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My Memories of Kinsey Distilling


dave ziegler

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Dave, is that car sitting in your driveway now with a dust cover over it?!

I am sure you did not get any speeding tickets either!

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Jono I wish I had it now, it would be worth at least $50.00. They only made 2,280 of them with a 4 Speed trans and Hurst shifter! And actualy I never got a ticket with it some How! Almost got stopped for drag racing once but some guy chased us to race the winner and He got stopped instead of me and the 1965 Plymouth 426 I was racing on High street in Pottstown.

It was the neatest Car I ever owned and in retrospect If I knew how cars would change I would have put it away but you thought back then that things would stay the same!

Dave Z

===========================Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky For Unhurried Moments =================

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Two Summers ago My Friend who ran the Publicker Marketing Dept gave me the Lamp He had on his desk at the World wide Headquaters on 1429 Chesnut street in Phila.

The Bottle is a very Old Philadelphia Blended Whiskey bottle late 1940's and the Lamp shade is set with a Linfield Straight Bourbon Label on the front with vintage Continental brand labels all the way around the shade. Sadly the back of the Bottle was broken out but there is enough base on the bottle left to mount it again.

This weekend I was able to rewire it and fit the Whiskey Label Shade back on it here is a picture of the working Lamp.

It is now with my other Distillery Lamps sitting next to my Philadelphia Blended Whiskey Bottles.

When I worked for Continental Our brands were some of the best tasting and selling Whiskeys in the world.

Dave Z

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Philadelphia The Heritage Whiskey

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In the mid 1950's Continental Distilling made a very special bottle for Old Hickory. They had The manufacturer of Coffee Carafe's make them lots of them to bottle Old Hickory in. They had them in sets of two in 10 Yr 86 Proof and Bottled In Bond. I am lucky enough to Have a set of the BIB ones in the sales box. I found the box yrs ago and bought the carafe's at a flee market a set of two the BIB ones they have red caps and the 10 yr 86 proof have white caps. I also found a owners manuel in the plant back in 2005. Here is a Picture of the bottle on the manuel explaining how to make a hot Toddy. I also Have a couple of them in the 10 yr 86 Proof loose that were my Dads when he worked there in the early 1950's.

1. Old Hickory Carafe

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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  • 2 weeks later...

This week is going to be a very sad week for me as A Contractor is going to Kinsey to knock down all the buildings that were invloved in the fire. The Township is forcing the owner to do it or they will condem the whole Plant.

Thinking back to better times I found something very cool from my Kinsey days this week. I was down in the basement cleaning for the Heater man to clean the heater end of the Month and I suddenly remembered something from 41 years ago when I worked at Kinsey! I went to an area where I last remembered putting and seeing it all those years ago and there it was in near mint condition. The Star Wars Air Cleaner from My 1967 Buick GS 400. Back then I had taken it off and put a chrome one that sat up through into the Hood scoop.

Well there it was bright red and dusty but the whole top of the unit. Buick called it the Star Wars air cleaner as It looked like Darth Vadars Helmet. Here is a Picture of it after I cleaned it up on my step at home. It is now on displace in my Work Office under pictures of my Buick. I am going to meet Ethan on Sunday and get some last pictures of the Oldest Buildings at Kinsey the township is also making him knock down Kinsey warehouse A the very first one built by Jake Kinsey in 1892. It was not on fire but they don't like its condition.

In your Heart you know stuff like that is coming yet you hate to let it go from those days so long ago. When I put that air cleaner there I thought someday if I sell it I will put it back on. I am so glad I have it now, If I ever get some Money I will buy one but there are very few 4 speed ones as Buick only made 2,280 4 Speed Hurst Shift Buick GS 400 cars in the 2 door Hardtop model.

So it is another wonderful memory of some great times back in my youth working for Publicker. Without that great Job I would have never had the Buick.

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky

For Unhurried Moments

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Edited by dave ziegler
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Dave,

Gretchen and I will be down Sunday with a friend of mine. He is very interested in American whiskey history and he's been really excited about seeing Kinsey. He will be along with us with his kids. He has a son and daughter that like to come along whenever he visits historical or abandoned places. We'll carpool down and see you Sunday! Will you have keys to the buildings?

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Well here are some pictures from the trip to Kinsey Sunday afternoon with Ethan & Gretchen & their friend Eric. Also a picture of Publickers Butadiene Plant.

1. Publickers Butadiene Plant where they made butadiene during WWII. Neither I or Butch who worked for them in Phila even knew of this plant. I think most likely it was moth balled when the war ended. It was on State road in Cornwells heights,Pa.

