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 […]
Whiskey Wells.
While most distilleries draw their water from public water sources today, that was not necessarily the case before Prohibition. 90% of the US population gets their drinking water from public […]
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 […]
Rye Malt or Barley Malt? Which Was Being Used in PA Rye?
In historic Pennsylvania rye whiskey mashbills, when a rye whiskey was described as being made of “rye and malt”, the assumption has always been that the “malt” in question always […]
Claims of False Advertising in 1871 Provides Insight into the History of Rectifiers.
July 1871- Trouble was brewing in Lancaster, PA between competing rectifiers, and one of the rivals took his grievance to the local paper- the Intelligencer Journal. These clippings reveal that […]
An Argument for Heritage Rye in PA Rye Whiskeys
Pennsylvania’s historically heavy bodied and aromatic pure rye whiskeys started with the grain. The rye grain grown today does not compare to the ryes that were used for distilling whiskey […]
Whiskey History Museums
It’s a funny thing to be so keenly aware of how little attention has been given to Pennsylvania rye whiskey history. The American whiskey industry has been so laser focused […]
The Value of Maple Syrup in Distilling
I felt a touch of autumn in the air this morning and my first thought was…pancakes with maple syrup. (And a giant cup of coffee!) I make my own maple […]
The Truth Behind the “Bottled-In-Bond Act” of 1897.
Let’s clear up a few things about the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. I know the “BIB Act” has been written about an ENDLESS number of times, but there […]