A Century of American Whiskey

A.H. Hirsch Reserve 1974 15 Year Old / 1st Release

A legendary bottle of bourbon that has had a whole book written about itself: The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste by Charles K Cowdery.

Distilled in Spring 1974, this bourbon was bottled from a single 400 barrel batch commissioned by Adolph H. Hirsch and distilled under contract at Michter's distillery (then known as Pennco), just outside Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. Hirsch was a former Schenley executive who had dealings with Michter's during his time there, and it is believed he commissioned the whiskey as financial favour to the distillery, and actually had little plans for its use. So, it lay ageing in the warehouses for much longer than generally expected for a bourbon at the time. 

When Michter’s distillery finally closed in 1989, Hirsch was well into his nineties, and rather than engage in exigency of rehoming what no longer served its purpose to him, he instead sought to find a buyer for it. Fearing the arduous task of finding a buyer for what was considered an “over-aged” batch of whiskey, Hirsch was fortunate in that one of his old Schenley contacts called Bob Gottesman knew a man in Kentucky who was looking for exactly that, Gordon Hue.

Responsibility for the early bottling was entrusted to Julian Van Winkle III at his Old Commonwealth site in Lawrenceburg. However, his creation of the Pappy Van Winkle brand and subsequent partnership with the Sazerac Company in 2002 also saw bottling of the Hirsch Reserve moved briefly to Buffalo Trace. This is one of Van Winkle's first Lawrenceburg bottlings, produced on 26th February 1990. Van Winkle's ledgers show that he was drip-fed orders for the A.H. Hirsch Reserve, and only produced limited case numbers to order when requested by Hue. This has lead to a variety of different bottlings at different ages. This is one of two bottlings of the A.H. Hirsch Reserve as 15 year old (although the second was actually 16 by the time it was bottled). This release features the label with block text, similar to the Van Winkle Special Reserve releases produced around the same time (the second has a script style label). The majority of the the bourbon was later placed into steel tanks shortly after this, in order to prevent futher ageing. Van Winkle bottled some leftover casks at advanced ages, but the majority of the A.H. Hirsch Reserve was bottled from the tanks as a 16 year old in 2003.

Gordon Hue, who had maintained exclusive distribution rights to the Hirsch product despite the Van Winkle and Sazerac connections, eventually sold the brand to Preiss Imports who moved the subsequent and final bottling (technically re-bottling) to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers' Willett facility.

In his book Cowdery refers to the bourbon as one of the \"best whiskeys I've ever tasted.\"

Mash bill contains 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.

A.H. Hirsch Finest Reserve 1974 20 Year Old 1990s

A legendary bottle of bourbon that has had a whole book written about itself: The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste by Charles K Cowdery.

Distilled in Spring 1974, this bourbon is bottled from a single 400 barrel batch commissioned by Adolph H. Hirsch and distilled under contract at Michter's distillery (then known as Pennco), just outside Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. Hirsch was a former Schenley executive who had dealings with Michter's during his time there, and it is believed he commissioned the whiskey as financial favour to the distillery, and actually had little plans for its use. So, it lay ageing in the warehouses for much longer than generally expected for a bourbon at the time. 

When Michter’s distillery finally closed in 1989, Hirsch was well into his nineties, and rather than engage in exigency of rehoming what no longer served its purpose to him, he instead sought to find a buyer for it. Fearing the arduous task of finding a buyer for what was considered an “over-aged” batch of whiskey, Hirsch was fortunate in that one of his old Schenley contacts called Bob Gottesman knew a man in Kentucky who was looking for exactly that, Gordon Hue.

Responsibility for the early bottling was entrusted to Julian Van Winkle III at his Old Commonwealth site in Lawrenceburg. However, his creation of the Pappy Van Winkle brand and subsequent partnership with the Sazerac Company in 2002 also saw bottling of the Hirsch Reserve moved briefly to Buffalo Trace. This is one of Van Winkle's earlier 1990s bottlings. Van Winkle's ledgers show that he was drip-fed orders for the Hirsch Reserve, and only produced limited case numbers to order when requested by Hue. This has lead to a variety of different bottlings at different ages. This is the 20 year old red wax bottling in Van Winkle's trademark green-glass cognac-style bottles. This is the only release bottled from the spirit when it was 20 years old, and the oldest too.

