brendaj Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 I enjoy genealogy and receive a Kentucky oriented newsletter from Rootsweb. The most recent posting is the history of whiskey. This is going to be a long post but, I thought it would amuse you. I see several things I could dispute...particularly in the listing of whiskeys. Just proves "tee-totlers" should stick to what they do best... . Beej Although I am a "tee-totler" when it comes to alcohol, whiskey distilling has always been an important commerce in Kentucky. It was logical since corn was the primary crop in Kentucky from the earliest times. But, there was an abundance of corn and the market value was not enough to sustain the settlers. When distilled, it was. Kentucky had difficult in shipping because of the mountains to the east; they couldn't ship south because of the Spanish control of the Mississippi River near Natchez. But distilled whiskey was desired and easier to transport. According to the Kentucky Encyclopedia, one mule could transport only four bushels of corn but as many as 24 bushels in the liquid form. One of the earliest recorded distillers was William Calk from Fort Boonesborough. In 1795 he settled at the fort and later moved to Montgomery County and brought his distillery equipment from back home in Virginia. Stephen Ritchie was on Cox Creek in what is now Nelson County and had a distillery. James E. Pepper operated a distillery in Lexington and sold "Old Pepper Whiskey". Evans Williams of Louisville was another very early distiller (see below). By 1810 there were 2,200 distillers operating in Kentucky as shown on the census records. Dr. James Crowe, 1835, was an Englishman who did experiments in Woodford County and from this was born "Old Crow" (see below). Kentucky distillers used the techniques they had learned in the Old World for making their whiskey. Scotland and Ireland were already well known for their ability to produce fine whiskeys and Kentuckians followed their techniques. The grains used are corn, rye and barley which was ground and mixed with water or stale beer. This produced a "sour mash". The mash was put in a tub and scalded while being stirred with a paddle. After mixing, it was left overnight where fermentation began and then malt (germinated grain) was added. Then came the yeast and another 72-hour fermenting period. When this was complete the product was known as beer or wash. This wash was poured into a copper-lined pot and put over an open fire to be distilled. After several phases, a clear liquid was produced than ran between 140 to 160 proof. In the earlier days, the distillers had no way of judging the "proof" of the batch produced which determined the strength of the whiskey. They just mixed whiskey and gunpowder and set it afire. If the gunpowder didn't explode, the whiskey was too weak! If the flame was blue and the burn even, it was just right. They said the whiskey was proved, from which came the term of proof. By 1860, there were only 207 distilleries in Kentucky; and after the Civil War, many home distillers were either forced out of business by cost, or merged with larger and larger companies. Moonshiners were flourishing throughout the state, cutting more into the profit of the legal distilleries. By 1880, new techniques were making their influence felt and production increased. Roll mills were built which broke the grain into uniform parts; companies began using copper-lined vats for more consistent fermentation. However, there was a depression in 1893 and saw many distillers reeling from the high taxes and lowering of sales. An act called the Wilson Act of 1890 helped the distillers somewhat as it placed the taxation under state rather than federal rule. Distillers were given eight years to pay their taxes on whiskey already produced; then the distiller could sell whiskey in bulk to retailers. In 1897 the Bottle-in-Bond Act came into effect as a federal law saying that the whiskey had to be aged for four years to be known as full-proof. Bourbon whiskey contained 51 percent of corn and earlier could be distilled to 160 proof. It was aged in charred oak barrels which is what gives bourbon it's distinctive color and taste. Early settlers making bourbon whiskey included Jacob Meyers and Jacob Froman from Lincoln County; Marshal Brashear of Jefferson County, Elijah Craig of Scott County; Jacob Spears of Bourbon County. Bourbon was likely named this for Bourbon County, KY. A Maysville, KY firm of Stout and Adams published ads in a Bourbon Co newspaper in 1921. In 1826 there were ads from Hughart and Warfield for Spears and Williams Best Old Whiskey - named for Solomon Spears and Samuel Williams. H. C. Bowen sold H C Bowen's Old Bourbon. Some of the early whiskeys produced early and still in production include the following: Blantons: A "single barrel bourbon." Each bottle comes from a single barrel and is never blended with whiskeys of other ages. Wild Turkey: Thomas McCarthy, Sr., then head of Austin Nichols Company, a grocery company founded in 1855, joined a group of businessmen each year for a turkey shoot; McCarthy brought along his own special bourbon to the event. This tradition resulted in the preservation of wildlife, since shots of bourbon were usually the only ones taken. Hence, Wild Turkey was named. Kentucky Gentleman: Produced in Bardstown by Barton's Distillery. Very Old Barton: Produced also in Bardstown since the early 1800's. Jack Daniels: Produced since 1866 when Jack Daniel established America's oldest registered distillery. Aged in unheated warehouses which develops the color and taste. Woodford Reserve: No date found, produced in Versailles, Kentucky, has a reddish amber color, a hint of vanilla, caramel, fruit and oak flavor. Four Roses: Named possibly for a romantic story where a young man was going off to fight in the Civil War. He had proposed to a shy young lady and she replied that if her answer was yes, she would wear four red roses in her hair at the next ball. Produced in 1888, known for it's unusual full-bodied taste by being fermented in cypress tubs centuries old and aged in white oak barrels. Evans Williams. Reportedly the oldest bourbon in Kentucky. Evan Williams came to Kentucky from Virginia about 1781 and settled at the Falls of the Ohio River. He opened his distillery in Louisville in 1783 and the bourbon is still produced using a 200-year-old recipe. Elijah Craig: This was originally made by the Rev. Elijah Craig in the earliest days of Kentucky. He aged the bourbon in charred bottles which he felt enhanced the flavor. Jim Beam: This bourbon began in 1788 with Jacob Beam who followed Daniel Boone's path through he Cumberland Gap from Virginia. Beam's Distillery was founded in 1795. His grandson, James, entered the business in 1880, naming it for himself. Maker's Mark: This distillery used winter wheat instead of rye as a flavoring. Seven generations of the Samuels family have been producing Maker's Mark in Loretta, KY. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Produced in Franklin Co Kentucky, no origination date found. W. L. Weller: William LaRue Weller began bottling his bourbon in 1849 using corn, malted barley and wheat. MOONSHINERS: A whiskey rebellion in 1791 led to moonshining. The rebellion was the result of higher and higher taxation on the Kentucky distillers as noted above and led to the closing of many home-run distilleries. Moonshiners took the place of many distilleries and the moonshiners became heroes to many. They were well known for their ability to hide from the "revenuers" They were simply unlicensed distillers on a smaller scale. In 1862 another excise tax was imposed by the federal government and the moonshiners were hunted down and prosecuted. The federal government attempted to give them a blanket pardon in 1878 if they promised to stop the manufacturing. The moonshiners agreed, filled the courthouses waiting to sign the agreement - and then went out and made more moonshine! In 1881, 102 illegal stills were raided and closed. By 1914, 214 were raided and closed. But it was a profitable business and during World War times, a good moonshiner could make up to $300 a month. During the prohibition time of 1920-1933, the moonshiners became the prey and partner many times of the racketeer with the racketeer taking most of the profits. It might be noted that the infamous Al Capone bought moonshine (whiskey) from eastern Kentucky and Golden Pond whiskey from western Kentucky. With the repeal of prohibition, the moonshiner's business came to a grinding halt. Most has disappeared from Kentucky and some turned to a new lucrative business, marijuana. References: Crowgey, Henry G, Kentucky Bourbon, The Early Years of Whiskey Making, Lexington, KY 1971. Downard, William L., Directory of the History of America Brewing and Distilling Industries, Westport, CT, 1980. Kentucky Encyclopedia, University of Kentucky, 1992, Betty B. Ellison. © Copyright 17 October 2002, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved. sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbonmed Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Hi Brenda,Thanks for sharing that piece from rootsweb. Amusing despite few errors. Omar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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