Americans in 1825 were drinking almost three times as much alcohol as the people living in the somewhat wild days of 1970. Class and Social Order. 8During the first half of the nineteenth century, America also saw a vast increase in immigration from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany--all countries whose inhabitants are generally regarded to be fond of a drink. All was by no means lost, however--good whiskey men never have given up that easily. However, those nineteenth-century temperance movements had been gaining momentum, and the whiskey industry was about to confront its most formidable enemy. One embarrassment was Jay Gould and James Fisks 1869 attempt to corner the gold market. No--it didnt contain neutral spirits or added flavorings or colorings. ), The farmers simply chopped down a few trees from their land, got the local cooper to make some sturdy barrels (every self-respecting settlement had a cooper or two since barrels were used to store and transport most products, from foodstuffs to hardware, at that time), and after bartering as much as possible with his immediate neighbors, he could easily send off a wagon load of whiskey to thirsty buyers further afield. The whiskey from the middle colonies eventually became known as Monongahela or Pennsylvania or Maryland whiskey, named for its various locations, not the grain used to make it. alcohol. Lems peach brandy was made in an old pot still. The following month over 300 people (distillers and government employees) were arrested for their involvement in the Whiskey Ring, and everyone was certain that justice was being served. Other such organizations within the industry existed in various parts of the country around this same time, but the distilling industry in Peoria, having started with one distillery in 1844, had actually outgrown its counterpart in Kentucky by 1880. Whiskey had great value during the Civil War. In the 1790s American distilled spirits (whiskey, gin, rye, bourbon, etc.) In modern terms, those seven gallons are the equivalent of 1.7 bottles of a standard 80-proof liquor per person, per week nearly 90 bottles a year for every adult in the nation. The tradesmen started watering down their whiskey in order to pay less and get more. Liquor in the 19th Century. The plant produced Tom Moore Bourbon in 1879, and Mattingly & Moore Bourbon by 1896. Before 1800, Kentucky whiskey was known as bourbon, but the chances that we would recognize it as bourbon today are very slim indeed. Yet it is undeniable that prohibition has in some respects been signally successful. W. L. Weller (W. L. Weller Bourbon), whose grandfather, Daniel, had owned a distillery in 1800, formed a wholesale whiskey business in 1849, using the slogan Honest whiskey at an honest price.. James E. Pepper built the James E. Pepper Distillery in 1879 and soon produced a whiskey that bore his name. In New York, when a law was passed that made it illegal to sell drinks on Sunday except when they were accompanied by a meal, many hotels took to placing a sandwich on each table. Referred to as a "Tribute to Warehouse H" by LMDW. But these people still had the same amount of money to spend. Since they didnt yet use any kind of crop rotation, the land they were farming was tired and worn out after seven or eight years. Even before the turn of the century, the rum business had been winding down. They have Texas Pecan (my fave, even straight up over rocks), Coffee, Pumpkin Spiced, Honeysuckle . The first liquor to be made in quantity and to have a major impact on the colonies was, in fact, rum. One thing was for sure--there would be major changes in the way the industry conducted itself. WhistlePig is touting this new expression as the " first-ever super-aged North American Single Malt," claiming its 21-year age statement is "more than twice as long as the oldest American Single Malt.". If trouble occurred, perhaps the name Sylph could help secure a show of friendship from the President. It was split into many smaller companies, but some of these companies then joined together again as the Distilling Company of America, and in 1899, that company found itself under federal investigation. Whiskey was most often called "firewater" in the Wild West. But Hay could not believe it, the rebels drink more and worse whiskey than we do, he wrote. Their whiskey would eventually be known as I. W. Harper. When they arrived, they needed whiskey, and distillers rushed to meet the demand. 7 whiskey won a gold medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition of the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis, and the brand would soon be marketed overseas. The battle eventually was won by the blenders, but back on this side of the Atlantic, similar battles were being waged. This bourbon was rested for 7 long years in hand-selected white oak barrels. In the mid-1700s, New England rum sold for around three shillings (0.15) per gallon and was actually used in lieu of currency in what was known as the triangle trade with Africa and the West Indies. Did They Have Whiskey In The 1800S? While all this was going on, the whiskey industry had been making good use of a loophole in the law by selling liquor by mail. The origin of pulque is unknown, but because it has a major . There must have been cases of individuals who stored whiskey and realized that it tasted better as time went by, but nevertheless, the practice of choosing to keep whiskey in the wood so that it would mature didnt become commonplace until sometime during the early- to mid-nineteenth century. In fact, its very unlikely that anyone with the equipment and knowledge required to make whiskey would produce only enough for himself and his family. Whiskeys made at this distillery include Very Old Barton, Ten High, Kentucky Gentleman, Colonel Lee, Tom Moore, and Barclays. Everyone seemed to have it out for the distillers. Trains and Boats and a New Look at Drinking Habits. When whiskey is first distilled it is clear--it looks exactly like vodka. 