Gordon Hue, who had maintained exclusive distribution rights to the Hirsch product despite the Van Winkle and Sazerac connections, eventually sold the brand to Preiss Imports who moved the subsequent and final bottling (technically re-bottling) to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers' Willett facility.

In his book Cowdery refers to the bourbon as one of the \"best whiskeys I've ever tasted.\"

Mash bill contains 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.

A.H. Hirsch Reserve 1974 16 Year Old Bourbon / pre-2003 Gold Wax

A legendary bottle of bourbon that has had a whole book written about itself: The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste by Charles K Cowdery.

Distilled in Spring 1974, this bourbon is bottled from a single 400 barrel batch commissioned by Adolph H. Hirsch and distilled under contract at Michter's distillery (then known as Pennco), just outside Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. Hirsch was a former Schenley executive who had dealings with Michter's during his time there, and it is believed he commissioned the whiskey as financial favour to the distillery, and actually had little plans for its use. So, it lay ageing in the warehouses for much longer than generally expected for a bourbon at the time. 

When Michter’s distillery finally closed in 1989, Hirsch was well into his nineties, and rather than engage in exigency of rehoming what no longer served its purpose to him, he instead sought to find a buyer for it. Fearing the arduous task of finding a buyer for what was considered an “over-aged” batch of whiskey, Hirsch was fortunate in that one of his old Schenley contacts called Bob Gottesman knew a man in Kentucky who was looking for exactly that, Gordon Hue.

Responsibility for the early bottling was entrusted to Julian Van Winkle III at his Old Commonwealth site in Lawrenceburg. However, his creation of the Pappy Van Winkle brand and subsequent partnership with the Sazerac Company in 2002 also saw bottling of the Hirsch Reserve moved briefly to Buffalo Trace. This is one of Van Winkle's last Lawrenceburg bottlings, from the early 2000s. Van Winkle's ledgers show that he was drip-fed orders for the Hirsch Reserve, and only produced limited case numbers to order when requested by Hue. This has lead to a variety of different bottlings at different ages. This is the second batch of the A.H. Hirsch Reserve bottled as a 16 year old, and is affectionately known as the \"Gold Wax.\" The same label was used by Buffalo Trace for the 2003 release, although that time featured a gold foil seal. Van Winkle was a fan of the dripping wax aesthetic, but this was a registered trademark of Maker's Mark in the US. He commonly used the motif on special export releases for a markets where this law did not apply.

Gordon Hue, who had maintained exclusive distribution rights to the Hirsch product despite the Van Winkle and Sazerac connections, eventually sold the brand to Preiss Imports who moved the subsequent and final bottling (technically re-bottling) to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers' Willett facility.

In his book Cowdery refers to the bourbon as one of the \"best whiskeys I've ever tasted.\"

Mash bill contains 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.

I.W Harper 1916 Bottled in Bond 17 Year Old Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

Distilled in 1917, this whiskey was protected in bond from the Prohibition Act of 1920, which made alcohol production and consumption illegal. This was bottled in 1933, just before the repeal of the act.

The I.W. prefix in this whiskey's name derives from Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville in Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. Sadly, he felt Harper was a more marketable name than his own to apply to the bottles.

This was distilled at Bernheim distillery, which the Bernheim brothers had sold to United American Co. a few years earlier, anticipating the coming Prohibition legislation. After the passing of the act, this whiskey was procured by Otto Wathen's American Medicinal Spirits Company, who bottled this.

