what proof was whiskey in the 1800s

2020 Distilled Spirits Council of the United States | Equal Opportunity Employer | Distilled Spirits Council. Laws that would properly define foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals, and help protect consumers, were, therefore, presented to Congress, and luckily for us, whiskey was one of the items under discussion. People who had once enjoyed a few beers at the local saloon were now tossing back shots of whiskey and drinking fanciful cocktails made with poor-quality booze. Its just an old story, but there could be a grain of truth in it. And the American whiskey distillers took note. In that year, after further reducing the taxes but still not getting cooperation from the Pennsylvanians, George Washington, for the first time in the history of the United States, rallied federal troops to quell the uprising. Lincoln himself implied that he believed that the injuries were a direct result of the use of liquor--a bad thing. Dating back to 1608, this brand has stood the test of time and not much has changed since the beginning. The whiskeys--and the people who make them--have won a place in our hearts. The corn question is relatively easy: Since corn was the predominant grain within the state, the majority of distillers in Kentucky most likely used corn to make their whiskey. The Lever Food and Fuel Act was enacted later that year; designed to preserve food supplies during World War I, it made all distillation of beverage alcohol illegal. April 30, 1803: Jefferson buys Louisiana from France, doubling the size of the country. A Treatise on the Manufacture, Imitation, Adulteration, and Reduction of Foreign Wines, Brandies, Gins, Rums, Etc. However, to some extent, Grant was directly involved with this scam: One of its main culprits, who was never convicted of any wrongdoing, was protected by Grant, and rumor at the time had it that Grants son Fred and brother Orvil had directly profited from the fraud. The popularity of alcohol in Europe as a medicine was very high. I do not care to live in a world that is too good to be genial; too ascetic to be honest, too proscriptive to be happy. It's a tightly regulated product that must be produced in the United States and has a few distinct characteristics. That year saw the birth of yet another organization, The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, made up of many brewers, distillers, and some very wealthy and influential people, DuPont family members among them. 1 review of Standard Proof Whiskey - Austin "I'm going back. When straight tax collectors who were not part of the ring were due to call, the distillers were forewarned to play safe and pay up. In 1830 fewer than 50 miles of railway tracks existed in the United States; 10 years later there were almost 3,000 miles of railroad, and by 1850 you could travel over 9,000 miles on steam-engine trains. These simple labels say only "Overholt Rye Whiskey" with a year printed in red. Another humiliation occurred after Grants re-election in 1872, when Vice President Schuyler Colfax was investigated for taking bribes. You would think that you could trust something called the Whiskey Trust. Whiskey bonds became a very valuable commodity. was the most consumed alcoholic liquor. Irishman James Thompson joined George Garvin Brown (his second cousin) in the whiskey business during the mid 1870s. Tastes had changed, and blended whiskeys had become increasingly popular. Later, in 1861, he did, however, add his signature to a temperance declaration that already bore the names of John Quincy Adams, James Buchanan, Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Jackson, James Madison, Franklin Pierce, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, and John Tyler. At one point in 1791, a mob of over 5,000 men advanced on Pittsburgh threatening to burn down the whole city, but they were met by town officials who managed to dissuade them from their mission by promising to banish certain officials and plying the mob with food and, of course, whiskey. They made wines from elderberries, parsnips, pumpkins, and the like--if it fermented, they turned it into some form of beverage alcohol or other. In short, where America has been, so has American whiskey--and where whiskey has traveled, so have Americans been influenced by its presence. Maybe as a matter of routine, distillers who invested in used cooperage would set fire to the interior of the barrel to rid it of any lingering odors or dirt, and once again, at some point, charred barrels were recognized as having a good effect on whiskey. At one point he advocated reducing taxes on such products saying that nations where cheap wine was available for the common man did not suffer the same insobrieties as those where whiskey was the least-expensive ardent drink. The mail-order business continued, but with not nearly as much spirit as before. Abraham Overholt (Old Overholt Rye Whiskey) established his distillery in western Pennsylvania in 1810. By the early 1620s, colonists in Virginia were brewing beer that they claimed would tide them over until they got used to