5 whiskey, and Lem Motlows Peach Brandy shortly after gaining control of the distillery. It is the federated church, and under all circumstances loyal to the church. Mainly because gin was what the bootleggers had decided to make--and they had good reasons: It is relatively simple to take unaged spirits, straight from the still, add a little oil of juniper, and create gin--not London Dry gin, mind you, a distinctive spirit with myriad natural flavors lovingly distilled into it, but a very crude form of what we now call compound gin, a less-expensive substitute. His policies were bitterly opposed by the Republican majority in Congress, which unsuccessfully initiated impeachment proceedings in the Senate, and he was chided for supporting Sewards Folly, the purchase of Alaska (and its yet undiscovered gold) from Russia for $7,200,000. In 1904, the Cascade Distillery (George A. Dickel) was enlarged, making it the largest distillery in the whole of Tennessee at that time. The steam would, in time, heat the mash and vaporize the alcohol. And although the town was originally known as Salem, the settlers soon adopted the name of their benefactor, and Bards Town (Bardstown) was born. proof), five gallons of pure bourbon, one pint of simple syrup (sugar water), one ounce of spirits of nitre, and some burned sugar for coloring. And while they had the governments attention, the distillers took the opportunity to have them look at the fact that paying taxes on unaged whiskey, a product that couldnt yet be sold, was another problem that should be dealt with. This was, after all, the first time that Washington had ever enforced federal law in the United States, and in order to persuade men to fight their fellow countrymen, Washington needed to prove he was a strong leader. Lest you suffer under the misapprehension that Prohibition never reared its ugly head until 1920, you should know that various states introduced the noble experiment, in statewide or local-option form, way before then. Some distilleries installed newer versions of the continuous still so they could produce industrial alcohol, and others simply sent their low-proof alcohol to distilleries that could redistill it until it was strong enough for the war effort. But with the proliferation of whiskey, it's not hard to find bottles that push those . During the post-war period, the distillers were busy either going broke or going for broke. Since there wasnt a great deal in the way of entertainment back then, almost everyone was interested in a dram of whiskey. However, McDonald had a few cards up his sleeve, and although he offered to replace the money in return for immunity (claiming he would get it from the distilleries), he also dropped mention of Grants name to add weight to his plea for clemency. Among its offering is a whiskey, sold in ceramic jars and bottles, that Canale names Old Dominick. After the companys 1934 fiscal year didnt turn out to be as profitable as predicted, its president, Owsley Brown, did the honorable thing and offered half of his stock to his disappointed investors in lieu of a dividend. It was partially due to these efforts that Prohibition would be repealed some 13 years later. I. W. Harper, Old Charter, and Cascade (George A. Dickel) brand names were purchased by Schenley in the late 1930s, and Schenley itself was later acquired by United Distillers. The country could have used a few more men who werent afraid to voice their anti-prohibitionistic voices at the time. And the American whiskey distillers took note. The English were going through a bit of turmoil on their home turf at this same time. Kentucky became especially powerful as they had exceptional corn and limestone-filtered water, plus easy access to rivers, enabling them to get their whiskey on a flatboat to St. Louis or New Orleans. But still, there was grain left over. Russian businessman Peter A. Demens wrote about their nasty business in Sketches of the North American United States, 1895, Several weeks ago the Illinois whiskey trust by hired agents dynamited a distillery in Chicago that refused to enter the combine.. Yes, all sorts of deals were going on throughout this period--distilleries without a medicine license were selling their stocks to those who did, others maintained warehouses where those with licenses could store their whiskey under government supervision, and an unofficial cartel sent Owsley Brown of Brown-Forman to Europe to try to sell over 20,000 barrels of bourbon--a mission that was only partially successful. No one knows the answer. Back in 1850, both Old Pepper and Old Crow whiskeys were made at the same distillery. In fact, according to Mike Veach, archivist at United Distillers, it is more probable that Elijah Craigs name was used to fight the prohibition movement in the late nineteenth century simply because he was a Baptist minister. Further investigations implicated Babcock, Grants personal friend and trusted secretary, in the ring--but Grant refused to believe the evidence. Of course, many respectable bars existed in the pre-Prohibition era, and one such establishment was the Old Waldorf Bar in Manhattan. Whatever the reality of who was drinking more, the Southern populace needed food more than they needed whiskey. Rye, another European grain, was a hardy crop that took root and fared well almost immediately in the middle colonies, and since the Europeans were accustomed to working with rye grain, they turned to it as the next best thing to barley. And whereas Grant had originally claimed to have been grievously betrayed by McDonald, he now said that McDonald was a reliable friend, and cited McDonalds friendship with Babcock as good enough reason to believe him innocent of the charges. John