My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

[dave ziegler]

Thank You Joe you are a very Good Guy also and I was very glad to meet you and I just had shot of the Phila blended and just like the Old days is a very nice drink for a Blended Wiskey! I enjoyed talking about Kinsey so much I took a walk there this afternoon and went in the Bottle house got some more pictures in there but most everything is sealed and sadly there are two guys that live right arcoss from it that tell everyone including the police they watch it for the owner while they steal all they can they are cutting up all the giant cast Pipes that ran to the Fire tower to sell and it makes me sick. This is what people do that do not understand History or its importance. I am happy for all the stuff I have saved for History and glad it will go on after me! Thanks Again Joe you're a great Guy and Be Well!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
====================================

[dave ziegler]

There will be a couple of Pictures I took Sat in old Building G & F Warehouse 1933 some time soon I sent Jeff the pictures of the Wooden rack and there is one showing the Sprinker Head built in there. Also he will be putting a few more shots on the 1966 Bottle House Thread I took on Sunday one shows a Antifreeze bottle that was heading down to be filled and never got that far still sticking in the line. I will continue to try and get Pictures as I can to save the History of Kinsey Distillery which Operated for 94 Years and was an amazing Place during the Days it was owned by Continental Distilling under Chairman Si Neuman! I was very Happy to be able to talk to Bourbon Joe on Sunday and tell Him some stuff about Publicker & Kinsey and Mr Si Neuman. When I go there I can imagine how it was working there even though it is long closed in my Mind I can picture everything operating back then in 1966 as a 19 yr old Kid fresh out of School. Many Thanks again to Bourbon Joe for the Bottle Of Philadelphia Blended had a shot Sunday Night!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
===================================

[dave ziegler]

Here are the Pictures of The Continental Bottle House I took this weekend.

[dave ziegler]

Here are some pictures I took this weekend in the old 1966 Contiental Bottling House. Note on Picture number 1 the Antifreeze Bottle on the line that never made it to be filled shut down and never started again! Picture 2 a line coming down. Picture 3 there is a Platform that has about 5 or 6 Sainless tanks one labeled Rubbing Alcohol.
There are two more Pictures I want to get on soon.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's most Magnificent Bourbon
=====================================

[dave ziegler]

Walking through the 1966 Bottling house and seeing it the way it is was heart breaking for me it was so modern when I went to work for Kinsey the day it opened in 1966. They had every modern thing possible and they could out bottle just about any other Distiller back then we were all very Proud to work for Continental and to work at such a beautiful plant and it was so Historic I do not think any of Us ever thought It would end up abandon. But once Mr Neuman died it was all down hill and within 10 years was no more! I often wish I could just go back for one day to it as it was to see the 1941 Ford Flat trucks roaring back and forth from the warehouses hauling barrels full of good Whiskey to be dumped and sent to the bottle house to make the wonderful Products we did. When I worked there I felt our whiskeys were the best, I never thought about Buying others, They never said anything but we all were so proud we just went out and bought their products it was a proud feeling to walk into a State store get a Bottle of Old Hickory Look the clerk in the face and say I work for them!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
===================================

[dave ziegler]

Here are some more Pictures taken about three months ago of some of the Old Singer Bottle Machines that are sitting in Building O which when I worked there was the Government Building. These turned out fairly good as there is light coming in through the windows, it is the only one of the 14 Explosion Proof Warehouses to have windows bacause of it being the Government Building!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
=========================================

[dave ziegler]

Another one of the Singer Bottle Machines sitting here these were not sold after the auction and Abandon in Building O.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
==========================================

[dave ziegler]

Here is a Picture last guy on the right of Gus Nirohos who was a major League Player for the New York Yankees. After he retired he managed Minor league teams in the Summer and worked at Kinsey as a Company Man in the Winter he was a very cool guy and a good friend to me as a 19 yr old Kid.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
=========================================

[dave ziegler]

Messed up and did not get the Picture in, Here is Gus with his team mates last one on the right. Gus was really a character when He worked there and used to speed shift the old Plymouth he drove around the Plant, He always had a clean Pint bottle with him for medical reasons he would say and talk about Baseball of course. We talked about the teams he managed in the summer He managed New Port News Minor League in Va. He was always chewing Tobacco, And always playing Jokes on the Mantaince Man Dickie Pheifer. And he loved shooting dice at break. Every Friday we would pile in his car and drive to Spring City to get a beer. he was a good boss and always made sure we got our work done every day. We did not mind as it was fun working there hard work but a fun job and a great Product and a feeling of Pride in working there. And it was a thrill to have a boss who was a former Major League Baseball Player. One time I said Gus why didn't you get to play more on the Yankees. He said Zig when Yogie Beara is number one and Eliston Howard number two you are not going to Play!
Dave Z ----Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
===========================================

[dave ziegler]

One last shot coming from the front part of the Plant looking ahead is building O and then to the right and a long walk past more buildings to the back. Everytime we moved to a different warehouse to rack or dump barrels we would ride on one of the Flat trucks as would take too long to walk.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
=======================================