My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

[dave ziegler]

Here are some more Kinsey Distillery Pictures some taken a few years after it was Abandoned others through the years
1.Here in late 1990's sits an old Caddilac converted with a flat bed, looks like one Dickie would have done that to and then kept it going
2. Old Mack B-61 sitting in front of the front water tower, I actualy found the motor to put in it stored in one of the warehouses, of course It never went in
3. Shot I took last year from Warehouse Q Fire Oberservation tower Building on the roof
4. Mid 1990's an old Yoohoo trailer that sat in front of the bottle house for years
5. Another roof shot the drains not working gives the roof a look like a river
6. an old Truck in the mid 1990's sits near the then fire house area and building to the right of the truck
7. Mack Truck and trailer sat near the front barns for years
8. This is my best shot of the Mash tanks better then the other one the tank on the far left you just see the rim is the one the fish were in, we had our time clock along the wall to the left there all torn down in 2002
9. Another shot of the #12 Still buildings 2002
10. Another shot on the roof this one looks like a lake
11. This roof shot gives the feeling of an Island in the middle of this explosion prrof warehouse
12. Kinsey Plant Maintance Building which was an old Barn
13. Inside the #10 still rye building when it still had a roof
14. Front Water tower
15, Barn down by the Kinsey Home near the river still standing & Gas Pump 2004 barn fell down now and someone stole the old Sinclair Pump
16. Inside Building O warehouse behind Government offices note windows which none of the other Warehouses had
17. #10 Rye Building
18. Smoke stack from Boiler room 2002
I love letting everyone see these pictures so they can see what a large and amazing Place in its day The Kinsey Distillery Was. In Si Neumans words a beautiful plant along the river on a Peninsual. "Quick note" I also wrote more about Charlie Sipler and stuff on page 9 before this during the morning!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
-------========================-------

[dave ziegler]

Here are three pictures of a 1941 Ford Truck I saw at the showtoday that looks exactly like the ones we used at Kinsey!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
---------======================---------

[dave ziegler]

Here are three pictures of a 1941 Ford Truck I saw at the showtoday that looks exactly like the ones we used at Kinsey!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
---------======================---------

When I worked at Kinsey we had 3 of these old 1941 Ford Flat trucks they had come up from down south just before the war I think. They had a plate on them that said sold by Trucksell and and state down south. Someone had said they had a logging operation down there at one time, perhaps for wood for their barrels. They also had a couple of Plymouth the 1951 Ford Pickup we used. And there was charlies home made buggy and other ones . I Remember the 1941 trucks as they were neat old things even beat up they ran good and did not quit. Flat heads had a sound of their own when you cranked them up. They were running back and forth all day every day hauling Barrels to be dumped. We would go to some of the warehouses where there were no racks and roll barrels on the trucks to take them to the nearest warehouse that had a trough. I remeber Dickie going nuts one day when he saw someone had lost the gas cap on one and put a rag in. He quickly brought a cap, and lucky the fums did not catch it on fire but you always had some guys who did not have sense. I always loved the sound of the old Ford Motors roaring and they would crank them through all the gears with only a wood block holding the barrels.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's most Magnificent Bourbon
---------======================---------

[dave ziegler]

Another thing I remember when I started at Kinsey was that they were re-doing some of the Explosion proof warehouse's roofs. This required a type of Elevator like you use for bales of Hay with a belt with flaps to carry Stone up to the top and also Pitch to make tar to put on the stones. Each roof had big drains on the top and that is why the roof pictures I have taken show water laying as the drains are blocked and the water is seeping into the buildings. These Buildings are so stong it still amazes me. One that the kids got on fire years ago is hardly harmed by it. And Even the worse of these would make an amazing Condo if someone would put some money and effort into it. I have had the thought many a time of How they could have made the Front Buildings into a living History Place, and the Explosion proof Warehouses could have been made into apartments & Condo's. They could have called it the Condo's At the Kinsey Distillery. The highway in there is in better shape then are roads, Cement with 1 inch thick rods in it. How many times I wished I was rich and could have done that with it. But since that can't be done I will keep the memories going through writting about it. When you go into the buildings it is always so cool and Pleasant in them. The One foot thick Cement terricota & Brick make them very nice in hot weather. If you were working in one of them in Hot weather you hated to come out!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
---------======================---------

[dave ziegler]

One of my crazy Memories was of the One Guy Named Jim it would never fail he would get a sandwich or crackers and an A treat Soda at break and go sit on the toilet to eat while he went we told him he was nuts he would say I'm getting two things done at once. Another thing I always was amazed watching the Coopers fixing the Barrels stopping leaks ect. I tried it and found it to be the hardest job in the plant and also one of the best paying also but being Left Handed I did not do good on it. Ludy later gave me my Hand sledge and Coopers Hammer for giving it a try which I still have with my collection of Stuff from there!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
----------=====================--------

[dave ziegler]

Lately I have been enjoying my Pint Bottle of Kinsey Silver from 1966 the year I started there. I had never had the Kinsey Blends till Ludy gave me this bottle when I visited him. For a Blended Whiskey I find it to be of High quality and a very nice Pour 80 Proof 35 % Straight 65 % Spirits. For the most part everything that Continental made was good drinking. Their Bottle house then was so modern back in 1966 and the Old Bigler street one was converted to industrial Alcohol Bottling later. The Bottle of Kinsey Silver was from the first year of the Linfield Bottle house and the year I started there in the fall! The Kinsey Slogon was "Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey" and the early Embossed Bottles Had that on them. I am still amazed that in fall 1933 at 75 yrs old Jacob G Kinsey would reopen and run the distillery till he was 81 yrs old and sold it in an auction to pay bills. He lived to be 94 yrs old and the Plant operated for exactly 94 yrs 1892 - 1986.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
----------=====================---------