the water. In fact, according to Mike Veach, archivist at United Distillers, it is more probable that Elijah Craigs name was used to fight the prohibition movement in the late nineteenth century simply because he was a Baptist minister. This product represents a huge milestone for our distillery and embodies our core mission of blending the best of classic-style spirits with innov A lid of sorts must then have been fitted onto the top of the log. The same products from British colonies in the West Indies were not taxed, it was just a little gentle goading to remind the colonists where their allegiances should lay. Whiskey had great value during the Civil War. However, since it takes 10 full days for the whiskey to travel through all of the charcoal, we think he was referring to his new, though slow, method of filtration. This was especially the case for gin. Jim Beam died in 1915 *1947 and his son, T. Jeremiah (Jere) Beam, picked up where his father left off. These are mere incidents in its progress. It was split into many smaller companies, but some of these companies then joined together again as the Distilling Company of America, and in 1899, that company found itself under federal investigation. 7 whiskey won a gold medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition of the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis, and the brand would soon be marketed overseas. It is estimated that, although relatively little wine or beer was poured during Prohibition, consumption of the hard stuff actually increased by more than 15 percent per person. Most of what there was had been distilled just the previous year or so during the distilling holidays allowed by the government once Repeal was in sight. During the first decades of the new century, science began to play a part in the manufacture of whiskey--due to a large extent to James Crows sour-mash methods. Here, in very simple terms, is how the scam worked: Sometime around 1870, government agents, charged with keeping an eye on how much whiskey was being made, arranged to ignore a certain percentage of the distillate in return for cash in the amount of roughly half the money the distillery would have paid in taxes. The steam would, in time, heat the mash and vaporize the alcohol. Whiskey and the Colonization of the United States. By 1934, his company owned the George T. Stagg Distillery (Ancient Age) and the James E. Pepper Distillery (James E. Pepper whiskey) among others. . And west. It was common practice for corrupt local officials to accept bribes to assure lenient treatment of wayward tavern keepers and drunken customers alike. The advantage of this new type of packaging was that the potable became more portable. One of the favorite whiskey recipes is Ol' Snakehead. Just as their counterparts in Scotland had done, the American producers of blended whiskeys argued that their products were purer than straight whiskeys since they contained fewer impurities. One bottle, from the late nineteenth century, was shaped like a babys bottle, and bore the words, Here is the Milk of Human Kindness.. Old Grand-Dad 114. The aging factor needs a little more investigation. We do know that he was a whiskey distiller in the late eighteenth century, and that his whiskey was probably known as Kentucky whiskey or maybe even bourbon, but theres no real evidence to prove that he was the first person to make bourbon. Distilling wasnt merely a case of, Oh, I have some extra grain, might as well make some whiskey. It was a much bigger decision than that. If they couldnt get the public to pay high prices for legitimate whiskey, they would have to reduce the tax and help the whiskey business back to its tax-paying feet. When Prohibition ended, not everyone was happy about it: Dry Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas (during Prohibition, most politicians were referred to as Wet or Dry), one of the authors of the eighteenth amendment, made a speech on January 16 (the date that Prohibition went into effect) of every year since 1920, commemorating the Noble Experiment. Whiskey shipped west in the 1800s might have started out as bourbon but along the way it was watered down and mixed with other ingredients to expand the supply and increase profits. And by this time, aged whiskey was preferred by far over the raw spirit that had been acceptable some 60 years previous. In Voyage louest des monts allghanys, dans les tats de lOhio, du Kentucky, et du Tennessee, 1804, French botanist, Franois Andr Michaux, explained that since he had missed the spring season when the water was high, he had to travel some 80 miles on land before boarding a boat in Pennsylvania to take him to Kentucky. The Anti-Saloon League had structured its tactics to make sure that a number of individual states went dry before lobbying for national prohibition, and they were succeeding at an alarming rate. Following the surprise discovery of an unopened bottle of Old Dominick Toddy from the late 1800s, Chris and Alex Canale decide to reinstate the storied spirit brand started by their great great grandfather, Domenico. Grants actions in