My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

[Jono]

Today you would be zipping employees around in golf carts / ATVs etc.

I can't believe the restrooms were so limited on a plant that size....again, today it would probably have to meet different code. Sometimes, when you gotta go you gotta go....and a 1/2 mi walk may have been really inconvenient.

I was thinking the employees would have access to a used vehicle just for transportation to and from their particular station...but it seems you are saying that any driving on the site required a particular employee with the proper pay grade. Was that a union (if it was a union plant?) rule?

[dave ziegler]

A Union pay rate thing on the Big trucks and the fact they were trying to keep them from getting anymore ruined as possible and company people had their own cars which they drove all the time from place to place. I never had much trouble if I had to take a leak we would go out behind the building it was for the other it was hard.

They only ever had cars when they found ones cheap to buy from local people instead of them going to the Junk yard. And Old Dickie Phiefer would keep them running even putting used engines in them!
Dave Z
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It seems All the Nicest People drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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[lohssanami]

Dave...I found a bottle of Old Hickory today at an old liquor store. I can't be sure of the liquid inside since the tax stamp is no longer on the bottle, but it was on the shelf next to an Old Taylor I picked up with the tax stamp intact.

Do you remember the Flask Bottle label?

The bottom says 12 65 so I assume it was bottled in 1965, and it says Bottled by Old Hickory Distillers Co. Phila. PA, Lemont, ILL. at the bottom on the front label.

[dave ziegler]

I remember that Label well it was bottled in Philadelphia at our Bigler Street Bottle house the last year when The Linfield Bottle house was getting ready to open , or It may be one bottled for your area out west at Our Lemont IL Bottle House. When we opened Linfield the Labels for a few yrs said Linfield Pa. / Lemont IL. We used that type of bottle and cap in the early 1960's till thge start of the 1970's.

What a wonderful thing to Find I wish these lousy Stores here had some Dusties but we are at the Mercy of The PLCB! _____BE WELL_________ PS I;m sure its fine If it were here I would have it open already!!!

Congrats on your Find and if you have any other questions let me Know I love helping with anything to do with Continental Distilling.
Dave Z
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It Seems All the nicest people drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

Today I am thinking about all the different Bourbons that we made all good and most different from each other. Old Hickory was always our Most Famous one but Our Hallers County Fair and County Fair BIB were a very Big seller back then also. But we had lots of others such as Planters Club and Planters Club Kentucky Bourbon. Also Doughertys and Country Gentilmen. Way back we made a sweep stakes Straight Whiskey and Hallers De Luxe Striaght Bourbon and Red Crown Bourbon for A&P Stores!

Another real big seller was our Charter Oak Bourbon & BIB Bourbon. The last few years we distilled Whiskey we also had the Stillbrook and Bourbon Supreme Labels and made those fine Bourbons too. There are more but I always seem to forget some. There was very little in Spirits that we did not produce and when I find something we made once in a great while, I am always pleased with it. Our products were made with Quality and care.

For anyone who has ever seen one of our early Bottles the Company Crest has this written on it

1. Skill-2.Purity-3. Quality

I will always be proud to have worked at Kinsey for Continental and remembering the People and the great Whiskeys!
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

Another thing I want to talk about this morning is that when I was at the Plant 6 weeks ago or so when I found those two 1/2 pint bottles of Scotch I also found an Old Blue print for the grain buildings & DSP-PA-12.
The Blue print is titled the Potato Project and talks of setting things up for Potato Distillation! It is dated at about the beginning of WWII and I guess they were thinking about distilling Potato's for the War effort! When I get a chance I will Post a picture of the Blue print it is weak and I want to mount it to something to preserve it. I also want to ask Ludy about this as he worked there then and might be able to give me some inside information on this idea.

It seems whenever I think I am running out of History it just keeps coming to me. I also am looking forward to meeting the Man who was a top Ex for Publicker this Spring I will then have tons of History, Pictures and Whiskey Information!
Dave Z
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It Seems All the Nicest people drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon
---------------------------------------------------------

[dave ziegler]

Last night I called Ludy and asked him about the Kinsey Potato Project that was on the old Blue print I have. He did remember it but did not remember a lot after all these yrs from 1941 he told Me it never ended up being done as they decided to stick to doing that in Phila at DSP-Pa-1
It was something They had thought might help even more in the war effort but my and Ludy's guess was that the Grain buildings were so old that it was not cost worthy.

During the war years Dsp-Pa-12 ran daily at least 2 shifts and sometimes 3 shifts. The mash was taken to the steers every day. Publicker was one of the Most Important Distiller's during the War.

It always seems so imposible to me that they are long gone but their History is an amazing one filled with many inovations and there are still many of their Pattens being used today and Ideas.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

Last Night I brought out my Bottle of Mount Vernon Straight Rye Whiskey BIB distilled 1936 Bottled 1942. Everytime I drink some of it I go back to the Rye Whiskey we made at Kinsey. It is of the Flavor smell and feel in your Mouth of Our Own famous Rye Rittenhouse Rye.

I have never till I found this Old Bottle Found anything Like the Rye of that time. Todays Ryes while being Nice can not compare to those back then. It is 100 Proof BIB and yet rolls down very smooth no Water needed! Full flavor but not hard or harsh going down.

There is a big difference and I would think that any old timers would say the same thing these older Ryes were just Better. Rittenhouse Rye was the First Whiskey I ever drank and it amazed me the first time I had it. I liked it very much like eating Liquid Rye bread.

I also think there is a difference in todays Bourbons and there are many awesome Bourbons Today but they are different from Old Hickory I am not saying any are better of new or old I am saying very much different.
Old Hickory was a happening in your Mouth every sip! It just had flavors coming all through your Mouth with every Shot.

Was it The Mash Bill, and or Our Water the grain I do not know but in a side by side they are very different one from another! And For Me there is just something great about a shot of Old Hickory 86Pf-10 yr.

There are so many times I wish I could go back in time and get some bottles to put away but it is gone but not forgotten.
Dave Z
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Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey For Unhurried Moments
Kinsey The Richest Of All Whiskeys
Join The Swing To Kinsey
Kinsey The Genial Gin
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[Jono]

I wonder if the rye variety has changed with very subtle differences.

[dave ziegler]

All I can say is The Rye Of Today is nothing like the Post Prohibition well aged Rye of the Old days! It just has flavor that seems to jump around in your Mouth!

The Rye I drank back in 1966 at Kinsey was out of this world Good and this Old Mount Vernon Bottle from the 1930's-40's is so Dam good its hard to believe. Wish I had 10 bottles of it!
Dave Z
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Philadelphia The Heritage Whiskey
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