H. Beam (Early Times Bourbon), Davids other son, was co-owner of the Early Times Distillery in 1860. Any search for the first bourbon whiskey should begin with a look at what made Kentucky so darned perfect for such a whiskey to have been created there: Kentucky was an area with plentiful trees (17 varieties of oak are native to the state), pristine, limestone-filtered water, and arable land. How strong was mid-1800s liquor, specifically Whiskey? Skirmishes continued between whiskey-makers and the tax collectors and resulted in a few revenue agents being tarred and feathered and others terrorized into handing over their excise books to the delinquent taxpayers, but the revolt didnt really come to a head until 1794. With its 80-proof variety ranking as one of the top ten best-selling straight whiskeys on the market, this Jim Beam subsidiary has been at it since the 1800s with budget bottles that look like something your old man or his father would imbibe upon. But these were also the days when many people were stricken with a variety of weird and wonderful maladies that needed regular treatment with frequent tots of decent, aged, medicinal whiskey--the product of a loophole in the law that allowed certain distillers to sell whiskey for medicinal use. According to Oscar Getz in Whiskey, An American Pictorial History, by 1860, on a per-capita basis, Americans were drinking over 28 percent more spirits than they had consumed just a decade earlier. one gallon was needed in order to make 64 hand grenades or two 155mm Howitzer shells. Therefore, strong drink is a luxury that takes food from the mouths of all people. Whiskey was rationed during the war, and some brands were discontinued. The Tom Moore Distillery was reopened as the Barton Distillery after Prohibition; it was later taken over by Oscar Getz and is now owned by Barton Brands. Certainly that was not enough time in the wood to soothe its soul completely, but undoubtedly, it was long enough for the whiskey to have gained some color and mellowed sufficiently for quaffers to notice the difference. It is the process that is still used today and distinguishes Tennessee whiskey from bourbon and all other straight American whiskeys. But, in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln was forced to reintroduce the excise tax on whiskey to help pay for the Union war effort. Though that possibility is not unthinkable, its more probable that he was making corn beer. All sorts of ploys were used to make this rotgut at least look good. Black marketeers who had the means to make whiskey simply couldnt restrain themselves. Corn, an indigenous grain, was also cultivated, and although the immigrants werent used to using it to make whiskey, it was gradually introduced to the process in small quantities. Daniel Boone first ventured into the eastern part of what would become Kentucky on a hunting expedition in 1767, and due, in part, to his reports of its bounty, the land soon acquired a somewhat idyllic status. One of the first acts to upset the American drinker, designed to raise money for the crown, was the taxation of the sugar, molasses, and rum being imported *from the any of the colonies or plantations in America, not in the possession of or under the dominion of his Majesty. Although not mentioned by name, the tax was directed specifically at the main competition for British traders in the Caribbean--the merchants of French West Indies. From time immemorial, coopers have been forming barrels over fire, and therefore toasting the staves while they were making them bow. The jugs most often were of the little brown jug how I love thee variety--glazed stoneware in sizes ranging from one to five gallons* 1 pint according to veach. But, in the late 1860s the use of hinged metal molds made it easier to make glass bottles in greater numbers and at far more reasonable prices. By that time, the 95/5 rye whiskey inside of those 20 barrels reached 18 years old. (Although the Kentucky notes do advise that the process be repeated until the whiskey was pure.) Since Eaton is said to have noted that his Lincoln County Process took a long time, some historians have taken his words to mean that he was aging his whiskey as early as 1825. These are mere incidents in its progress. In the years between the Civil War and 1900, the very ways in which whiskey was packaged and marketed were also updated and modernized. The whiskey they drank was simply fuel for the saloons' many other pastimes, whatever those happened to be. The popularity of alcohol in Europe as a medicine was very high. To cap off the Lincoln question, two more instances give insight into his views: In 1854, after Lincoln refused to partake of whiskey on a particular occasion, Stephen Douglas asked him if he were a member of a temperance society. And although Grant allowed Babcock to return to his job at the White House, officials made sure that he was replaced just a few days later. The Ripy brothers opened a distillery in 1905 that would later be known as the Wild Turkey Distillery. They had found that by using only the center cut of their distillate, and returning the end of the run back to the still for redistillation (a method still practiced today), they could remove unwanted bitter flavors from their whiskey. . By the turn of the century, total abstinence was the goal. Also, drinks like beer and whiskey were a lot lower in alcohol content. But still, no hard cash was changing hands. George Garvin Brown (Old Forester) and his half-brother, J. T. S. Brown, went into the wholesale whiskey business in 1870. At the turn of the century, in Britain, blended Scotches were the cause of much controversy when single malt Scotch producers sued certain retailers of blended Scotch for selling an article not of the nature and substance demanded. Blended Scotch, they said, was a silent spirit, whereas a pure malt