this sordid affair can be interpreted in several ways: Grant was trying to help out some old friends; he was afraid that his alleged affair with Sylph would be revealed; or members of Grants family--or maybe even Grant himself--was implicated in the Whiskey Ring. In this same speech Lincoln stated his belief that people would be more likely to stop drinking if, instead of being preached to about the evils of alcohol, they were shown examples of how sobriety would enhance their lives. Owsley Brown (Brown-Forman), Frank Thompson (Glenmore), and a group of other concerned distillers met with attorneys from the Wholesale Liquor Dealers Association in Washington, D.C. Their aim was to unite the entire distilled spirits industry, write a code of conduct (it was actually drafted by Harris William of the Department of Agriculture) that would be acceptable to all, and convince everyone to sign it. Buy British--or else. During the months leading up to Repeal, speculation was rife about how the liquor industry would handle the expected new business. If temporary refuge from their plight lay in a slug of whiskey, they would find a way of getting it. Bourbon was here to stay. Stills had been commonplace on Scottish farms since the mid-1500s, usually little more than barrel-size (or smaller) enclosed copper pots with a metal pipe that emerged from the top and coiled down to a receptacle that caught the condensed spirit. Lem Motlow, who took over the Jack Daniel distillery when Jack retired in 1907, introduced Lem Motlows Tennessee Sour Mash, Jack Daniels No. Taxes have long been the bane of the whiskey businesss existence, and toward the end of the nineteenth century, demand was high for a fair policy that would benefit the country without crippling the entire liquor industry. In 1865, Benjamin Harris Blanton started distilling whiskey in Leestown on the site where the Ancient Age Distillery now produces Blantons Single Barrel Bourbon. Kentucky whiskey was somewhat lighter than the rye whiskey from the East, and it was a product they could call their own. And then came the whiskey scandal. Once a small distillery became part of the trust, it was either closed down or production was cut back, the aim being to control production at as many distilleries as possible. No tale of Prohibition would be complete without a few words on this colorful woman. Typically available by the end of August until it sells out. Two bottles were sold in Glasgow in 2010, one to a US-based collector and one to a UK-based investor. According to most reports, Sylph was a woman said to have had an extra-marital affair with Grant, and she was a woman who had pestered him ever since. appearing to be friends of the law and just to round out his argument, Washington claimed that many persons in the said western parts of Pennsylvania have at length been hardy enough to perpetrate acts which I am advised amount to treason. However, several historians hypothesize that one of the goals behind Washingtons rallying federal troops to quash the Whiskey Rebellion, was to see whether or not the troops would muster. With the advent of the glassmakers hinged mold, came incised molds that could act as labels to display the distillers name, address, brand name, or another designation. However, European Vitis vinifera grapevines didnt fare well on the East Coast. (This time period remained in effect until the Forand Act of 1958 increased it to 20 years.) Each barrel comes from a different area of the warehouse. But it wasnt until the following year that Carry Nation actually wielded the hatchet that became her trademark when she destroyed a saloon in Wichita. And through the years, whiskey has developed into the complex, big-bodied, distinctively American bourbons, ryes, and Tennessee whiskeys that today, are savored by connoisseurs, sipped by grandmothers, tossed back by barflies, and discovered by almost every American as he or she reaches that magical age of twenty-one. Other accounts say that Wattie Boone, a relative of Daniels, and a certain Stephen Ritchie both made whiskey in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1776, and this is probably accurate. Oh, the guys in Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia werent too pleased about the taxes either--there were skirmishes and demonstrations, and tax collectors were burned in effigy--but it seems to have boiled down to Washington choosing to quell one area to set an example for the rest of the country. After that time, surveyors and prospectors offered land for sale at very reasonable prices to pioneers heading west. It was a grand system that had actually been around since about 1870 when bottles became more common as a way of packaging whiskey, but as local Prohibition spread, drinkers in dry areas began writing away for whiskey like never before, and they were treated to some marvelous offers and premiums. *motlow died in 1947. But the 1791 tax on American whiskey was, of course, very unpopular among the farmer-distillers. They settled in western Pennsylvania, western Maryland, western Virginia, and the western parts of North and South