More Memories Of Kinsey Distillery

[dave ziegler]

Here it is 29 years since Continental stopped distilling Whiskey and I can only think back to those good old Days working there. Tonight being New Years eve I got out the only remaining bottle of Old Hickory I have and Had a shot after 30 years it is still wonderful Stuff. As much as I like Evan Williams there is something about Old Hickory that just tastes so right! Later tonight I will break out one of the Bottles of their Peanut Lolita that in the years after they when out I found digging in a pile of what was many bottles of all kinds of Liquor that they left behind only to Have Kids start a fire there in the Explosion proof Building it must have been many years before as when I dig through the Piles of Burnt bottles there was no smoke or smell and those old Building were closed and had bad ventilaion. And amazingly the Building did not get harmed it just must have burnt out back then. Every time I walk through memories of the old days get me thinking. Rememering dumping the Barrels in the trouths. It was really weird the one time I went into what was the old Government Building and there in the trouths were bits of Charcol from the last time 29 years ago they had dumped Barrels. It was a very sad thing as I remembered how we would roll them on the trouth get them just right to pour in. I guess no matter what I drink Old Hickory will always be special to me and I hope I can find another Old Bottle to buy sometime soon. Everything just sitting there in ruin and talk of knocking it all down just makes it feel worse. They were always great to work for never gave you a hard time and paid us well to. The other week I talked to one of the few Old timers that worked there He worked there from 1947 till 1967 and told me He worked on the old Kinsey still and about how during the War the Company feed the Mash to Steers out back in the old Pens that used to be there and the Meat went to the Man fighting in WWII. Publicker was very proud to be an American Company and was one of the Key group of Companies helping in the War those Years. Seeing it in Ruin is like watching an old Friend Dying very Hard but nothing you can do. When I walked through the last time I saw the Pine tree I used to mulch and it has grown to about 50 feet high someday they will just go through with the wrecking equipment and knock it all down. But I will keep the memories of the Place and its History as long as I am living. I even have a sign from old Building P hanging on my wall. Found it laying in the weeds brought it home and had it made to hang up. I have a old sprinkler from the 1892 Bottle house and a 100 year old Edison type Light bulb from the old 1892 Bottle house too. My large collection of bottles paper work the sprinkler from old #12 and everything else will some day go to the Getz they will be able to make a section just for Publicker and the History will go on. And It is still my hope to try and write a book about Publicker Industies if I live long enough to do it. I hope all of you have a great New Year I have not written much lately as having been very sick this past year but it is good to sit and write and remember.
As far as I can tell Publicker was the Only Company to make a Liquor that was Peanut and after laying in a Fire Pile for over 20 years it still tastes wonderful.
Dave Z

[T47]

Dave,
Sorry to hear about your poor health, I will pray that 2008 is a healthy year for you so you can sit down and write up some of that great history you share so well.
It's enjoyable to read the story, and it's almost like walking through the building with you.
So does Peanut Liquor taste like liquid Peanut butter? That sounds like an interesting bottle?
Thanks again for sharing.

[dave ziegler]

Hi Todd I can sure use the Prayer last year was a bad one in many ways. The Peanut Lolita has a very nice medium strong taste of Peanuts and It has a very Bourbon flavor to it. I am lucky to have a couple of Bottles it is 53 Proof and just a little sweet but the Whiskey flavor is very pronounced. It is good right out of the bottle or with ice and goes good with a cold Beer too! Continental made 3 Lolitas Amarretto Lolita, Coffee Lolita and the Peanut. I tasted the Amarretto when I worked there but did not know they had made a peanut one. I even called Jacquins a few weeks ago when I read they were looking to make new Products and told them they should try making something like this. I have never seen it made by any other Company but I do not like the other nut type Liquors this is so good you could just sit watch an old movie and sip it all night. It almost seems to have the taste of Old Hickory Bourbon and it may have that in it I will never know but I am sure you would enjoy it. It was terrible seeing thousands of bottles of it burnt and broken. I will try to write as much stuff as I can want to show a picture of what it was like to work there. At Lunch when I was on the yard crew we would go in a door at the bottom of a small hill the Kinsey #12 still stood there and go into a locker room in a tunnel at the bottom to take break, and the old guys would talk about working there during the war and about the Steers out back and giving them their Mash to eat and of Old Jake kinsey when he was still living stopping by to talk to them. They said he was a very nice Man and had lots of stories he would tell them. They are all gone now so I want to just tell as much history as I can while I can do it. I had a big siping glass of the Peanut last night for New Years and it sure was good! I had to totally wash and srub the bottle as it was all dirty and full of ash but when I removed the cap I slowly wiped the treads and they were clean and it was fine. The more I think about it the more I think they may have used Old Hickory in it as the other two types did not have such a nice Whiskey flavor as this does. BE WELL Todd
Dave Z

[T47]

Dave,
Keep it at it! It's interesting to note that there are some popular nut liquors out there using Hazelnuts, Pecans, Walnuts and Macadamia's but it seems there are no Peanut Liquors left to be found, at least with my small search.
I would think that the Getz Museum would enjoy your recollections as well as your artifacts. To often we loose our histories, not even passed on to family. My wife's family has done a good job and keeps a small book of stories about each of the relatives going back many generations, its great to look at from time to time.
Hang in there, and continue to share some stories when your able. Your a bit of living history here!

[dave ziegler]

Hey Todd don't know if you have scene my pictures of Kinsey Distillery, my computer does not make them small enough so I sent them to Jeff from my work computer and he posted them and I have been writing about them as I can. I also did a thread about my bottle collection of Publicker stuff and have sent Jeff the Pictures when he gets them on you will able to see some of my Kinsey / Continental Distilling Bottles and cases of Labeled and unlabeled Bottles 99% of my collection is Publicker and when I am gone it is to go the the Getz! There are Pictures under the Title The Kinsey Fire observation tower which was on the top of one Buildings fire escapes I went back and climbed all the stairs to get Pictures of it and it even had a pipe to put heat up there! There are other pictures too. And then there is a thread More pictures of Kinsey Distillery with lots of Pictures I am writing about the Pictures as I can when I have time and feel good enoungh to write! Hope you see this reply! Even though I worked there for more then five years I never relised that Building Q had this tower and then one day I was looking at an old broshure of the place with an aerial picture and I saw it and had to go back and check it out for History now there are many Pictures of it Continental was very into safety and even had fire hydrents in the woods around the place!
Dave

[dave ziegler]

Here are the last of My Kinsey Pictures from yrs ago. I took a walk the other day and it made me sick and sad to see that people are robbing all the metal they can get out of there. It was suck a nice placewhen i worked there but life has passed it and I by!
1. Looking at what was left of the roof on the Kinsey #10 Rye Building about 3 yrs ago
2. Back of Old Number 12 Still
3. Another roof shot in the old Rye Building Barn
4. One last Shot of the Mash tanks in the old #12 DSP #12 Pa still
5. The iorn Gates leading into the Plant state Linfield Industrial PARK
6. Sunlite shot of the Eexplosion Proof Ware Houses coming from the very back of the plant near the Steer Pens
Thankfully I am feeling alot better then when I started this thread Back in 2007 and Kinsey Is still standing but sadly in Ruin. I will contiue to try and find good shots to take of Kinsey as long as I can to keep its History going for others after it is gone!
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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