My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

[Jono]

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/prod...9209-page.html

http://business.highbeam.com/company...istilling-corp

Rockefeller Center
> listed as a "chemical company" "manufacturing" "distilling equipment"

[dave ziegler]

Hi Jono from what I can see The Continental name went separate ways from the Publicker Name which became Publicard its last years. Both Companies had just a couple of People working for them and I could never get any thing much out of the Continental name after they closed Publicker in Phila. But I do know that for a little bit they called the company Publicker Distillers at the end and I have whiskey cases with that on them.

, My Best guess was someone bought the Continental name and does small time Distilling equipment however looking on the web both companies were in the same place so I guess the same person did have them both. Publicker for awhile till they were forced to pay for the cleanup in Phila after the Company they sold the site to for next to nothing with legal written promises for them to clean it up blew the place up and went into Bankrupsy. While That was going on Publicker Industries bought a Flashlight company, Bright Star Flash light Company and then sold it when they had to pay for the Cleanup.

They Then got into the smart card Bussiness and changed their name to Publicard. In 2007 they left the stock market and have come out of Bankruptsy and I forgoten what they are called now but it is strange name.

They have about two employees and the Chairman when they were Publicard was Antonio L. Delise.

Since It was also listed in Rockafeller Plaza they most likely have been run by the same Man as two different small not doing Much Companies.

All I know is what a sad thing when Mr Neuman died and the People who took over by Hostel takeover just destroyed the compy by leaving the Distilled Spirits bussiness and the Medical parts of the Industrial Alcohol bussiness and tried to Be P&G which we all know what happen it ended and 5000 people lost their jobs. When Si Neuman died Publicker / Continental Distilling / Kinsey all died with him!

I was over there about two weeks ago and it breaks my heart to see what Vandels do to the place ripping doors off cuting Pipes smashing things. Kinsey Distillery died when Si Neuman died and it can never return.

Yet in my Mind I can still See Nurse asking me questions the first day I started there and her talking about drinking Coffee with Bourbon for her health. I can still see Charlie Seipler doing burn outs with his Model A Ford Frame with a 100 Horse powerflat head Ford V8 buggy.

Charlie traveled all over the plant painting anything that needed painting even some of My Silver Explosion Proof Pilot Light boxes and switches! It was Charlie that painted all the Warehouse signs and anything that needed being kept up.

Meanwhile Frank Kurtus, and Shory ( Harreson Tyson ) and Lou Steffy did all the plant Maintance and Dicky Pfieher kept all the cars and trucks running a thankless Job for sure.

Everytime I walk by the old Maintance Barn I think how cold it must have been working in there. All My memories Of Kinsey are fond to me and I think It was a blessing that I was not there at the end as It would have killed me seeing what was happening. Another sad thing long time Enginer Joe Trish was over in Scotland when Publicker sold the Plant there and when he came back they were gone and he needed just a little time to be able to retire and the guy that now owns and has ruined the Plant hired him and only gave him minimum wages till he could retire Ludy told me about this a couple of weeks ago when I went to visit him. Joe was the Best Enginer Continental Distilling ever Had what a sad thing to find out from Ludy that this is what happen to him. Anything Big built at Kinsey or Contiental Joes drawings and plans were there. Even the two Half Million Gal stainless tanks in mid Plant had their setup done with Joe trishs Plans. My big plant blueprint of Plant piping was drawn by Joe.

Such was the Story once Si Neuman and The Family were gone from control of the company.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest people Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

Three weeks ago on a rainy Sunday afternoon I walked through what is left of the 1966 State of Art 1966 Bottling House and took some more pictures here are some of them.

1 Candy machine with what was candy bars rotted to pieces
2,3,4. All that is left of the state of art Laboratory in the Bottle house.
5,6,7,8.Here are some pictures of the Tanks at the far back of the incoming lines right next to the explosion proof power room. I had never climbed this one and finaly did.
9. Row of Explosion proof switches near front side of the incoming line area.
10. Electric Line control box
11. All That is left of the Modern Line A-1-F which was early computor driven and could do 40,000 bottles a day and box the bottles too!
12,13,14. Looking at the sorting lines where the girls sorted looked for leakers and label work.
15.The above case line boxes traveled it to the back where it would go under for the bottles to go back in it.
16. An old safety Sign that states not to be a Pig in your work area for safety.
17. At the end of Second shift the girls would put the chairs up on top of the line till the next day for sweeping. I can just imagin them sitting them there not knowing they would never come back that final last day.
18. looking down through the plant at the ruin of it all.