The American Medicinal Spirits Company was one of only six distilling companies to survive Prohibition of the 434 that existed prior. Exploiting the medicinal loophole was the brainchild of Otto Wathen, then president of his father's R.E. Wathen distillery and it was an idea that continues to prove its value today in the persisting image of his still ever-popular portfolio, which included the bourbon classic, Old Grand-dad. The AMS Co was eventually taken over by National Distillers who reorganised it in 1927, incorporating their Kentucky Distilleries & Warehouse Co, R.E. Wathen & Co, Hill & Hill, and E.H. Taylor & Sons. National Distillers then went on to become one of the \"Big Four\" post-Prohibition whiskey companies in the US, along with Schenley, Hiram Walker and Seagram.

The I.W. Harper brand and the Bernheim distillery were purchased by Schenley in 1937, and they produced it until 1987 when they were acquired by United Distillers (now Diageo). The Schenley product was labelled 'Gold Medal,' a reference to the many the brand received, including at the 1915 San Francisco Fair, two years before this was produced.

United Distillers discontinued the I.W. Harper brand in the US in the 1980s, however Diageo revived the brand in 2015.  Bernheim was sold to Heaven Hill in 1999, although it is believed the bourbon is still sourced by from it by Diageo.

A.H. Hirsch Reserve 1974 16 Year Old Bourbon / 2009 Humidor Release

A legendary bottle of bourbon that has had a whole book written about itself: The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste by Charles K Cowdery.

Distilled in Spring 1974, this bourbon is bottled from a single 400 barrel batch commissioned by Adolph H. Hirsch and distilled under contract at Michter's distillery (then known as Pennco), just outside Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. Hirsch was a former Schenley executive who had dealings with Michter's during his time there, and it is believed he commissioned the whiskey as financial favour to the distillery, and actually had little plans for its use. So, it lay ageing in the warehouses for much longer than generally expected for a bourbon at the time. 

When Michter’s distillery finally closed in 1989, Hirsch was well into his nineties, and rather than engage in exigency of rehoming what no longer served its purpose to him, he instead sought to find a buyer for it. Fearing the arduous task of finding a buyer for what was considered an “over-aged” batch of whiskey, Hirsch was fortunate in that one of his old Schenley contacts called Bob Gottesman knew a man in Kentucky who was looking for exactly that, Gordon Hue.

Responsibility for the early bottling was entrusted to Julian Van Winkle III at his Old Commonwealth site in Lawrenceburg. However, his creation of the Pappy Van Winkle brand and subsequent partnership with the Sazerac Company in 2002 also saw bottling of the Hirsch Reserve moved briefly to Buffalo Trace. Those bottles were filled in 2003 for the new owners of the Hirsch Reserve, Preiss Imports, who purchased it from Gordon Hue that year. This is technically a re-bottling of one of those 2003 releases. Produced in 2009, Preiss Imports had their remaining stock of the Buffalo Trace bottles decanted into these hand-blown glasses and presented them mahogany humidor boxes. There were only 1000 made, and the bottling was done at Willett by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers.

In his book Cowdery refers to the bourbon as one of the \"best whiskeys I've ever tasted.\"

Mash bill contains 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.

I.W Harper 1916 Bottled in Bond 17 Year Old Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

Distilled in 1917, this whiskey was protected in bond from the Prohibition Act of 1920, which made alcohol production and consumption illegal. This was bottled in 1933, just before the repeal of the act.

The I.W. prefix in this whiskey's name derives from Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville in Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. Sadly, he felt Harper was a more marketable name than his own to apply to the bottles.

This was distilled at Bernheim distillery, which the Bernheim brothers had sold to United American Co. a few years earlier, anticipating the coming Prohibition legislation. After the passing of the act, this whiskey was procured by Otto Wathen's American Medicinal Spirits Company, who bottled this.

The American Medicinal Spirits Company was one of only six distilling companies to survive Prohibition of the 434 that existed prior. Exploiting the medicinal loophole was the brainchild of Otto Wathen, then president of his father's R.E. Wathen distillery and it was an idea that continues to prove its value today in the persisting image of his still ever-popular portfolio, which included the bourbon classic, Old Grand-dad. The AMS Co was eventually taken over by National Distillers who reorganised it in 1927, incorporating their Kentucky Distilleries & Warehouse Co, R.E. Wathen & Co, Hill & Hill, and E.H. Taylor & Sons. National Distillers then went on to become one of the \"Big Four\" post-Prohibition whiskey companies in the US, along with Schenley, Hiram Walker and Seagram.

The I.W. Harper brand and the Bernheim distillery were purchased by Schenley in 1937, and they produced it until 1987 when they were acquired by United Distillers (now Diageo). The Schenley product was labelled 'Gold Medal,' a reference to the many the brand received, including at the 1915 San Francisco Fair, two years before this was produced.

United Distillers discontinued the I.W. Harper brand in the US in the 1980s, however Diageo revived the brand in 2015.  Bernheim was sold to Heaven Hill in 1999, although it is believed the bourbon is still sourced by from it by Diageo.

A.H. Hirsch Reserve 1974 16 Year Old Bourbon / 2003 Release

A legendary bottle of bourbon that has had a whole book written about itself: The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste by Charles K Cowdery.

Distilled in Spring 1974, this bourbon was bottled from a single 400 barrel batch commissioned by Adolph H. Hirsch and distilled under contract at Michter's distillery (then known as Pennco), just outside Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. Hirsch was a former Schenley executive who had dealings with Michter's during his time there, and it is believed he commissioned the whiskey as financial favour to the distillery, and actually had little plans for its use. So, it lay ageing in the warehouses for much longer than generally expected for a bourbon at the time. 

When Michter’s distillery finally closed in 1989, Hirsch was well into his nineties, and rather than engage in exigency of rehoming what no longer served its purpose to him, he instead sought to find a buyer for it. Fearing the arduous task of finding a buyer for what was considered an “over-aged” batch of whiskey, Hirsch was fortunate in that one of his old Schenley contacts called Bob Gottesman knew a man in Kentucky who was looking for exactly that, Gordon Hue.

Responsibility for the early bottling was entrusted to Julian Van Winkle III at his Old Commonwealth site in Lawrenceburg. However, his creation of the Pappy Van Winkle brand and subsequent partnership with the Sazerac Company in 2002 also saw bottling of the Hirsch Reserve moved briefly to Buffalo Trace. This is one of the Buffalo Trace bottles, filled in 2003 for the new owners of the Hirsch Reserve, Preiss Imports, who purchased it from Gordon Hue that year.

Preiss Imports moved the subsequent and final bottling (technically re-bottling) to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers' Willett facility.

In his book Cowdery refers to the bourbon as one of the \"best whiskeys I've ever tasted.\"

Mash bill contains 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.

Gallant Knight 1917 Bottled in Bond Whiskey / Prohibition Era Bottling

A fantastic example of a Prohibition era bottling of American whiskey. Although the Volstead Act of 1920 had banned all production, sale an consumption of alcohol in the US, a few select companies were able to acquire medicinal licenses that allowed them to continue bottling their warehoused stock. These medicinal bottlings could be prescribed by medical professionals, and bakers were also entitled to a weekly ration to cook with.

One of these companies was the Frankfort distillery. Built in 1902, the distillery was one of six companies to be granted a medicinal license in 1920, along with Brown-Forman, Schenley, the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery, the American Medicinal Spirits Company, and James Thompson & Brother. Like the others, Frankfort Distillery secured its stocks for the next decade by buying up the stocks from many of those who did not. In 1922, they company was bought by Paul Jones & Co, which subsumed itself into the newly named Frankfort Distilleries in order to use its license to continue production of its now legendary Four Roses brand. The distillery did not re-open after Prohibition, and with stock stretched thin due to its expanded portfolio by the end of 1920s, they contracted A. Ph. Stitzel to supply them with more from their ageing stock. This partnership saw Frankfort Distilleries eventually acquire the Stitzel plant in 1933, with its former owners opening the legendary Stitzel-Weller in Louisville two years later. In 1943 the Frankfort Distilleries company was acquired by Canadian giants, Seagram, who ran it a a subsidiary until dissolving it in the 1960s.

This whiskey was distilled in Indiana at the Greendale distillery. Warehouse transactions date the distillery to around the late 19th century, and like most it did not re-open again after closing in 1920. The whiskey was bottled in 1933.

Grommes and Ullrich 1942 Black Label Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Grommes and Ullrich was a grocer's business founded  in Chicago by Hubert Grommes and Michael Ullrich in the late 19th century. As was the common pre-Prohibition, the store had agreements with various distillers to produce and bottle house labels for it, one of which was this Black Label brand. When Prohibition ended, labels like this were mostly owned by larger corporations as these were the only companies with enough seed capital to get the whiskey trade back on its feet, with the majority of brands owned by just four producers.

This example contains pre-war (by the American timeline) whiskey, distilled in 1942. Bottled in the 1960s, the Grommes & Ullrich name was the property of another Chicago company called Marquette Distributors.

George T Stagg 2016 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2016 edition is a 15 year old bourbon.

Geo A Dickel's Cascade Blended Whiskey Quart 1940

This blended American whiskey was produced by the Schenley company in 1940.

Schenley was organised in 1920 by Louis Rosenstiel as the Cincinnati Distributing Corp. It was one of just six companies granted a license by the US government to bottle medicinal whiskey, alongside Brown-Forman, Frankfort Distilleries, the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery, the American Medicinal Spirits Company, and James Thompson & Brother. In the same year, Rosenstiel acquired the Joseph S. Finch distillery in Pennsylvania, its stock and its Golden Wedding brand, which would go onto become one of the flagship labels of Schenley in the 20th century. In 1922, Rosenstiel met Winston Churchill while holidaying in France, and the future British Prime Minister advised him to begin preparing for the eventuality that the unpopular Prohibition act would be repealed. Rosenstiel then spent the next decade accruing assets in the whiskey industry and by the time his foresight finally paid off in 1933, Schenley were the owners of numerous distilleries including George T. Stagg, James E. Pepper, and the Squibb distillery in Indiana. They added the famous Bernheim distillery to the portfolio in 1937, and the year prior made their first play in the Scotch market by becoming the US distributor for John Dewar & Sons. Rosenstiel's spirits empire dominated much of the market share of American whiskey for the next forty years through brands like I.W. Harper and Cream of Kentucky, before he sold his controlling stake to the Glen Alden company in 1968. He passed away eight years later, and in 1987, Schenley was bought over by United Distillers, newly formed through a merger of the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) and Arthur Bell & Sons after both were acquired by Guinness that year.

Schenley had acquired the George Dickel brand at the close of Prohibition, marketing this blend produced using straight whiskey and grain neutral spirit from their Squibb distillery in Indiana. This all changed in 1964 however, when they opened the Cascade Hollow distillery in Tennessee, which has been the home of the George Dickel brand ever since, now owned and operated by Diageo.

Greenbrier 1913 Bottled in Bond Whiskey Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

A medicinal bottling of American whiskey. Medicinal whiskey was a legal loophole exploited by a select number of distillers who were able to acquire a license to do so, and allowed them to continue bottling their bonded stock as a prescription medication.

This was distilled in 1913 and bottled in 1924, four years after the Prohibition Act was enforced. The whiskey is from the Greenbrier distillery, which was built in 1883 by a certain Old Grand-dad, R.B. Hayden, after whom Jim Beam's Basil Hayden's bourbon is also named. The distillery was purchased by the Schenley company during Prohibition, one of their many acquisitions as they looked for full warehouses to bottle whiskey from using their medicinal license. The original distillery was closed, however the company, one of the largest post-Prohibition producers built a new one which operated briefly. 

Schenley was organised in 1920 by Louis Rosenstiel as the Cincinnati Distributing Corp. It was one of just six companies granted a license by the US government to bottle medicinal whiskey, alongside Brown-Forman, Frankfort Distilleries, the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery, the American Medicinal Spirits Company, and James Thompson & Brother. In the same year, Rosenstiel acquired the Joseph S. Finch distillery in Pennsylvania, its stock and its Golden Wedding brand, which would go onto become one of the flagship labels of Schenley in the 20th century. In 1922, Rosenstiel met Winston Churchill while holidaying in France, and the future British Prime Minister advised him to begin preparing for the eventuality that the unpopular Prohibition act would be repealed. Rosenstiel then spent the next decade accruing assets in the whiskey industry and by the time his foresight finally paid off in 1933, Schenley were the owners of numerous distilleries including George T. Stagg, James E. Pepper, and the Squibb distillery in Indiana. They added the famous Bernheim distillery to the portfolio in 1937, and the year prior made their first play in the Scotch market by becoming the US distributor for John Dewar & Sons. Rosenstiel's spirits empire dominated much of the market share of American whiskey for the next forty years through brands like I.W. Harper and Cream of Kentucky, before he sold his controlling stake to the Glen Alden company in 1968. He passed away eight years later, and in 1987, Schenley was bought over by United Distillers, newly formed through a merger of the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) and Arthur Bell & Sons after both were acquired by Guinness that year.

This brand is not to be confused with the similarly named Green Brier distillery in Tennessee, which was recently revived.

Greenbrier 1913 Bottled in Bond Whiskey Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

A medicinal bottling of American whiskey. Medicinal whiskey was a legal loophole exploited by a select number of distillers who were able to acquire a license to do so, and allowed them to continue bottling their bonded stock as a prescription medication.

This was distilled in 1913 and bottled in 1924, four years after the Prohibition Act was enforced. The whiskey is from the Greenbrier distillery, which was built in 1883 by a certain Old Grand-dad, R.B. Hayden, after whom Jim Beam's Basil Hayden's bourbon is also named. The distillery was purchased by the Schenley company during Prohibition, one of their many acquisitions as they looked for full warehouses to bottle whiskey from using their medicinal license. The original distillery was closed, however the company, one of the largest post-Prohibition producers built a new one which operated briefly. 

Schenley was organised in 1920 by Louis Rosenstiel as the Cincinnati Distributing Corp. It was one of just six companies granted a license by the US government to bottle medicinal whiskey, alongside Brown-Forman, Frankfort Distilleries, the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery, the American Medicinal Spirits Company, and James Thompson & Brother. In the same year, Rosenstiel acquired the Joseph S. Finch distillery in Pennsylvania, its stock and its Golden Wedding brand, which would go onto become one of the flagship labels of Schenley in the 20th century. In 1922, Rosenstiel met Winston Churchill while holidaying in France, and the future British Prime Minister advised him to begin preparing for the eventuality that the unpopular Prohibition act would be repealed. Rosenstiel then spent the next decade accruing assets in the whiskey industry and by the time his foresight finally paid off in 1933, Schenley were the owners of numerous distilleries including George T. Stagg, James E. Pepper, and the Squibb distillery in Indiana. They added the famous Bernheim distillery to the portfolio in 1937, and the year prior made their first play in the Scotch market by becoming the US distributor for John Dewar & Sons. Rosenstiel's spirits empire dominated much of the market share of American whiskey for the next forty years through brands like I.W. Harper and Cream of Kentucky, before he sold his controlling stake to the Glen Alden company in 1968. He passed away eight years later, and in 1987, Schenley was bought over by United Distillers, newly formed through a merger of the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) and Arthur Bell & Sons after both were acquired by Guinness that year.

This brand is not to be confused with the similarly named Green Brier distillery in Tennessee, which was recently revived.

Greenbrier 1913 Bottled in Bond Whiskey Pint / Prohibition Era Bottling

A medicinal bottling of American whiskey. Medicinal whiskey was a legal loophole exploited by a select number of distillers who were able to acquire a license to do so, and allowed them to continue bottling their bonded stock as a prescription medication.

This was distilled in 1913 and bottled in 1924, four years after the Prohibition Act was enforced. The whiskey is from the Greenbrier distillery, which was built in 1883 by a certain Old Grand-dad, R.B. Hayden, after whom Jim Beam's Basil Hayden's bourbon is also named. The distillery was purchased by the Schenley company during Prohibition, one of their many acquisitions as they looked for full warehouses to bottle whiskey from using their medicinal license. The original distillery was closed, however the company, one of the largest post-Prohibition producers built a new one which operated briefly. 

Schenley was organised in 1920 by Louis Rosenstiel as the Cincinnati Distributing Corp. It was one of just six companies granted a license by the US government to bottle medicinal whiskey, alongside Brown-Forman, Frankfort Distilleries, the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery, the American Medicinal Spirits Company, and James Thompson & Brother. In the same year, Rosenstiel acquired the Joseph S. Finch distillery in Pennsylvania, its stock and its Golden Wedding brand, which would go onto become one of the flagship labels of Schenley in the 20th century. In 1922, Rosenstiel met Winston Churchill while holidaying in France, and the future British Prime Minister advised him to begin preparing for the eventuality that the unpopular Prohibition act would be repealed. Rosenstiel then spent the next decade accruing assets in the whiskey industry and by the time his foresight finally paid off in 1933, Schenley were the owners of numerous distilleries including George T. Stagg, James E. Pepper, and the Squibb distillery in Indiana. They added the famous Bernheim distillery to the portfolio in 1937, and the year prior made their first play in the Scotch market by becoming the US distributor for John Dewar & Sons. Rosenstiel's spirits empire dominated much of the market share of American whiskey for the next forty years through brands like I.W. Harper and Cream of Kentucky, before he sold his controlling stake to the Glen Alden company in 1968. He passed away eight years later, and in 1987, Schenley was bought over by United Distillers, newly formed through a merger of the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) and Arthur Bell & Sons after both were acquired by Guinness that year.

This brand is not to be confused with the similarly named Green Brier distillery in Tennessee, which was recently revived.

George T Stagg 2018 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2018 edition is a 15 year old bourbon, distilled in the spring of 2003.

George T Stagg 2020 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2020 edition is a 15 year old bourbon, distilled in the spring of 2005.

I.W. Harper 1945 Bottled in Bond Bourbon

The I.W. prefix in this whiskey's name derives from Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville in Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. Sadly, he felt Harper was a more marketable name than his own to apply to the bottles.

A Bottled in Bond release, this was distilled at Bernheim by Schenley in 1945 and bottled in 1952.

Schenley was organised in 1920 by Louis Rosenstiel as the Cincinnati Distributing Corp. It was one of just six companies granted a license by the US government to bottle medicinal whiskey, alongside Brown-Forman, Frankfort Distilleries, the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery, the American Medicinal Spirits Company, and James Thompson & Brother. In the same year, Rosenstiel acquired the Joseph S. Finch distillery in Pennsylvania, its stock and its Golden Wedding brand, which would go onto become one of the flagship labels of Schenley in the 20th century. In 1922, Rosenstiel met Winston Churchill while holidaying in France, and the future British Prime Minister advised him to begin preparing for the eventuality that the unpopular Prohibition act would be repealed. Rosenstiel then spent the next decade accruing assets in the whiskey industry and by the time his foresight finally paid off in 1933, Schenley were the owners of numerous distilleries including George T. Stagg, James E. Pepper, and the Squibb distillery in Indiana. They added the famous Bernheim distillery to the portfolio in 1937, and the year prior made their first play in the Scotch market by becoming the US distributor for John Dewar & Sons. Rosenstiel's spirits empire dominated much of the market share of American whiskey for the next forty years through brands like I.W. Harper and Cream of Kentucky, before he sold his controlling stake to the Glen Alden company in 1968. He passed away eight years later, and in 1987, Schenley was bought over by United Distillers, newly formed through a merger of the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) and Arthur Bell & Sons after both were acquired by Guinness that year.

