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! […]
The Slow Game of Zealotry.
The temperance movement did not spring out of a hole in the ground. It took about 100 years to impose its will upon the United States and upon our Constitution. […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
How Population Density Affected Whiskey Production in 1775
The map below roughly estimates our nation’s population density in 1775. It also gives insight into where those populations were centered. Larger populations consumed more beer and liquor, so brewers […]
The Origins of the Word “Congener”
I was listening to a podcast recently* where the interviewee kept saying “congeners” to describe the specific chemicals produced during fermentation, and I kept thinking- I wonder how many people […]