[dave ziegler]

Tonight I am just sitting here thinking about the old days at Kinsey and the old friends mostly gone now. I sat down here and poured out a shot of the Old Hickory that Kurt was kind enough to give me and it is so smooth and good that no matter what other Whiskeys I try I just like the Old Hickory The Best. I only hope that I can find another Bottle before I finish this one off! After 30 yrs at almost 61 yrs old I do not have another 30 yrs to look. It was for its price truely a great bargan back then it is filled with flavor and hints of wood, a little sweet but with a great feel in your mouth and a great smell too! it is all that I remember way back when I was a 19 yr old Kid and my Boss Ben Myers got me a 1/2 Pint from a barrel that was for old Hickory 80 proof back then. I offten think what would it be like to go back for a few minutes and have a shot of Old Hickory with all the old timers I knew then. And See Old Charlie come roaring out of the old grain building now empty and abandon. To talk to Dickie about the Old Trucks and all the work He had to do to keep them going. To be able now after all these years to thank Frank for fixing my 1963 Chevy for nothing while I worked as he did it to help me knowing I did not have alot of money. To see Walt Working on the Kinsey Benifit Club tickets to help those that needed help. To talk Baseball with Gus again and just to be even more thankful to have my job there and to be doing something I enjoyed, Loved to make a living. These are thoughts that are written for those who are just starting out don't let Life pass you by Be glad for what you have, enjoy each day God gives you and be glad for your friends and thank those who help you. I was once 19 yrs old it is long gone but I remember and I was and am thankful for those great days and for Kinsey Distilling to me "the MOST BEAUTIFUL DISTILLERY THERE EVER WAS"!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey
-------------------------------------------------

[dave ziegler]

One of the things I loved when I worked at Kinsey was the Heavy smell of Whiskey when you would walk into the warehouses after they were closed for many days. The Air would be blue with vapor near the roof and if you had sinus it would open right up for you. We had old slow lifts to bring barrels down from the racks in the explosion proof warehouses. The power cord had a large sealed bayonet plug. Everything as I have said was the best explosion proof product you could get then. We never had any fires in the plant and I never remember anyone getting hurt bad. Days went by fast and if it was hot outside working in the warehouse was a great thing they were so cool. When I get in one of the Buildings after all those years gone by and can still smell whiskey it gives me great Pleasure and brings these memories back! I even saw one of the old lifts sitting there like it was waiting to go back to work. I offten wonder how many Barrels did we roll in a week? How many Gallons did we dump? Never thought about it then. I remember seeing the heads on some old full barrels in warehouse E & D they were the early 1950's and I think these were the barrels used for the 20 yr old Aniversary Old Hickory Bourbon as they were bourbon barrels.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
----------=====================--------

[dave ziegler]

The day before Christmas in 1969 Was an amazing day! People were drinking as soon as they rang in that day. Someone gave me a Pint which I just kept in my Pocket as I wanted to watch what people would do. We had been very busy the Holiday season and rail car after rail car was filled with Whiskeys for out west and across the USA! Trucks were lining up all through Sept, Oct and Nov, mid Dec. Now I guess everyone was caught up in how good business had been as I never saw so many people drinking as I did that Dec. By 10:00-AM half the people in the Plant were lit up singing just plain drinking. I watched and marveled. John the fellow I got Whiskey for was drunk by 10:00 AM and started drinking again after Lunch. Nobody was doing much and no orders were going out so even the Government Guys were drinking. Break time people were just smiling and enjoying the day. Amazingly No One got hurt and no one drove drunk and everything was fine when we came back after the Holiday. Even the Security guy had drank one to many and leaned out of the box and said Have a good Christmas in a sort of Half Drunk way! I never saw it happen to this amount again but no one got in trouble and no one ever said anything about it. I was told they were Partying in the Bottle house and had brought in party foods also. So 1969 was a very Good Year for the Kinsey Distillery Division of Continental Distilling!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
========================================

[dave ziegler]

I have been thinking allot about Publicker and how they went from a company that had 5,000 employees to gone and the biggest reason was they lost their Way. Once Si Neuman Died they went on distilling and Bottling Whiskeys for almost 3 years and along the way got bad people running it. Also they had people out to make some money at all costs by getting on the Board and getting them to leave the Drinking Alcohol Bussiness. Then of all things leading to the end was the fact that the Plant in Phila most likely needed much updating in the changing times and after Mr Neuman died No one thought about that till it would have cost to much I guess. But to just shut down a 70 Million Gal a year Operation and sell it for 3 Million which was like giving it away with the promise of it being cleaned up, was a very bad mistake as Overland Wrecking had barely started and caught the place on fire and went into bankrupesy and of course Publicker had to pay then and that took allot of what little capital they had. To think that one day they just told people start shutting down and closing 40 arce's of plant and two stills and just go try to get in another Bussiness shows that the people who bought their way on to the Board after Mr Neumans death did not have a clue! From 1913 till 1985 Publicker was a great company started by Harry Publicker and made into a giant of a company by the skilled work of Si Neuman and his team and for it to end in such a sad way still bothers me. Harry Publicker had began the American dream and many people 5,000 employee's had been blessed for all those years and at Si Neuman Harrys son inlaws death for two or three outsiders to get control and ruin it all is one of the sadest stories in the History of Industry. I will alway wonder what would have happened if Mr Neuman had not passed. I think as he had always done he would have thought big and rebuilt the Phila Plant and built a new still at Kinsey and that it would still be running today had he been there to find the right people to keep it going! He had always had them keep the old #12 Still building complete and safe and there had been lots of talk that his next move was to build a brand new #12 still and expand everything. he would have done it big no retreating onward and upward! Mr Neuman was a true Genius and the driving Force that kept Publicker together.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
----------------------------------------------