Dilemma of Prohibition
Prohibition usually conjures images of men dumping barrels or makes us think of bootleggers and gangsters with flapper girlfriends. Prohibition themed costume parties host ladies wearing fringe and sequins […]
Why Was the Taft Decision Necessary?
(Hint: It’s Not Necessarily Why You’d Think…) Rectifiers VS. Straight Whiskey Interests To understand why the Taft Decision was so important to the whiskey industry, one must first understand why […]
Why did Rye Not Survive Prohibition?
That is the big question, after all, isn’t it? Rye is America’s oldest style of whiskey. It was the most valuable and the most desirable American-made whiskey on the […]
The Creation of Concentration Warehouses and Their Impact on the American Whiskey Trade
To all those dusty Prohibition-era bottle collectors out there… The labels on those pint bottles from the early 20th century tell a story that is not often told (or explained). […]
The Cullen Bill and the Post-Prohibition Glass Bottle Monopoly
“It was the keg, not the bottle that disappeared during prohibition, the heyday of the bootlegger.”– Hugh J. McMackin, Secretary of the National Wholesale Wine and Liquor Dealers’ Association (July […]