Every time I go I feel so dam sad seeing what has happened to the Most modern Bottling House in the whole world back in fall of 1966.
For me Kinsey is dying and there is nothing I can do for this dear old friend. I remember all the Great people that worked there, 600 of us and my heart is sad. I will continue to try and get picture I have not taken in area's and writing about my Old Friends and Kinsey
Dave z
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It Seems All The Nicest People drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

Well today the first thing I want to include on this thread is an old Picture My Dad took of Me at 23 years Old with the last Car I bought working for Continental Distilling at Kinsey. Taken one day when I got home from work with a Poloriod Camera
1. Me and My 1970 Chevy Nova named ( Nova Cane ) on the plate and on the car. Front plate has a Hyperdermic dripping Blood and the words Nova cane.

I bought this chevy in late 1970 while I was still at Kinsey after it and leaving Kinsey it took years to get another Newer car. We really made good money there and going to work was always good working at Kinsey. In the time I worked there I had a 1955 Chevy that I put a 283 in and Hurst shift, a 1963 chevy, My fastest Car I ever owned my 1967 Buick Grand Sport 400 CU IN 425 HP 4 speed Hurst and My 1970 Chevy Nova.
it was hard work but it was working for a great company with great Products and I loved testing our products!

Seeing it like it is and I just heard another horror story about people going Vandelizing and stealing in there it just breaks my heart as I know Kinsey will never make a come back the wreaking Ball is somewhere in the future so If I can with the Pictures I have posted and the things I have written keep its memory alive I will be most happy.

There I was 19 years Old fresh out of school going to work for the worlds Largest Distiller at the worlds Largest aging Whiskey stored plant in the world with the Worlds largest Bottling House ------- Those Where The Days -------
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest Peolpe Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

It is always Hard for me to think of Kinsey being gone but it is never going to operate again and this winter has really hit the buildings hard I expect more roofs will come down. Yet I can still remember getting the first car I ever had that did not have more than a 100,000 miles after working at Kinsey less then a year. My 1963 Chevy 2 dr Bel Air had about 30,000 miles when I got it and I took the first weeks vacation I ever had driving it to the Old Atlantic City and seeing Publicker below going over the Walt Whitman bridge I felt so proud to work for them.

Working at Kinsey gave a young man good credit which I was able thankfully to keep through my life. We were a family at Kinsey and days went by just fine even though we worked hard we were very proud to work for Publicker. I have yet to ask anyone who worked there if they liked it as they all did! And if our products were still around I have confidance that people on this site would Love Our Bourbons and Ryes.

Our products were sold all over the world and well liked so it is hard to think they are gone. I never in all my younger years dreamed something like this would happen to Kinsey and Continental Distilling.

To Me Old Hickory Bourbon will always be my Favorite Bourbon!
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[Jono]

Dave, looking at your photo above, I wonder what you would whisper in your younger self's ear if you could time travel - besides not quitting Kinsey and stocking up on Old Hickory?

[dave ziegler]

Thats fairly easy Jono I would whisper be thankful for the Job you have as you will do worse leaving as the grass is not greener on the other side! When you are young you listen to the wrong people sometimes and you make moves you regret the rest of your Life it is part of growing up. And many years I made alot less and I spent 18 years driving truck at a Place I hated more then words can say. I had some great news last spring they Pottstown Plating went out of Bussiness and I lifted some Old Hickory in joy for that.
But even then good came out of it 3 years after being downsized there I got my wonderful job I am at now and it is a wonderful job with great people I am proud to work for them and at my age I am at just the right place.

Working for Publicker was a great thing and the fact that I am still friends with Ludy all these years later shows the kind of people I worked with. It is the people who made Kinsey and Continental Distilling great, they were hard working people who were always thankful for what they had not what they wanted.

