Greenbrier whiskey questions!!!

[sasquacho]

Hi my name is Jeff and I'm brand new to this site. My question is this.

I've come into possession of a 1913 Kentucky Greenbrier 100 proof Whiskey bottle. It's a full pint. On the top is says "There is none better". It also says on the bottom Bottled in Bond Greenbrier Distillery Co. It's never been opened either. I was just interested in the value of somthing like this taking into the fact that this bottle was made before prohibition and that it's never been opened. Thanks a lot if any of you have any information pertaining to it's value.

-Jeff

[TNbourbon]

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=42832&postcount=1

[bluesbassdad]

Tim,

How did you get the post at the other end of your link to show up with the legend "View Single Post"?

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[cowdery]

As the link to which Tim sent you says, the more information you give us, the more information we can give you. You mentioned one date but if you know one you probably know both ("made" and "bottled").

My guess is that what you have is whiskey distilled in 1913 and bottled during Prohibition. These Prohibition-era pints are pretty common. They usually come in a box or tin. The fact that it is Greenbrier doesn't make it any more or less desirable. If, instead, what you have was bottled in 1913, that makes it a little more rare, though not necessarily more valuable.

On eBay, you might get a couple hundred dollars for it.

[sasquacho]

This bottle was made in the in spring of 1913 and bottled in the spring of 1924

[sasquacho]

i also had another question. the whiskey bottle looks like some of it has evaporated...is this common. It's either evaporated of fermented...if that's the same thing i dunno.

[cowdery]

What you have is a bottle of Prohibition-era "medicinal whiskey." Considering how hard it supposedly was to get whiskey during Prohibition, it's surprising how much of this there is about.

Yes, it probably has evaporated. That is common and likely.

Not fermented. No relationship between those two processes and, without going into it (you can look it up), you can't ferment a distilled spirit.

[sasquacho]

do you know of any phone numbers of other websites i can go to to find out how much this stuff is worth...and how come there is so much of it??? thanks for all your help

jeff

[Nebraska]

Hey Jeff,

welcome to our group. You have a fun and unique bottle of bourbon that has been great to share with the group.

#1 You're not going to get rich off any one bottle of bourbon.

#2 This is a group of people that appreciates bourbon and most of what we purchase gets opened and savored.

#3 If you are interested in the bottle and not the group, Ebay it and you will probably have the best results.

Chuck and the others are sharing a wealth of information, but it may not be what you're looking for. That doesn't mean that it shouldn't be appreciated.

[sasquacho]

#1 I know im not going to get rich

#2 I open and savor many a bourbon bottles as you do

#3 I was here looking for information and insight from others about my unique bottle, i'm not interested in just the money!!! I appreciate the information that chuck and tim have given me, what makes you think i haven't. I appreciate my whiskey too, i don't take it for granted lol!

Thanks Nebraska

[Nebraska]

my apologies. I can appreciate wanting to know as much as you can about your bottle. It is fun to know the history. It just seemed for a moment to me that you were more interested in price than history. I apparently COMPLETELY misread what you were asking. Again my apologies.

[cowdery]

do you know of any phone numbers of other websites i can go to to find out how much this stuff is worth...and how come there is so much of it??? thanks for all your help

jeff

I'd say we've pretty much answered this. As the "sticky" post says, there are some things, old coins are a good example, for which there is an active secondary market, people keep track of the sales, and you can basically look it up in a book...a 1934 nickel is worth $x. There simply is no such source for information about American whiskey. Anyone who says they can apraise a bottle of old American whiskey for you is lying. It can't be done beyond the information you've already been given.

As for "phone numbers of other websites," you won't find any group of people who knows more about this stuff than the group you have right here. If you find anyone who knows more, please tell us about them.

As for why there is so much prohibition-era medicinal whiskey about, all one can do is speculate. Perhaps when people had an opportunity to get a bottle they did, with the idea that they would keep it until they needed it. Perhaps people who thought Prohibition would last forever thought there would never be real bourbon made again and thought those bottles would become very valuable. All we know for sure is that whiskey bottled before 1920 shows up very rarely, while whiskey bottled between 1920 and 1933 shows up all the time. Usually it's Old Taylor, but there is plenty of Greenbrier around too.

[sasquacho]

Ya that explains it. Hell, if i thought that would be the last whiskey i could ever buy again, i would buy tons of the stuff. I really appreciate all your time in helping me understand what i have. No problamo nebraska, all is well. Once again thanks cowdry, ttyl~!:grin: