The Old Ezra Report

[CardsandBourbon]

As some of you know my wife had a bottle of Ezra Brooks 15 y.o. 101 proof that she has had since 12/23/1981.  It was distilled in 1966 and bottled in 1981.  We met in 1983 so she's had the bottle longer than she's know me.  Here's a picture of the bottle.

 

I wanted to open it on a special occasion (my retirement 3 1/2 years ago but she said that wasn't special enough).  I asked her what was special enough and she said when she retired.  Well that day came yesterday.  We had a bunch of people at the house for a retirement party and the bottle was ceremonially opened and a toast to my wife's retirement was made.  I had promised to report on the contents of the bottle and am glad to do so now.

 

 

 

 

First off, as I feared, the 55 year old cork did not fare too well.  Top half broke off and I was able to fish the remainder out of the neck.  

COLOR:  A very dark amber.  Much darker than how it looks in the second photo.

NOSE:  It might be easier to list what aromas it didn't have.  But here you go, Caramel, Crème Brulee, All Spice, Cloves, a hint of pepper, cherries (sweet not tart), dried apricots . . . and probably some others that I couldn't describe.

LEGS:  Coated the side of the glass and stayed, and stayed, and stayed.

MOUTH FEEL:  Creamy, buttery, soft . . . 

 

and most importantly

 

TASTING NOTES:  All the aromas on the nose were also in the taste.  Up front was the fruit flavors.  It then opened up to all the spices and finished with the slightest hint of pepper.  Smooth is a woefully deficient adjective to describe it.  It was right up there with the $500 bottle of wine I was able to sample in Napa a few years ago.  I was afraid that I had built up in my mind how good it was going to be and that I might be disappointed when I actually had some.  Thankfully I was not disappointed at all.  What was great was that we got to share it with some good friends.  However, the highlight of the night was when everyone else had left and it was just me, the wife and our son and we each had one more pour and sat around the kitchen table savoring the experience.  Truly a night to remember.

Edited December 1, 2021 by CardsandBourbon

[Jazzhead]

Wonderful!   Do you have any idea who distilled this?

[smokinjoe]

Mike Veach suggests Hoffman if distilled in 1966.  
 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/bourbonveach.com/2020/08/03/brand-history-ezra-brooks/amp/

 

 

 

 

 

[CardsandBourbon]

39 minutes ago, Jazzhead said:

Wonderful!   Do you have any idea who distilled this?

There's no DSP listed anywhere on the bottle or label but it does say Old Ezra Distilling Company, Frankfort-Owensboro.  Based on that I would hazard a guess that it was distilled by Medley in O'boro.

 

According to this it is Medley:  Sku's Recent Eat's

[CardsandBourbon]

Well, Smokinjoe throws a wrench into the information I found.  Who really knows.  All I know is that it was in that segment of bourbon that I refer to as "Nectar of the Gods".

[fishnbowljoe]

Thanks for the report Kevin. Awesome! Again, congrats to your wife, and you too. Best to you both for great times together in the future. 
 

Biba! Joe

[CardsandBourbon]

4 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Thanks for the report Kevin. Awesome! Again, congrats to your wife, and you too. Best to you both for great times together in the future. 
 

Biba! Joe

Appreciate it Joe.  We plan on taking a bunch of day trips to some small towns in KY.  Do a little local shopping, have lunch at a local eatery and if we're lucky enough tour a winery and/or distillery.  I know she's excited because it's going to give her a lot more time to see our two grandsons, who, by the way are the two cutest boys on the face of the planet.  Just like their "Pops". 

[smokinjoe]

5 hours ago, CardsandBourbon said:

There's no DSP listed anywhere on the bottle or label but it does say Old Ezra Distilling Company, Frankfort-Owensboro.  Based on that I would hazard a guess that it was distilled by Medley in O'boro.

 

According to this it is Medley:  Sku's Recent Eat's

It appears that Sku’s position is centered on his belief that Medley purchased the EB brand in 1959, and if so, this would be where it was produced.  Most reports, including Veach’s, place the year that Medley purchased the Hoffman distillery (Lawrenceburg, KY) and EB brand as 1979, and Hoffman was producing it since 1966, if not earlier.  The bottle shows Owensboro, KY on the label, but since the bottle was released in 1981, this could just indicate that that is where EB ownership (Medley for 2 years) was at that time, while still being Hoffman whiskey.  
I say we invite Veach and Sku to meet in the Gazebo in April for a throw down debate and cage match to determine who is correct.   Folding metal chairs to be provided.  Chuck Cowdery to referee….

[LCWoody]

Awesome, enjoy life and the bottle of EB 15

[flahute]

3 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

It appears that Sku’s position is centered on his belief that Medley purchased the EB brand in 1959, and if so, this would be where it was produced.  Most reports, including Veach’s, place the year that Medley purchased the Hoffman distillery (Lawrenceburg, KY) and EB brand as 1979, and Hoffman was producing it since 1966, if not earlier.  The bottle shows Owensboro, KY on the label, but since the bottle was released in 1981, this could just indicate that that is where EB ownership (Medley for 2 years) was at that time, while still being Hoffman whiskey.  
I say we invite Veach and Sku to meet in the Gazebo in April for a throw down debate and cage match to determine who is correct.   Folding metal chairs to be provided.  Chuck Cowdery to referee….