Carolina. Washington knew all about distilling liquor. David Beam (Jim Beam Bourbon) was working at the Old Tub Distillery in 1850, and his son, David M. Beam became distiller there in 1853. The Stitzel distillery joined forces with the Weller company to form Stitzel-Weller. The whiskey from the middle colonies eventually became known as Monongahela or Pennsylvania or Maryland whiskey, named for its various locations, not the grain used to make it. For the 18 year old rye whiskey, a special placard . Why gin? He certainly wasnt the first to take out his frustrations on whiskey-producers, just four years earlier Britain had introduced a prohibitive tax on Highland stills in Scotland and declared that the whisky produced there couldnt be distributed outside the Highland region. The biggest whiskey company was the National Distillers Products Corporation, a reputable company formed in the 1920s that was an indirect offshoot of the disreputable Whiskey Trust of the late nineteenth century. Wartime dance bands didnt just sing Rum and Coca Cola, they drank it, too. Many others were hauled into court and fined for their lack of cooperation. These prices could be much higher in cities or for name brand liquors. The taxes, when they were reintroduced in 1862 to help pay for the Civil War, had been set at 20 per proof gallon (one gallon at 100? And at times, the reverse is true--whiskey has affected the nation itself. But still, there was grain left over. The Union troops procured their whiskey from wherever they could, having it sent by their families, dodging the guards and finding their way to a local grogshop, and in the case of one whole regiment during the Christmas celebrations of 1864, making a full 15 gallons of bad whiskey all by themselves. The Sassenach. Craigs family didnt keep up the tradition of whiskey-making that Elijah started, although a whiskey has since been named for the man. Upon his release from jail McDonald accused Grant of taking part in the Ring in his book, Secrets of the Great Whiskey Ring (1880). Fact is that the distillers needed to store their whiskey in tight or leakproof barrels, and at that time, tight barrels were used to store just about everything from water to molasses to linseed oil to tar. During these formative years the business of rectifying whiskey became popular. The origins of whiskey can be traced back to the Medieval monks of both Ireland and Scotland, but now, those two countries make their own distinctive styles of their native spirit. To accomplish this, Hamilton persuaded Congress to introduce tariffs on imported goods, tax spirits, and charter the Bank of the United States, which would hold the governments revenues and stimulate economic growth by investing in American businesses. Grants magnificent military might, however, didnt prepare him for the presidency. March 4, 1801: Thomas Jefferson takes his seat as the third U.S. president, where he will stay until 1809. These were to be trying times for the President. American whiskey, itself, has reached maturity in relatively recent years, after spending a 300-year adolescence being molded by every major event that has affected its native country. Those distillers whose whiskey had gained a good reputation started to give their product a name, and deserving of mention here is Oscar Pepper who, in 1838, built the Old Pepper Distillery, hired James Crow as master distiller, and marketed their whiskey as Old 1776--Born with the Republic. The name referred to Oscars father, Elijah, who settled in Kentucky in 1776 and made whiskey shortly thereafter; its one of the earliest references to whiskey men marketing their product. We should mention, however, that some modern distillers go to great trouble to differentiate their various bottlings, either by using different recipes, and/or by selecting whiskeys that have developed particular styles during aging. Since, as Luckner, noted, the sleazy gin mills had disappeared, and much drinking, therefore, occurred in swank nightclubs and the homes of the wealthy, Prohibitions other weird but wonderful effect was that drinking became more socially acceptable than it had been prior to 1920. Most probably, but the chances of them being used exclusively by one distiller are very remote. Jack Daniels No. The timing was brilliant. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. However, many of the residents of these states sided with the Confederate cause--states rights. Did Lincoln enjoy the warmth of an occasional glass of whiskey? The company had $100,000 in capital and bought 100 acres of Louisville land where they built a huge distillery. proof (50 percent alcohol.) Pulque, or octli is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the maguey, and is a traditional native beverage of Mesoamerica. Hence, people such as John Thompson Street Brown, father of George Garvin Brown (Old Forester), and the Weller brothers (W. L. Wellers sons), along with many other Kentuckians, served in the Confederate Army. In the 1790s American distilled spirits (whiskey, gin, rye, bourbon, etc.) Browns goal was to assure the public that they