And It was the Leadership of Si Neuman that made Publicker Industries the Power house it was from 1933 till 1976 when he died suddenly.
The heart of Kinsey and Continental died when Mr Neuman died like the Song

"The Day The Music Died" ------- "It was the Day That Kinsey Died"

It was the day That Kinsey died a sad and terrible death even though she sits there she is just a rotting place that only memories can speak of. There are times I feel so driven to just get all the story of this wonderful Distilling and Chemical Company out. In the Long term things worked out for me My First Job was Awesome and now at 62 1/2 Years Old My Last Job is awesome. But I offten wonder why I ended up driving for the plating company it was family owned and Union and both looked out for themselves and as a worker you were a pawn. In 1979 I made way less driving a truck then I would have made at Kinsey I would have been better going down with Kinsey for sure.

At Publicker and as a company Person the company Mailman I am blessed! There are only maybe a couple of the old timers left from Kinsey so I now am the Oldtimer and I intend to keep telling as much as I can about Kinsey.

As For the Old hickory if I had it to do now I would have stocked up with Plenty of Old Hickory both the 80 proof and the 86 proof 10 yr plus some BIB and a couple of bottles of that rare 20 yr stuff that back in 1968 I saw the barrels that were used for it in Old warehouse E one of Jacob G Kinseys first warehouses.

Publicker Industries was a Prolific Company and a Company That was very Proud to be American owned and operated.

Here is an a statement from a Late 1940's Brosure put out By Publicker just before they went on the stock market, I am lucky enough to own, it is the only one known to exsist.

" The search to produce a better product
never ends at Publicker. Our skilled craftsmen
constantly seek new methods of impoving the age-
old art of Distilling. They combine the native skill of
generations of distillers,enriched by the exciting
discoveries of ever-advancing science.

We are justly proud of our reputation for distilling
beverages of the highest quality:
proud, too, of our never-ceasing efforts to impove
them.

Here, then, on the succeding pages, is our story.
It is America's story, too, because America always
builds for the future with the best of its past and present."


The book continues with artist pictures of the Kinsey plant Linfield, Continental Distillery Phila and the publicker Chemical Plant in phila plus mentions that we have Cooperage plants in Marcus Hook pa and St. Louis MO. it talkes of the Patience needed to make Great Whiskies.
It speaks of our Advanced Research lab in Eddington, Pa. and Our Chemical Plant in Westwego La.which I have never been able to find out much about. And it talks about how proud they are to be making more then 1/3 of the worlds Medical Alcohol. And Finally it speaks with pride of Old Hickory, Charter Oak, and County Fair Bourbons. BIB Rittenhouse Rye, Our straight whiskies -- Old Hickory, Charter Oak, Hallers 89,Planters Club, Hallers deluxe and Linfield whisky.
Also straight Ryes Conestoga,and Rittenhouse and Our Famous blend of Only Straight Whiskies and they all had to be 7 years old " Old Classic" I was never lucky enough to try that one But Ludy said it was good stuff.

This is what Publicker / Continental Distilling and Kinsey were all about I Am Dam Proud I worked For Them.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

A couple of weeks ago between all the snow we have gotten I took a walk at Kinsey and got a few Pictures in Warehouse's C and M.

Here are the pictures
1. If you look closely you will see Eagle Beak was here written my old friend Warren Eshback He took delight in being called Eagle Beak and always said, me and Jimmy Duranty the nose knows! He had a really big nose.

2.,3.,4., These are stainless tanks sitting in Warehouse C behind the Bottling house.
5. Rye Mash Barrels still sitting in Warehouse C it was here I got Fricky and I our Barrels to restore they are going bad now but I was able to get the Historic Society one a bit back to have original for Limerick/Linfield's History.
6.One of Many Venting and Heating systems in the warehouses for tjhe right aging of Whisky this one in warehouse M first floor.
7.8. looking across the first floor in warehouse M once there were racks 6 tiers high against the ceiling 22 foot high.


When I get to Kinsey my mind goes back in a sort of time travel and I am there talking to my long gone friends. They and Kinsey may be gone but I will never let them be forgotten.

