DSP of the Stone Castle

[Rughi]

In this thread (http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?p=102815#post102815), Post 6, Mike Veach wrote:



After prohibition, many distilleries paid to get a new number assigned to the distillery because many of the smaller numbers were available again. That is how Belmont and Astor (Bernheim now) became DSP 1 and DSP 2. Much more impresive numbers than the Two-hundred something number they had before prohibition.
Mike Veach

This reminded me of an unresolved question asked many times of why Cecil lists the Old Taylor Stone Castle as DSP 53, and pre-pro Old Taylor bottles state DSP 53, yet every post-war bottle I've seen states DSP 19.

Is it perhaps that the designation DSP 19 had already been owned by AMS (later ND) and they later attributed the lower numbered 19 to Old Taylor during their ownership?

Roger

[bourbonv]

Roger,
That distillery has an interesting history. It was sold during prohibition to new owners under the provision that no distilling would be done there for wt least 20 years. Prohibition end shortly thereafter and National wanted to buy the distillery site for the Old Taylor brand, but first they had to break that provision of the deed. They did so of course and opened the distillery and I would assume that is when they went with the DSP 19 probably because of the same reasons that Bernheim became DSP1 and DSP 2. I would also assume Withrow went back to the historic number for historic reasons. He could have kept DSP 19 if he had wanted to do so.

Mike Veach