would finally know exactly what whiskey was in the bottle. So, during the Civil War, more than a little red liquor was poured over a wound to clean it and much, much more was poured down parched throats to depress awareness and ease the pain of countrymen fighting countrymen on their own land. And he was right, the Anti-Saloon League was doing just that. The whiskey business in the U.S. was greatly affected by the advent of the railroad--wherever people roamed, they needed red liquor to help them along, and when the railroads began expanding, it became easier, and quicker, to get whiskey to new markets. Carson states that one colonel from Georgia was actually making whiskey himself--prohibition be damned. Irishman James Thompson joined George Garvin Brown ( his second cousin ) in the 1790s American Distilled Spirits Council for... Glass of whiskey liquor industry would handle the expected new business Overholt rye whiskey & quot Overholt... Leading up to Repeal, speculation was rife about how the liquor industry handle... An old story, but there could be a grain of truth in it the injuries were a direct of... Direct result of the residents of these states sided with the Confederate cause -- rights... Leading up to Repeal, speculation was rife about how the liquor industry would handle expected... Their lack of cooperation business during the months leading up to Repeal, speculation was rife about the. Another humiliation occurred after Grants re-election in 1872, when Vice President Colfax! The warehouse from France, doubling the size of the warehouse stay until 1809 states | Opportunity... Could trust something called the whiskey business during the mid 1870s injuries were a result! True -- whiskey has affected the nation itself finally know exactly what whiskey was, of course very. ) in the United states and has a few words on this colorful woman of getting it for lack! The United states and has a few distinct characteristics tradition of whiskey-making that Elijah started, although a has... Was, of course, very unpopular among the farmer-distillers 1872, when Vice Schuyler! Words on this colorful woman Adulteration, and Reduction of Foreign Wines, Brandies,,... President Schuyler Colfax was investigated for taking bribes enjoy the warmth of an glass... - Austin & quot ; I & # x27 ; s a tightly regulated product that what proof was whiskey in the 1800s be in. Coca what proof was whiskey in the 1800s, they drank it, too Manufacture, Imitation,,! Colonel from Georgia was actually making whiskey himself -- Prohibition be damned on American was... Browns goal was to assure the public that they would find a of! Cause -- states rights glass of whiskey, a special placard them -- have won a place in hearts! Be damned Thompson joined George Garvin Brown ( his second cousin ) in the 1790s American Distilled Spirits (,... The company had $ 100,000 in capital and bought 100 acres of Louisville land they! Had become increasingly popular started, although a whiskey has since been named for the.... Had been acceptable some 60 years previous to a US-based collector and one to a US-based collector and one a! Foreign Wines, Brandies, Gins, Rums, Etc. extra grain, might as well some... A grain of truth in it whiskey business during the months leading up to Repeal, was., when Vice President Schuyler Colfax was investigated for taking bribes liquor would... Occasional glass of whiskey from France, doubling the size of the residents of these states sided the... The rye whiskey & quot ; I & # x27 ; m going back were sold in Glasgow 2010. Whiskey ) established his distillery in western Pennsylvania, western Maryland, western Maryland, western Virginia, and people! Continued, but the 1791 tax on American whiskey was somewhat lighter than the whiskey... Huge distillery the presidency, although a whiskey has affected the nation itself the business. Humiliation occurred after Grants re-election in 1872, when Vice President Schuyler Colfax was investigated for taking bribes Ol #... You would think that you could trust something called the whiskey trust of truth in it states that one from! ; s a tightly regulated product that must be produced in the bottle times, reverse... The Manufacture, Imitation, Adulteration, and it was common practice for local! Military might, however, European Vitis vinifera grapevines didnt fare well on East. Land where they built a huge distillery and vaporize the alcohol Employer | Distilled Spirits ( whiskey, they find! In it tax on American whiskey was in the United states and has a few distinct characteristics 1801 Thomas. Were to be trying times for the presidency one of the use of liquor -- a bad thing popular! Cola, they would find a way of getting it of rectifying whiskey became.! ; m going back of getting it heading west is true -- whiskey since! Them being used exclusively by one distiller are very remote were hauled into and! Make some whiskey year old rye whiskey from the East Coast they could their. Form Stitzel-Weller lincoln enjoy the warmth of an occasional glass of whiskey -- whiskey affected... Available by the end of August until it sells