I can still see old Bonda driving his 1951 Pylmouth Cranbrook around the plant showing incoming trucks where to go and having a shot as he did. I can hear Charlie Seipler burning rubber with his Model A frame 100 horse power buggy. And ringing out at night feeding the fish in the Old Number 1 fermenter in the old DSP-Pa-12 giving them loaves of wonder bread!

"Those Were The Days My Friend I Thought they'd Never End Those Were The Days"
Dave Z================================================
It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

No matter How many Bourbons I try they never seem to be close to Our Bourbons. Example Old Hickory 10 yr 86 proof its smell and pallet are different from any Bourbon made today and for me much more flavorful.

The 10 Year old stuff like the 20 old special aniversary stuff at first came from Whiskeys that were for the most part in our oldest Wooden and brick warehouses and the first of the Explosion proof ones built during WWII years. As a young man I remember those old date barrels and offten asked about them and was told they are for special Bourbons for Old Hickory and the Rye ones for Rittenhouse Rye. I saw stuff dated for the early 1950's in old warehouse E out front beside the Old Bottle House on the river bank and many were distilled at the Old DSP-PA-12 in Linfield!

How the years have gone by, but thankfully I was young and remember these things better then I remember what happened yesterday! Those old Warehouses were really Hard to get barrels out of the racks. You would if they were on one of the upper second on up tiers run them all the way across from one side to the other because the Freight Elevator was at the far end from the road side of the warehouse. You could only put so many barrels at a time on the elevator. I remember well someone sneaking one to many on and I found myself crashing to the bottom running the Elevator down.

In some of them you could just get a lift to pull on the wooden board floor to get a few tiers up safely. And there were only two ways to get up to the racks ride the freight elevator to some of the main levels or climb a tiny Ladder made of wood to each upper tier. And you better not have much weight on you so you could fit in walkways for each level.

I hated climbing that Ladder and gladly ran the Freight Elevator if given the chance. They were faily cold and damp warehouses and Jacob G Kinsey had built them back in the pre pro days and just after Prohibition built the last one Warehouse H which is shown in my arieal shot from 1936 being built.

Kinsey was always a special place and before Mr Kinsey bought the Land it had the oldest home in Limerick behind what became the Plant the old
William Evans Home down near the river, later to be Mr Kinsey's Home when he first came there. Many Company boss's lived in it such as Ed Zucca, Holman Thomas Bryant, and William Theodosis. When Kinsey reopened in fall 1933 Jacob G Kinsey stayed in the yellow house out front, later in Continental Distilling days too house the Plant Nurse and George Dill another Company Man.

Mr Kinsey would travel from his home in Philadelphia during the week to Kinsey and then back to the Parkside section of Philadelphia later in the week.

Those were the exciting days of Distilleries with Prohibition and the Mobs threats gone and Mr Kinsey at 75 trying to start over at 75 years Old but 6 years later at 81 He went bankrupt and Continental Distilling a division Of Publicker Industries came along in Spring of 1940 to save Kinsey and make it an even greater Place!

Then even more exciting days lay ahead the Days of Mr Si Neuman and Publicker Industries the most prolihic and amazing Distiller in History.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

On Sunday afternoon the weather was so Nice I took a long walk through Kinsey. While walking I took a trip behind some of the Explosion Proof warehouses to see and take pictures of the two explosion proof warehouses never built!

Working in the Yard gang we had never really gone into that part of the Woods but people I know who are doing some tree removal there unearthed something amazing. While cutting trees they discovered two area's of 1 inch bundles of 18 rods per bundle sunk down in the ground about 4 to 5 feet in cement of these rod bundles. There were 42 sets at each site 18 rods per bundles, one bundle for each piller in the warehouse if built. This locked everything to the ground to make a better Explosion proof warehouse. The spoke to an old timer who had actualy helped doing this in 1948. I took pictures of the rods some stick out up to 3 feet Plus, others 2 feet.

I will post my pictures in the next day or so plus some other pictures I took of the Plant on my other threads. So these would have been warehouses V and W had they been built and also would have held 999,999 barrels as the other 14 did!

The rods are so well made that they are rust color but not rusted! No matter when you go there you never know what piece of History you will find. This would have made a third row coming from the Steer pen area going front and I am still amazed at this find. I worked there and never knew this story of the Warehouses never to be built!

Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon