The Frost family of Western Pennsylvania were acclaimed master distillers of Old Monongahela Pure Rye Whiskey in the late 19th and early 20th century. The patriarch of this family of […]
The Corrupt Origins of Pennsylvania’s State Store System
I’ve been seeing a lot of posts expressing disappointment around order cancellations and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s inability to meet the expectations of customers looking to buy whiskey. Well, […]
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 […]
Standards of Identity for Spirits…as of 1939.
The standards of identity were established in under the provisions of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act of 1935. Amendments to that act have been being made ever since. This iteration […]
A Simple Explanation of Grain Farming- Distiller’s Edition.
Every whiskey geek should know how grain is grown. Most don’t. Do you? It occurred to me that there are very few places where whiskey geeks can really learn about […]
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 […]
An Investigation Into Seton Porter, an American Whiskey Icon. (3 Parts)
Influential Men in Whiskey- Seton Porter (Intro) Seton Porter is one of those iconic figures that can not be ignored in American whiskey history. He was so influential that it’s […]
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 […]