So much of Pennsylvania’s distilling history has been lost to time. One glaring example of forgotten history has been Somerset County’s distilleries, once well-known in the whiskey trade for their […]
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 Perhaps we should begin where I began- By asking, “Where was Old Grand Dad originally made?”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 […]
An Ode to Pennsylvania’s Meadville Distillery.
There are so many distilleries in Pennsylvania that had a huge impact on American whiskey that we just don’t know enough about! One Pennsylvania rye whiskey distillery that doesn’t get […]
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 […]
Who was George T. Stagg?
Part 1. I have always wanted to know more about the man behind the marketing myth. George T. Stagg’s name has had quite an impact on the bourbon industry- and […]
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 […]
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 […]
The History of Schenley
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 […]