Bourbon History

The Anderson And Nelson Distilleries Company

The Anderson and Nelson Distilleries Company was located in Louisville at an area later known as Distillery Commons. The company was formed in 1886 by the Newcomb-Buchanan Company, which was started in 1870. Newcomb-Buchanan Company was a major purchas…

M. V. Monarch

The Monarch family played an important role in the heritage of Daviess County, Kentucky distilling. Martin Van Buren Monarch was born on March 10, 1842, the son of Thomas and Susan Daviess Monarch. His mother believed in education and Martin… Continu…

A Trip to Castle & Key Distillery

The other day, Rosemary and I were invited by Sherrie Moore to come out and visit her at the Castle & Key Distillery. Sherrie has been hired by Will Arvin, the owner of Castle & Key, to be head of… Continue Reading →

Images Of The Past – Ancient Age Bar Sign

Ancient Age Bourbon has an unusual heritage. It was first distilled in 1932 in Canada when Louis Rosentiel, the President of Schenley decided that Prohibition was going to end after the next presidential election and he contract distilled some Bourbon….

Repeal Day 2025

I have always been an advocate for making Repeal Day a national holiday. It is a day when we as Americans, should celebrate the freedom it brought back to the constitution. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution was the only… Continue Reading →

Whiskey Legends

Sometimes I let my mind wander about a subject and today, I pondered the subject of whiskey legends. I have always said that in distilling history, there are two types of history – the verified facts and marketing legends. I… Continue Reading →

Veterans And The American Distilling Industry

Military Veterans have had a long history with the American Distilling Industry.  It starts with the whiskey tax that caused the whiskey rebellion. Veterans of the American Revolution opposed the tax. They had just fought a war over taxation and…..

A Few Thoughts On Roads And The Distilling Industry

When Americans first started distilling, the major roadway was the river. Distilleries depended upon the waterways to get their whiskey to markets that were not local. Shipping barrels of whiskey was hard to achieve on the primitive roads of the… Con…

How Did Four Roses Get Its Name?

This is a question that was very much discussed with my good friend, Al Young, when he was still with us. He would often call me and ask this question and we had several interesting telephone calls as a result. … Continue Reading →

World War I And The Distilling Industry

The years leading up to the First World War were trying times for the distilling industry. The prohibitionists were active in making many states dry. The distilling industry had depended upon the argument put forth by the beer industry that… Continue…

Scroll to Top