went down singing hymns. The Distillers Company (a group of blended Scotch producers) fought back, claiming that because single malts contained many more impurities (flavor-giving congeners) than blends, theirs was the purer spirit. Its just an old story, but there could be a grain of truth in it. What he actually said was that although many people were injured by alcohol, they didnt seem to believe that it was from the use of a bad thing, and that they thought it merely from the abuse of a good thing. One such society in New York state allowed its members to choose between swearing off liquor only--giving them ample leeway to get rip-roaring drunk on wine or beer--and signing the pledge to abstain from any and all beverage alcohol--total abstinence. In 1933, National owned approximately 50 percent of all of the whiskey in America along with a number of notable distilleries, such as the Wathen Distillery (Old Grand-Dad, Old Taylor, and Old Crow), the Overholt Distillery (Old Overholt), and three other distilleries that produced straight whiskey. But while all this technology was helping people reach out and touch someone, other events were starting to bode badly for the whiskey men of America. In 1913, the Webb Kenyon Interstate Liquor Act was passed, effectively preventing the traffic of liquor from wet to dry states. Decorative glass and ceramic bottles containing whiskey were a novelty that had been around since the early 1800s. All whiskeys were, once again, whiskeys--some were blended, and some were straight--but the label had to declare which type was in the bottle. Basil Hayden (Old Grand-Dad Bourbon) settled in Kentucky in either 1785 or 1796, depending on the source. Leslie Samuels (Makers Mark) reopened his Deatsville distillery in 1933, and sold T. W. Samuels bourbon (named for the first Samuels to open a commercial distillery). As the U.S. population grew and the 1800's progressed, we see a steady rise in the consumption of American distilled spirits. J. Although we cant say for certain how many people believed their claim as patriotic party do-gooders, evidence points to up to 15 million gallons of whiskey a year, which would have generated a cool $7.5 million in taxes--an extraordinary amount of money at the time--going untaxed between 1870 and 1874. Bourbon vs. Tennessee Whiskey Fast Facts. (This time period remained in effect until the Forand Act of 1958 increased it to 20 years.) They carry the passion for gaming and for spirituous liquors to an excess. Not one to be sidetracked for long, Ms. Nation took to lecturing on the vaudeville circuit to raise money, and traveled to every state in the country, breaking up bars as she went. Beer was probably the first kind of beverage alcohol produced in the early settlements at Jamestown and Plymouth. Most of what there was had been distilled just the previous year or so during the distilling holidays allowed by the government once Repeal was in sight. The manufacture of rum continued to be big business in America right through until 1808 when the U.S. prohibited the importation of slaves from Africa. The idea, in general terms, was to make each industry share the available work among as many people as possible. Distilling wasnt merely a case of, Oh, I have some extra grain, might as well make some whiskey. It was a much bigger decision than that. And at times, the reverse is true--whiskey has affected the nation itself. Along with the rest of the country, the whiskey industry braced itself for more setbacks. The process is partially described by Gerald Carson in The Social History of Bourbon, and although we have added the description of the lid, the still must have looked something like this: A distiller would take a log, split it lengthwise, hollow out each half, and bind it back together. This 100-proof bourbon (and rye) got its 9-year-old age statement back in 2020 after it was removed for a few years . Dating back to 1608, this brand has stood the test of time and not much has changed since the beginning. A popular anecdote has it that a careless cooper accidentally let his staves catch fire and conveniently forgot to tell the distiller who bought the barrel about the mishap. This was typical of the time. Horrible stories about people going blind after drinking bootleg liquor are true. There was plenty of farmland, a demand for liquor, and the strong backs, tenacious characters, and intimate knowledge of the still, made the Scots-Irish perfect people to help carve out a new nation--and lay the foundations for the whiskey industry. Of course, settlers in the islands made their own rum, and that, too, was exported to the American Colonies, ready for immediate consumption. Was it a specific person on a specific date? Tennesseans, however, were not the only whiskey men to use charcoal filtration; one document in Louisvilles Filson Club, written prior to 1820, describes filtering whiskey through layers of white flannel, clean white sand, and pulverized charcoal made from good green wood such as sugar tree hickory. However, the Kentucky distiller who detailed these instructions, used only 18 to 20 inches of charcoal, not even close to the 10-plus feet described in Eatons process. He claimed that the ringleaders had encouraged the spirit of opposition by misrepresentation of the laws calculated to render them odious, and had sought to deter those who might be so disposed from accepting offices through fear of public resentment and of injury to person and property, and to compel those who had accepted such offices by actual violence to surrender or forbear the execution of them. He went on to say that the distillers had been inflicting cruel and humiliating punishments upon private citizens for . With the help of some newspapermen in St. Louis, Bristow was about to crack the ring wide open. 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