History – Page 5 – Dram Devotees

Why did Rye Not Survive Prohibition?

That is the big question, after all, isn’t it? Rye is America’s oldest style of whiskey. It was the most valuable and the most desirable American-made whiskey on the […]

The Creation of Concentration Warehouses and Their Impact on the American Whiskey Trade

Posted on: May 25, 2022June 17, 2024American whiskey , Barrels , concentration warehouses , Distillation , Distilleries , History , Production , Prohibition , Reference , Uncategorized , warehouses , Whiskey Bottles , Whiskey Facts , Whiskey laws and regulations , Whiskey Trust

To all those dusty Prohibition-era bottle collectors out there… The labels on those pint bottles from the early 20th century tell a story that is not often told (or explained). […]

The Cullen Bill and the Post-Prohibition Glass Bottle Monopoly

Posted on: May 20, 2022March 24, 2025American whiskey , Barrels , Distilleries , History , Prohibition , Reference , whiskey bottles , Whiskey Bottles , Whiskey Facts , Whiskey laws and regulations , Whiskey Trust

“It was the keg, not the bottle that disappeared during prohibition, the heyday of the bootlegger.”– Hugh J. McMackin, Secretary of the National Wholesale Wine and Liquor Dealers’ Association (July […]

The Whiskey Trust

Posted on: May 15, 2022April 23, 2023American whiskey , Distillation , Distilleries , History , Pre-Prohibition , Production , Prohibition , Reference , Whiskey Facts , Whiskey laws and regulations , Whiskey Trust

When it comes to the history of American whiskey, there is no more important topic than that of the Whiskey Trust. In fact, American whiskey history should probably be divided […]

1917-1920. The Prelude to Prohibition

Posted on: May 6, 2022September 23, 2022American whiskey , History , Pre-Prohibition , Prohibition , Reference , Whiskey laws and regulations

There is no doubt that Prohibition altered the landscape of the liquor industry in innumerable ways. The National Prohibition Act may have become established law in 1920, but other laws […]

Why Are the Insides of Whiskey Barrels Charred?

Posted on: October 31, 2021November 17, 2023Aging Techniques , American whiskey , Barrels , History , Pennsylvania rye whiskey , Production , Reference , Uncategorized , Whiskey Facts , Whiskey Science

Occum’s razor basically proposes that the simplest explanation is most likely the right one…That it’s best to avoid the more elaborate explanation when possible. While the principle doesn’t always hold […]

Pre-Prohibition Distillers of Pennsylvania

Posted on: February 18, 2021September 23, 2022American whiskey , Distillation , Distilleries , History , PA Local distilleries , Pennsylvania rye whiskey , Production , Prohibition , Reference , Rye , Stills , Uncategorized

I have spent the last few years researching and cataloging information on nearly 200 distilleries that produced rye whiskey across Pennsylvania before 1920. The information about Pennsylvania’s distilling history along […]

A GMO Argument

Posted on: September 30, 2017October 15, 2024Corn , farming , History

I’ve been seeing a lot of articles lately about the use of GMO and non-GMO corn. I believe the conversation around GMOs is usually a bit off the mark. (one […]

MGP Ingredients- The Distillery Prohibition Did Not Destroy

Posted on: June 11, 2017June 11, 2017American whiskey , Distilleries , History , Non Distiller Producers , Prohibition , Reference , Rye

If you’re tasting a lot of whiskeys and considering where they come from, you’ll have already become familiar with MGP (Midwest Grain Products) Ingredients. In most cases, you’ll have read […]

Potential in Pennsylvania

Posted on: February 28, 2017February 28, 2017Corn , craft whiskey , farming , History , Reference

Picture a seed in your mind. It’s small. Even sitting in the palm of your hand, it doesn’t seem like much. But for all its unassuming nature, make no mistake, […]