Pre-Prohibition - Dram Devotees

A History of E.H. Taylor, Jr.

The following is a history in 7 parts. It covers E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s life before 1872. Part 1- Who was Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr.? Part 2- Young Edmund in Frankfort, […]

Park & Tilford

Posted on: August 17, 2026August 17, 2026American whiskey , famous whiskey brand , History , Influential men in whiskey , Liquor stores , Non Distiller Producers , Pennsylvania rye whiskey , Post-Prohibition , Pre-Prohibition , Prohibition , Reference

Part 1- Who Were Park & Tilford? If Park & Tilford had its own show on HBO, it would probably be called “Gilded Age Grocers”- where everyone smelled of French […]

How did Lew Rosenstiel Come to be a Founding Member of Schenley?

Posted on: July 24, 2026American whiskey , Cincinnati , History , Influential men in whiskey , Pre-Prohibition , Reference

The following are posts from my @AmericanWhiskeyHistory page on Facebook. The posts have been separated into 2 parts here, and follow up posts are forthcoming. Part 1- Introduction Most whiskey […]

W.A. Haller & Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Posted on: July 20, 2026Blends , famous whiskey brand , History , Influential men in whiskey , Non Distiller Producers , Pennsylvania rye whiskey , Post-Prohibition , Pre-Prohibition , Prohibition , rectifiers , Reference

Collectors of antique whiskeys are familiar with the name W.A. Haller & Co., mostly due to the company’s “County Fair” brand of bourbon whiskey. Haller’s County Fair bourbon was bottled […]

Whiskey as a Political Football in 1888.

Posted on: March 7, 2026March 8, 2026American whiskey , History , Pre-Prohibition , whiskey and culture , whiskey politics

It is always interesting to read about the heavy influence that whiskey has had on politics throughout history. Whether it was the forces of temperance or the owners of distilleries, […]

The Stitzel Distilleries: From 1872 to Stitzel-Weller…in 9 parts.

Posted on: February 1, 2026February 2, 2026American whiskey , Bourbon , Distilleries , famous whiskey brand , History , Influential men in whiskey , Master Distiller , Pre-Prohibition , Prohibition , Reference , Whiskey Facts

The following blog contains a study of the Stitzel distilleries and the men behind them. Each of the 9 separate parts copied below were written in May and June of […]

Cyrus Noble’s Three Sworn Enemies.

Posted on: November 24, 2025November 24, 2025advertising , American whiskey , Blends , Bourbon , famous whiskey brand , History , Pre-Prohibition , Wild West

When you read this newspaper ad from 1913, your first thought might be, “Well, this person hates whiskey and promotes the temperance movement.” But oddly enough, it’s a sales ad […]

Some Much Needed Perspective: Bourbon Vs. Rye Whiskey Distilleries.

Posted on: November 24, 2025Bourbon , Distilleries , History , Pennsylvania , Pre-Prohibition , Rye , Whiskey Facts

(This is a post from my Facebook page, @AmericanWhiskeyHistory, December 9, 2022. But my thoughts have not changed on the subject!) I need to say this because I’m SOOOO tired […]

The Distilleries of Somerset County, Pennsylvania

Posted on: November 23, 2025American whiskey , Distilleries , History , Maryland Rye , Pennsylvania , Pennsylvania rye whiskey , Pre-Prohibition , rectifiers , Rye , Uncategorized , whiskey bottles

So much of Pennsylvania’s distilling history has been lost to time. One glaring example of forgotten history has been Somerset County’s distilleries, once well-known in the whiskey trade for their […]

“Jug Towns”

Posted on: November 20, 2025November 20, 2025advertising , American whiskey , early distillers , History , Packaging , Pre-Prohibition

Years ago, I was reading an old history book which referenced “jug towns.” It explained that jug towns were essentially early factory towns. These scattered settlements sprang up around clay […]