The following is a series of 7 (long form) posts- all posted on Facebook between June 9th and 15th, 2024. Schenley. An Intro. Part 1 The most interesting part of […]
History of Carstairs Rye Whiskey – A Philadelphia Story.
Carstairs “White Seal” Blended Whiskey has become a bit of a sad, bottom shelf brand, but when people realize that it’s a whiskey with a bourbon base made by Barton […]
Who Was Samuel M. Rice?
The following are two separate posts that I wrote for my Facebook page- @AmericanWhiskeyHistory. I have been putting historic posts on my page every day for almost a year and […]
Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat Jr.: Mississippi’s Neutral Politician for American Whiskey
Did you know that Mississippi did not ratify the 21st amendment (Repeal) until 1966? It wasn’t until January 1, 2021 that a new Mississippi law legalized the possession of alcohol […]
Foust’s Fancy Flasks (& How They Were Shaped By Pennsylvania’s Booming Glass Industry)
The Fousts, a distilling family that had been making whiskey in York County, Pennsylvania since 1840, marketed their products in incredibly unique containers. William Foust had always used creative glass […]
The History of the Miller Pure Rye Distillery
The Wheatland Distillery Miller & Mooney Womelsdorf (Ryeland) Berks County, Pennsylvania RD# 75 1st District There were many large-scale distilleries in Pennsylvania before Prohibition, and though most were in the […]
A Little History on a Pennsylvania Classic: Rittenhouse Rye Whisky
Good ol’ Rittenhouse Rye Whisky. It’s been a standard sipper for the American rye drinker since it was launched by Continental Distilling Corporation as “Rittenhouse Square Straight Rye Whisky” in […]
The Hughes Brothers’ “Belle of Bedford”
One of the more exciting rye whiskey brands in 2023 is named after a pre-Prohibition rye whiskey from Bedford County, Pennsylvania. It is not a unique thing to start a […]
Liquor Laws, Listed from 1676-1935
This list is incomplete and will be periodically updated. 1676– Pennsylvania prohibits the use of distilling of any grain unless it was “unfit to grind and boalt.” 1791– The Excise […]
What is With All the Black Fungus Near Distilleries?
What is all that black fungus in Kentucky? I’m a Pennsylvania resident and have never lived in Kentucky bourbon country, so I’ve never had to deal with the aggravation of […]