McGinnis Pure Rye 1903 - UNOPENED

[Noobie]

Hello & thank you for the read,

I need some advice on what to do with a bottle of Whiskey that was my Grandfathers. Not sure what it is worth, nor how to get it to a collector who would give it a good home (or if I should just drink it :-).

It is an unopened Quart of McGinnis Pure Rye Whiskey. The front label reads "McGinnis Pure Rye Whiskey, Bottled in Bond, at the Distillery, A. McGinnis Co Distillery, District of Maryland, Baltimore MD". The label looks dirty/old, but pretty much in tact.

The tax stamp covering the cork reads "One Quart, Distillery 28, State of Maryland, A. McGinnis Co, Tax Paid, Bottled in Bond, 46249, Bottled Spring 1909, Made Spring 1903, Proof 100". The tax stamp's edges are worn away in some places, but still on the bottle & in tact.

Any tips/suggestions on what I should do with this quart would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Stan (Tampa, FL, USA)

[funknik]

Drink it! That's the best way to find out what it's worth.

[smokinjoe]

Thank you for sharing a picture of your bottle. It certainly looks interesting. I applaud your desire to find a good home for it. I would recommend that you donate it to the Getz Whiskey Museum in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Getz is a wonderful resource of American whiskey history, and I believe that they would be most appreciative to receive such a nice donation. You can reach them at 502/348-2999. In this way, you'll find the bottle a good home, and also provide an opportunity for American whiskey enthusiasts, like those on this board, to enjoy viewing it in the future.

Cheers!

[p_elliott]

Drink it!! It will probably be the best whiskey you'll ever have. That cork is probably going to disintegrate when you try and take it out. So you'll need to strain the whiskey through a coffee filter if it does and put it in another bottle or clean that bottle out and pour the whiskey back and put a new cork in it.

[unclebunk]

Thank you for sharing a picture of your bottle. It certainly looks interesting. I applaud your desire to find a good home for it. I would recommend that you donate it to the Getz Whiskey Museum in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Getz is a wonderful resource of American whiskey history, and I believe that they would be most appreciative to receive such a nice donation. You can reach them at 502/348-2999. In this way, you'll find the bottle a good home, and also provide an opportunity for American whiskey enthusiasts, like those on this board, to enjoy viewing it in the future.

Drink it!! It will probably be the best whiskey you'll ever have. That cork is probably going to disintegrate when you try and take it out. So you'll need to strain the whiskey through a coffee filter if it does and put it in another bottle or clean that bottle out and pour the whiskey back and put a new cork in it.

Both good suggestions. It's a very interesting bottle but I wouldn't sell it. You won't get much for it due to its rough condition and then you'll be out something that your grandfather felt was important enough to keep for all these years. The museum would no doubt love to have it, and that would ensure that your grandfather's bottle has a permanent home to be appreciated for many years to come. On the other hand, it's damn tempting to crack it open and drink it, but you'll likely run into cork problems as mentioned. Or, you could drink it and then donate the empty bottle to the museum. Decisions, decisions...

[Josh]

Looks worthless to me. Throw it out. Also see these threads:
http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...ad.php?t=13163
http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...nt.php?f=9&a=3

[Noobie]

Thanks all for the feedback & info. I might try to find someone that is a decendant of Arthur McGinnis & get it to them, or maybe some historical society near Carrollton, MD where the distillery was. Doesn't seem to be a big market for it, so that might be the best route. I''m not a serious drinker, so I don't feel that I'd do it justice drinking it myself.

It has been interesting learning some of the history behind McGinnis though - seems there was a large robbery of the distillery in January 1926 (involving a murder) :

http://hscc.carr.org/research/yester...998/980308.htm
http://hscc.carr.org/research/yester...998/980315.htm

Then they went out of business by June of that same year (see attached article).