On November 23, 2024, at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery in Alexandria, Virginia, an incredible lineup of historic bottlings of rye whiskeys were sampled. The focus was on antique expressions […]
Who was William E. Kricker?
William E. Kricker was the master distiller for Baltimore Pure Rye Distilling Company after Prohibition. He was the man behind B.P.R. rye whiskey and Old Ruxton rye…but why was he […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Andrew Mellon: America’s Whiskey King.
Perhaps, as one of the country’s most influential American bankers, businessmen, industrialists, philanthropists, art collectors, and politicians, Mr. Mellon needs no introduction. Mellon served as the US Secretary of the […]
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 […]
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 […]
“Sweet” Mash Rye Whiskey?
Generally speaking, Bourbon = sour mash and rye whiskey= sweet mash. Historically, I mean- I realize the distinction is all over the board today. Historic distilling texts reveal that the […]
Brumbaugh’s Distillery in Bedford County, Pennsylvania
S.S. Brumbaugh Near New Enterprise, South Woodbury Township Bedford County RD# 34 9th District “Brumbaugh whiskey, bottled expressly for medicinal use,” was so well known that people began to identify […]