In! I'll pay extra for ringside seats.

[CardsandBourbon]

13 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

It appears that Sku’s position is centered on his belief that Medley purchased the EB brand in 1959, and if so, this would be where it was produced.  Most reports, including Veach’s, place the year that Medley purchased the Hoffman distillery (Lawrenceburg, KY) and EB brand as 1979, and Hoffman was producing it since 1966, if not earlier.  The bottle shows Owensboro, KY on the label, but since the bottle was released in 1981, this could just indicate that that is where EB ownership (Medley for 2 years) was at that time, while still being Hoffman whiskey.  
I say we invite Veach and Sku to meet in the Gazebo in April for a throw down debate and cage match to determine who is correct.   Folding metal chairs to be provided.  Chuck Cowdery to referee….

I'm in.  Although I can't guarantee that there will be any of this wonderful bottle still remaining at that time.

[sbsbsb]

What a great post...so nice to see these bottles enjoyed for milestone moments in life.  Congrats!

[Jazz June]

Well, I can't settle the debate, but I can add information from the trademark records over the relevant period: (with notes from above posts inserted as well)

 

7/30/1958 Application for EZRA BROOKS trademark filed by Frank Silverman & Co. [Sku’s position is centered on his belief that Medley purchased the EB brand in 1959]

2/23/1962 Frank Silverman & Co. assigned to Ezra Brooks Company, Inc.

6/26/1968 Ezra Brooks Company, Inc. assigned to 21 Brands, Inc.

10/31/1975 21 Brands, Inc. assigned to Double Springs Distillers, Inc.

4/10/1978 Double Springs Distillers, Inc. merged into Medley Distilling Company [Veach[] place[s] the year that Medley purchased the Hoffman distillery (Lawrenceburg, KY) and EB brand as 1979]

7/28/1978 Medley Distilling Company assigned to Double Springs Distillers, Inc. and Julius Wile Sons & Co., Inc.

8/6/1981 Julius Wile Sons & Co., Inc. assigns to Medley Distilling Company

5/12/1983  Medley Distilling Company assigns to Daviess County Corp. and BA Commercial Corp.

3/4/1988 Daviess County Corp. merges into MED Acquisition Corp.

 

I don't know who many of these entities are, but maybe some of the members here do. The application gives the date of first use as March 29, 1957.

[Jazz June]

Based on further research, I believe that 1966 distilled EZRA BROOKS would be from the Hoffman Distillery (DSP-KY-112), later known as Commonwealth or Old Commonwealth.

 

Frank Silverman & Co. (original EZRA BROOKS trademark applicant) with distiller Ezra Ripy decides to make a knock-off of JACK DANIELS, creates EZRA BROOKS brand (https://brutalhammer.com/it-came-from-the-bottom-shelf-ii/)

 

The Chester Zoeller book says that in 1933 Robert Ripy and Ezra Ripy re-built a distillery and operated as Hoffman Distilling Company and this distillery later became Commonwealth Distillery Company (DSP-KY-112), which was known as Old Commonwealth I believe and sold to Julian Van Winkle III and he used it to bottle whiskey.

 

Zoeller further says that they introduced EZRA BROOKS in 1960. It says the company officers were Ben, William, and Robert Ripy.

 

Veach says that "by 1966, the brand was being made at the Hoffman Distilling Company which was owned by Ben, William and Robert Ripy. (https://bourbonveach.com/2020/08/03/brand-history-ezra-brooks/)

 

So it looks like Frank Silverman & Co. and the Ripys were the origin of the brand and the Ripys operated the Hoffman Distillery.

 

The EZRA BROOKS brand did not leave them until 1968 and even if the whiskey production moved with it, your 1966 distilled bourbon should have already been in a barrel.

 

1968: Per trademark records, 21 Brands, Inc. acquires EZRA BROOKS trademark.

 

Per Veach, 21 Brands, Inc. was " founded in 1933 in New York as a distributing company" (https://bourbonveach.com/2020/08/03/brand-history-ezra-brooks/)

 

Veach does credit 21 Brands, Inc. with involvement in the creation of the brand in the late 1950s, but even if that is correct, I don't think it contradicts the information on where it was distilled, given his other statements.

 

1978: Per trademark records, Medley Distilling Co. acquires 21 Brands, Inc. and EZRA BROOKS (I have seen 1976 and 1979 given for when this acquisition happened)

 

SKU's assertion that "Ezra Brooks was a brand from the old Medley Distillery. The brand was purchased by Medley in 1959 and became their most prominent brand" appears incorrect and he doesn't provide a citation for this information. (https://recenteats.blogspot.com/2015/10/dusty-thursday-ezra-brooks-15101.html). His blog entry links to Chuck and the linked article says that "In the 1970s, Medley acquired the Ezra Brooks bourbon brand, which had originated at the Hoffman Distillery in Anderson County. " (http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2015/08/owensboro-distillery-is-now-o-z-tyler.html)

I don't see anything that supports the Medleys being involved prior to the mid to late 1970s, well after your bottle's bourbon was distilled.