The ingenuity of pre-prohibition distillers never ceases to amaze me. Carrot spirits? I’ve seen potato whiskey, but carrot whiskey? Who knew? The idea of supplementing your mash with a sweet […]
The Chemists That Changed American Whiskey
We tend to think of distillers as chemists or scientists, even if Pappy Van Winkle adamantly refused to acknowledge the value of chemistry in his distillery. There’s no denying that […]
Origins of Wheated Whiskey.
Where did “wheated bourbon” come from? To be clear, “wheated bourbon” is a marketing term. The term has no historic precedent before the late 1990s. It is simply a modern […]
Stitzel-Weller in 1972: Notes on a Slideshow
1972 Stitzel-Weller Slideshow (click on title to view slideshow) The following notes were written in addition to the original, 1972 Stitzel-Weller-provided script. The exact words from the original script are […]
The Stitzel Distilleries: From 1872 to Stitzel-Weller…in 9 parts.
The following blog contains a study of the Stitzel distilleries and the men behind them. Each of the 9 separate parts copied below were written in May and June of […]
Steam Heated Warehouses…and Eggs?
One of the glossed over elements necessary in the production of traditional Pennsylvania rye was the nearly universal use of heated warehouses. The steam-heating of warehouses is mentioned occasionally, but […]
Whiskey Award Scandals.
There are lots of whiskey awards that go out around this time of year. Lots of “BEST WHISKEYS” lists encouraging consumers to buy one whiskey over another. And, of course, […]
Christmas Whiskey.
A long-standing tradition for whiskey at Christmas-time was carried over to America by the immigrants that settled here. Whether it was mulled with spices, poured over cakes, baked into foods, […]
Is Whiskey Medicinal?
I don’t doubt that you’ve seen articles in every whiskey publication about whether whiskey is medicinal or not. There are videos and blogs and podcasts on the topic. Many new […]
Women Behind the Bar in the 1930s.
One of the more interesting shifts in culture caused by the Repeal of Prohibition in 1933 is that women (at least in Pennsylvania) were finally given the right to serve […]