Some help on AMS Special Reserve 1933

[doubleblank]

There is actually quite a lot of this stll around. Last year I was offered two cases of it (48 bottles) by the estate iof a pharmasist in Florida for approx $50 per bottle. I agree, its a decent whiskey considering its age in wood and time in the bottle. My curent open bottle is Fall 1917-Fall 1932.

Randy

[cowdery]

There was a bottle of that Mt. Vernon rye at the gazebo in year one. I thought it had some nice qualities, but was a little unbalanced, though not quite to the point where I would call it overaged.

[bourbonv]

Gary,
I believe I am right as well, but if you find your reference, it will be interesting in seeing what it does say. I have seen reference to distilling in the early 1920's, but they were usually something written by the marketing department of a distillery.

Dave,
It should be kept in mind that these distilleries may have had a straight whiskey, but they often made a blend as well or at least supplied whiskey for someone elses blend. That whiskey would end up in their warehouse and when prohibition came into effect, that whiskey was just more inventory. By 1933 even a blended whiskey aged for 12 or 13 years would taste very much like a straight whiskey (wood dominate flavors) and could be bottled to meet a flavor profile of a traditionaly straight brand. I am not saying that this was a good thing for the consumer and would not like to see similar things happen now, but prohibition was an unusual time for the distilleries and they did many things that would not be allowed now.

Mike Veach

[Gillman]

I would like to read one day a really detailed history of Prohibition from the vantage point of distilleries. Apparently, the former ATF has extensive records which cover this period, including e.g., filings by distilleries, reports and other such information. Cecil referred to these records in his book but said despite repeated requests he was not afforded access.

Gary

[brendaj]

prohibition was an unusual time for the distilleries and they did many things that would not be allowed now.

That makes me think of local stories about the upper floors of all the large homes on Whiskey Row during Prohibition. Whiskey Row is a block of Third Street where several distillery families (Samuels and Booker Noe's families) lived. I've heard the upper floors of several of those houses were filled with barrels of Bourbon right before (and during) prohibition...

Don't know how true it is, but makes for a good story...
Bj

[bluesbassdad]

. . . despite repeated requests he was not afforded access.

Gary,

Because of the passage of the Freedom of Information Act in the intervening years a researcher today might be more successful. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a gadfly or two among us who knows how to invoke that law.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[Gillman]

You may be right Dave, also, the policy of the current administrators may have changed since the time Sam Cecil authored his book, I don't know.

By the way some online research has disclosed that the July 29, 1929 issue of Time magazine contains an article of almost 300 words on the granting of permits to some distilleries to make "bourbon and rye". The story picturesquely (per the summary) says the distilleries soon will be "steaming" to make the new liquor and without any fear of sanctions since the distilling will be legal to replenish medicinal stocks. Subscribers to Time have access to its online digital archive (available through the the main Time web site). I am not sure I want to subscribe just for this purpose (as I read the small print, you have to take a 6 month subscription to Time which I think can be stopped after, but they debit or bill you first per the terms of the access). However, it occurs to me some members of the board may subscribe to Time. If so they might be minded to pull that article and share its purport with us. That article almost certainly will state whether permits were granted on earlier occasions for a similar purpose.

Gary

[cowdery]

The Greenbrier question made me think of this thread, in that, with the exception of the anamoly that started this discussion, what do we always see with Prohibition-era bottlings? Whiskey that was distilled before 1920 and bottled thereafter. Likewise with the bottles from immediately after repeal. Has anyone ever seen, for example, a bottle that was supposedly "made" in 1926, for example, and bottled in 1936? That's certainly not the typical pattern. So if some replenishment distilling was done prior to 1929, where is that whiskey?