2. Elevator Shaft of what was Kinsey Warehouse D.

3. Framed award given Continental Distilling for the quality of their Lord Sandwich British Gin Label given me by my friend in marketing at Publicker. It used to hang on the wall at Publickers headquarters at 1429 chestnut st in Phila.

4. One of the things I remember we did used chauk and played Tic Tac Toe on the elevator walls at lunch and breaks. Here is some vintage tic tac toe, warehouse J.

5.Old Kinsey Warehouse E racks hanging since the wall was knocked down.

6.Walking around in warehouse R I looked in an old turned over whisky case and saw a dead spider turned white from the mold and plaster. I took this picture of it it looks weird!

7. What was the elevator in old Kinsey Warehouse E.

I just got a call from my friends that watch Kinsey and they told me the guy hired to tear down the buildings started today.

This for me is like the death of an old long time friend! I just hope he doesn't get carried away and tears down what is left of the old Kinsey bottle house.

Once the warehouses are gone the only early 1900's building will be the grain process building. Sure glad Rod got me the explosion proof fixture I made my second light with. Glad a couple of years ago I gotthe piece of the stair from the old #10 Rye Barn. I will have a very sad night when I go to bed thinking about what this rotten Person who owns Kinsey hs done to it. If someone said to me what do you think about him I would say he is an Evil Man.

To think that in 1986 everything was working had power good roofs and he just is such a cheap person, he just walks away and lets it rot. I have come to a sad conclusion there is not one saveable building at kinsey anymore. Like my Electrian friend at work told me all he had to do was keep people out and keep the explosion proof heavy duty wiring untouched and you could fire it right up.

Some times I wonder how someone like this man can make money when they are to cheap to take care of what they have. Anyone else would have sub divided it and it would still be used, but sadly Kinsey was doomed once this jerk bought it,he is a classic Slum Landlord! He bought it in great shape for 3 Million and wants 20 million for it in ruin what a brain dead person he is!

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky For Unhurried Moments

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I have a 1936 Sams Photo Facts Blue Print Book of US Distillerys given to me 2 yrs ago by my Friend who ran Publicker Marketing from the 1429 Chestnut St headquarters. I took these pictures back then and sealed it up with spray to kill all the silver fish in it from 20 years sitting on the floor in an old building. I expect to look at it in the fall when things cool down, and hopfully the silver fish from lack of air are dead.

Here are 5 Pictures which I may have post 2 years ago but When I was with Ethan I was telling him about this book and could not remember what it was called. It is as big as a small table and weighs about 30 pounds.

1. The Front of The Sams Photo facts Book 1936

2. Page Two of the Sams Book of Blueprints

3.The Kinsey Distillery in 1936 when Jake Kinsey reopened the plant and built Warehouse H which is in the picture

4. The Kinsey Distillery after Continental Distilling bought it at auction

with all 14 Explosion proof Warehouses finished in 1947, plus all purpose Warehouse U which later became the 1966 Continental Distilling bottling house. This photo Page would be end of 1951 as warehouse U was built in 1951.

The Pictures in very small print tell the date of when the Explosion proof Warehouses at Kinsey were built and the 14 were built from 1946 to 1947 and as I said Warehouse U bottling house completed in 1951. Which lets me know the time line for the Explosion proof warehouses.

5. And Here is one for everyone from KY - The Old Happy Hollow Distilling Company, Burks Spring KY.

I hope to get the book out this fall and take many Good pictures of the Distillerys in it. But to save it I had to seal it for long time to rid it of the bugs which would be impossible to get rid of any other way.

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky For Unhurried Moments

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Dave, you have a fantastic resource for anyone trying to locate old distillery locations.

Dave, is the property currently for sale?

Edited by Jono
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Im not sure about for sale, I cant remember the signs out front at the moment, but I know the owner wants an extreme amount of money to lease it

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Hey Mike good to hear from you. Jono The place has no wiring that is usable in any of the buildings, and yet 3 weeks before the fire He had my friends that watch the place show a reality guy around the Guy was amazed that he would think anything there could be used for bussiness. In 1987 he had a guy watching the place and living in the old brick house out front but He got to the point he did not pay him and he left and once he was gone so was all the wiring and everything you need to use the buildings. Not one of the buildings are saveable anymore. A couple of years ago he had agents come up there telling them there was rail service and plenty of power. When they got there their eyes rolled. He is just plain nuts.

He bought the Plant in 1982 and leased parts back to Publicker and rented some of the buildings but he always did things the cheapest way he could, like cutting out the brick wall partly on warehouse Q then wiring a wooden wall in the hole which has fallen out now.

When he bought it lots of the buildings could have been changed to frozen food storeage like they did in Phila with a couple of the old Publicker warehouses still standing on Columbus Ave.

He bought it for 3 Million and destroyed it and now wants 20 Million for in in ruin!

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky For Unhurried Moments

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Dave have you been back there since they have knocked down the buildings to see what it looks like? I hope to come up there this fall when the weather cools and leaves start changing colors.

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Just how close is the property to any other commercial and/or residential area? I get the impression it is located in a fairly rural area and not very

close to an urban area. Is the relative remoteness a negative for developing the property?

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Jono Kinsey is on a back road in the little town of Linfield part of Limerick township, PA. It is only about 38 miles from Phila and 26 miles from Reading pa.

1.Just got two pictures of the original PACO tankers Publicker Owned. This

was built in 1943 by Sun Ship in Chester Pa. They were used to bring everything from Molasses from Cuba to barrels of whisky to the Phila and LA Chemical plants and to take and bring things from Scotland.

This ships name was The S.S. Fredericksburg

2. Just got this PACO Tanker Picture, is is the S.S. Hagen In this picture the ship had just been Loaded with Molasses in Cuba and was on its way to to a Port in New Orleans La. when it was torpedoed by a German U - Boat and sank on Nov 6th 1942 two Officers and 4 men died the rest of the crew jumped into two Life boats and lived.

Thanks to Butch for these rare Photos.

Dave Z

It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Edited by dave ziegler
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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally here is are 2 rare Pictures from Publicker Industries Phila given me by Butch.

1. Young woman in Quality Control inspecting Full Bottles at the Old Synder Ave Bottling house in Phila before The Linfield Bottle House.

2. Publicker Industries CO'2 dry ice Plant Thermice. N. Side of The Walt Witman Bridge Dry ice Produsts were made from the Carbon Dioxide coming off The Dsp Pa 1 still. Picture taken in 1975.

It has been wonderful Posting on all 3 threads rare Pictures from Butch and thinking about those wonderful years gone by when I worked at Kinsey. On a Pleasant day like today in Late Sept the Kinsey Plant would be very Busy getting ready for the Coming Holidays in Nov and Dec and New Years. The bottling house would be running wide open and we would be dumping lots of Whisky Barrels.

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky for Unhurried Moments

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Today on my 65th birthday 41 yrs since I worked there I took a walk around kinsey and found some La Conga Rum promotional point of sale pictures that vandale's had tossed down on the floor in one of the buildings. They are now safely at Kinsey East my house. I am now sipping a shot of old Hickory from a bottle sent to me by someone on this site and it is so darn Good!. It is 7 yr 86 proof and it was an export that went to Italy, and never was opened till it came back to the states and my home, thanks to a member here! I have had a great birthday and I am now drinking some great whisky its does not get any better!

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Good to hear your got a bottle! I was trying to get some Bird Dog for you, but it seems all my usual places (Plus a few other new ones) were out or no longer carry it. I'm not sure what the deal is.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here are 3 of The Pictures I took last sunday at Kinsey.

1.& 2. Jake Kinsey Warehouse H

3. The Little Scale House across from warehouse #38

The weeds are starting to turn colors for the fall as they creep all over Kinsey and its great ruin. I am going back sunday and just look for anything I can save from the Vandels hand. The pickins are slim but every now and then you find something they would destroy just to do it.

When I walk around it is often very sureal I find myself thinking back to the old 1941 Ford Trucks roaring from one warehouse with no dump troughs to one that has them. But there is no work going on and no smell of Whiskey in the air and no aging whiskey anywhere. When I was there the worlds largest amout of aging whiskey was in those old warehouses, now there is nothing. Like an old beloved Person Kinsey has died!

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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  • 2 weeks later...

It took 3 months and here is my Last Distillery lamp finally done and added to my Office sets!

1. My lamp arrives

2. A shot from another Angle

3. Set up on my side table next to my Red globe one.

This ficture was from one of the elevators at Kinsey with a pilot light from warehouse I. It will most likely be the last lamp I make as I have just about most of the styles of explosion proof lights at Kinsey and Publicker in Phila.

These are for me a big part of the History of the Distilling industry as with out them the danger would be very Bad. They varied in styles and operation but their goal was to prevent explosions by open electric fixtures and we never had a explosion in all of Kinsey History. They were mostly Crouse Hinds and Appleton Electric, but GE made some also and I have a rare GE explosion proof switch from the plant.

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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  • 3 weeks later...

lts going on Thanksgiving and Christmas 2012, so lets take a trip from my memory back to the day before Christmas wed Dec 24, 1969. I am now working in the warehouses and that year was a very good year from my memory for fine spirits of all kinds made by Continental Distilling. The last of the New Years whiskys are being loaded in trucks and rail cars. The dock at the front of the 1966 bottlng house has 3 rail cars and 10 trucks being loaded in the early part of the day as after lunch there was if any very little work going on! As I travel with my Gang I am handed a 1/2 Pint of whisky early in the day, I made the desion to pretend to drink it while I watched Humanity at work. All the work needed to be done was done I would say by 10:00 Am. Before Lunch the Governmen men and most of the plant were really drinking.

By lunch the soda machine had run out of Ginger ale and other sodas were disappearing fast. We sat around just talking about the coming one day Holiday with much joy, as the people those days were just Hard working people who really enjoyed the few days they got off. We got just the day of Christmas off Paid those days and if you had saved some vacation you could take more. We sat drinking and playing Dice in the warehouse and the company people just left us alone. It Had been a good year for sales and right then the future looked bright.

No one could know that in 7 Years 1976 Mr Neuman would die and it would be as if the heart of what made it work was gone forever.

I always felt very sure of having work as Long as Si Neuman was alive, He took the company in its early days from 8 people to 5,000 employees so seeing him come up from time to time made you feel full of hope. By the end of the day I was about the only person who was sober, and it was so interesting just watching. I saw people falling down and walking very bad but no one got hurt and by the time the day was over no one left that got in any kind of driving trouble. As I pulled out of the lot at the end of the day, Security Leaned out of the Guard box and looking a little loaded said Have a good Holiday!

They were such simple times back then people took care of each other anyone who could not drive was taken home by someone they worked with and even though we only had Thursday off and had to work Friday we were truely Thankful for our coming Holiday with the Holiday meal and family. Back then I had a living family and mom always made the most wonderful roasted Turkey and all the goodies and home made Apple Pie. I wish everyone who is young that read here could go to those times for just one week like Christmas week to see How different and better those days were. We did not have alot of money but we were content. And most of all we Lived in the home of the brave and the land of the free.

Dave Z / Christmas eve Wed Dec 24 1969 == Kinsey Distillery ==

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

Edited by dave ziegler
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I think we got a turkey for Christmas, but can't really remember much about it Jono, I will call Ludy and ask if he remembers. Today I gave my Friend who has wired most of my Explosion proof Lights one of the Warehouse signs Ethan helped me to get. Warehouse S which is 3rd to the last out back! Pictures

1. & 2. are the sign I gave to Paul, he is adding it to other things I have given him for all his help in preserving all my explosion proof lights! Also I find by giving stuff to selected people they will keep the History of Kinsey and Publicker / Continental Distilling alive after I am long gone. My one goal is to preserve the History of the Company.

Thanks to Ethan for helping me to save the sign I gave Paul and warehouse M's sign in my garage for History. The place is getting so bad there is little left to save. I am hoping to go there again this weekend by myself and in the near future with Ethan again! Paul is going to schlack the sign and put a steel cord on the back and hang it in his wreck room!

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think the place would be gone and it would be up to me to save artifacts from it for History. Strange how things happen. These signs hung there on the buildings since 1946/47 the year I was born and they were built, so they are as old as me, 65 years old, and still surviving with the good old oil base paint that preserved them! Charlie Sipler painted them when ever they needed touch up and they are still the tradional White and blue they were when I started there in SEPT 1966. Charlie would roar around the plant in his Model A buggy with 100 hp Ford flat head motor, no roof or fenders just a old padded chair boalted on the frame and a folding chair boalted on the passenger side and a homemade wood flat bed in the back. He would fl every time when he took off in the mornning to do paint and building repairs.

Dave Z

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It Seems All the Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Tonight before I go to bed I am drinking a shot of something totally rare and amazing Philadelphia Straight Rye Distilled in 1941 and Bottled in 1946. my friend who ran marketing gave me an old corked bottle of this and I removed the cork and filtered it through a brown coffee Filter 2 years ago and every once in a while I will have a shot of it. It reinforces my thoughts that Old Whisky is so much better then anything made new today! And it is a whiskey I had never knew exsisted.

No Rye Whiskey I have had of the modern stuff can compare to the old ryes we made, too much filtering and to much computer making has taken so much from Whiskey. I love the old style of the distiller making the judgement over a computer!

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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