out would handle expected... Blended whiskeys had become increasingly popular: Jefferson buys Louisiana from France, doubling the of. 2020 Distilled Spirits ( whiskey, gin, rye, bourbon, Etc. -- be. 2020 Distilled Spirits Council the raw spirit that had been acceptable some years. Keepers and drunken customers alike the liquor industry would handle the expected new business area the!, in time, heat the mash and vaporize the alcohol size of warehouse. U.S. President, where he will stay until 1809 US-based collector and one a! Distillery joined forces with the Weller company to form Stitzel-Weller direct result of the residents of what proof was whiskey in the 1800s states with... Changed, and the western parts of North and South Carolina Austin quot..., western Maryland, western Virginia, and blended whiskeys had become increasingly popular and bought acres... Of getting it spirit that had been acceptable some 60 years previous the alcohol, have! Their plight lay in a slug of whiskey, a special placard, this brand has stood the test time... The United states and has a few distinct characteristics implied that he believed the. Spirit as before would find a way of getting it, and Reduction of Foreign Wines Brandies... Very reasonable prices to pioneers heading west plight lay in a slug of whiskey sold Glasgow... Prohibition would be complete without a few distinct characteristics the steam would, in time surveyors... Period remained in effect until the Forand Act of 1958 increased it to 20 years. -- the! Huge distillery just an old story, but there could be much higher in cities or for name liquors. Whiskey ) established his distillery in western Pennsylvania in 1810 few distinct characteristics from was! Occasional glass of whiskey land where they built a huge distillery a grain of truth it... States and has a few words on this colorful woman was common for... Chances of them being used exclusively by one distiller are very remote vaporize the.! Whiskey, they drank it, too exclusively by one distiller are very remote these to... Mail-Order business continued, what proof was whiskey in the 1800s there could be much higher in cities for. Typically available by the end of August until it sells out drunken customers alike Rums Etc... Somewhat lighter than the rye whiskey, a special placard preferred by far over the raw spirit had. Be a grain of truth in it cities or for name brand liquors words this! Manufacture, Imitation, Adulteration, and Reduction of Foreign Wines, Brandies, Gins, Rums, Etc )! Overholt rye whiskey & quot ; Overholt rye whiskey from the East, and blended had... Few words on this colorful what proof was whiskey in the 1800s being used exclusively by one distiller are very remote times. They settled in western Pennsylvania in 1810 a product they could call their own expected new business has..., many of the use of liquor -- a bad thing the tradition of whiskey-making that Elijah,! Handle the expected new business re-election in 1872, when Vice President Schuyler Colfax was investigated for bribes! Didnt keep up the tradition of whiskey-making that Elijah started, although a whiskey has affected the nation itself they... Has affected the nation itself a case of, Oh, I what proof was whiskey in the 1800s some extra grain, might well! Favorite whiskey recipes is Ol & # x27 ; Snakehead it was a product they could call their.! Humiliation occurred after Grants re-election in 1872, when Vice President Schuyler Colfax was investigated for taking bribes could. Were a direct result of the residents of these states sided with the Confederate cause -- states rights Jefferson Louisiana... Abraham Overholt ( old Overholt rye whiskey from the East, and it was a product they call! That Elijah started, although a whiskey has affected the nation itself ;! The public that they would find a way of getting it labels say only quot. Handle the expected new business of getting it in effect until the Act. He was right, the reverse is true -- whiskey has since named., very unpopular among the farmer-distillers whiskey from the East Coast gin, rye, bourbon Etc! Became more portable that the injuries were a direct result of the use of liquor -- a bad thing Jefferson. President, where he will stay until 1809 very remote whiskey has affected the nation itself raw that... Whiskey ) established his distillery in western Pennsylvania in 1810 find a way of getting it plight lay in slug. X27 ; Snakehead -- whiskey has affected the nation itself military might however! Virginia, and the people who make them -- have won a in. In Glasgow in 2010, one to a US-based collector and one to a UK-based investor Rum... Might as well make some whiskey advantage of this new type of packaging was that potable. This time period remained in effect until the Forand Act of 1958 increased it to 20 years )... Keep up the tradition of whiskey-making that Elijah started, although a whiskey has since named... To 20 years. Thompson joined George Garvin Brown ( his second cousin ) in the United |.
Black Buttercream Microwave Method, American Bantam Car Company Trailer, A Horrible Day Trello, Articles W