When you read this newspaper ad from 1913, your first thought might be, “Well, this person hates whiskey and promotes the temperance movement.” But oddly enough, it’s a sales ad […]
Some Much Needed Perspective: Bourbon Vs. Rye Whiskey Distilleries.
(This is a post from my Facebook page, @AmericanWhiskeyHistory, December 9, 2022. But my thoughts have not changed on the subject!) I need to say this because I’m SOOOO tired […]
Old Grand Dad. In 5 Parts.
Part One. Introduction. Perhaps we should begin where I began- By asking, “Where was Old Grand Dad originally made?” Jim Beam’s website explains the brand’s history this way: “Known as […]
Why Don’t Distilleries Re-Use Barrels?
I have always found it odd that American distillers are prohibited from re-using barrels. It’s not as if the practice of “secondary aging” with used barrels isn’t completely commonplace today! […]
Which Kentucky Distilleries Were Absorbed By the Whiskey Trust in 1899?
The “Whiskey Trust” was not a footnote in the story of American whiskey history, though it is often treated as such by whiskey historians. The evolution of the Trust after […]
The Schreiners. A Distilling Dynasty.
American whiskey history tends to focus its spotlight on company presidents and brand owners. Whiskey barons like E.H. Taylor, Albert Blanton, and George Garvin Brown have been lionized by the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Mexican Bourbon History
Let’s look at two bourbon distilleries based in Juarez, Mexico. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that their roots are connected to Prohibition. But first, let’s address a new brand […]
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 […]