George T Stagg 2017 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2017 edition is a 15 year old bourbon.

Whisky Advocate rated this 94 points!

George T Stagg 2017 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2017 edition is a 15 year old bourbon.

Whisky Advocate rated this 94 points!

George T Stagg 2017 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2017 edition is a 15 year old bourbon.

Whisky Advocate rated this 94 points!

George T Stagg 2017 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2017 edition is a 15 year old bourbon.

Whisky Advocate rated this 94 points!

George T Stagg 2017 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2017 edition is a 15 year old bourbon.

Whisky Advocate rated this 94 points!

George T Stagg 2017 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2017 edition is a 15 year old bourbon.

Whisky Advocate rated this 94 points!

George T Stagg 2019 Release

A historic distillery, Buffalo Trace was built in 1812 Harrison Blanton. It was then purchased by the legendary Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr in 1870, who named it OFC (Old Fashioned Copper) and invested heavily in its modernisation. So much so in fact that he declared himself bankrupt after just seven years, and George T. Stagg stepped in to rescue it, becoming its owner in 1878. He ran the distillery until his retirement in the 1890s, and it was renamed in his honour in 1904. Having survived Prohibition, it was bought up by the Schenley company in 1933, who ran it as part of their extensive portfolio for the next fifty years, eventually selling it to Age International. The latter's new Japanese ownership in 1992 had no interest in it (only in its brands), and immediately sold it to the Sazerac company, who renamed it Buffalo Trace in 1999.

Because Sazerac did not own the the existing distillery portfolio, they necessarily had to begin adding new brands to their range. Besides their eponymous flagship bourbon, perhaps the most important of these was this, the George T. Stagg. Although not part of the original Antique Collection , it was added in 2002 and is now the flag bearer for the range. The Antique Collection celebrates the heritage of the the Sazerac Company and the Buffalo Trace distillery, so it is only fitting that one of its products pay tribute to both the man who saved the distillery in the late 19th century, but also recognises Buffalo Trace's identity for all but five years of the previous century.

The 2019 edition is a 15 year old bourbon, distilled in the spring of 2004.

I.W. Harper 150 Month Old Collector's Figurine Decanter 1966

The I.W. prefix in this brand name derives from Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville in Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. Sadly, he felt Harper was a more marketable name than his own to apply to the bottles. 

This was distilled and bottled at the Bernheim distillery in Louisville by the Schenley company.

Schenley were eventually bought over by United Distillers in 1987 who discontinued the I.W. Harper brand in the US shortly after, selling it only abroad. The modern iteration of United Distillers, Diageo, revived the US version of the brand in 2015, although it is no longer bottled at Bernheim, which was sold to Heaven Hill in 1999.

Anderson Club 15 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1996

An old bottle of Anderson Club bourbon from the 1990s, distilled and bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky.

Heaven Hill was established by a group of private investors in 1935, following the repeal of Prohibition a few years earlier. Among the founders was distiller, Joseph L. Beam, and a member of the Shapira family. As the company grew, the Shapira's eventually acquired sole ownership of it, and their descendants still run it today. In a similar dynastic vein, Joe Beam remained master distiller despite the Shapira takeover, and members of his family have occupied the role ever since. This was produced at the Old Heavenhill Springs distillery, later renamed simply as Heaven Hill, which was located in Bardstown, Kentucky. It was sadly lost in a devastating fire in 1996, and bourbon made there has become increasingly sought after as the years pass. The company had no distillery for the next three years, but were permitted to rent stills at Jim Beam and Brown-Forman in order to maintain production. They eventually acquired the newly refurbished Bernheim distillery from Diageo in 1999, which has been their home ever since.

Anderson Club is a charcoal filtered whiskey, a practice known as the Lincoln County Process and often better associated with Tennessee Whiskies such as Jack Daniel's. This often leads to a common misconception, likely deliberately promoted by some distillers, that whiskey produced in this fashion cannot be called bourbon. 

Anderson Club 15 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1996

An old bottle of Anderson Club bourbon from the 1990s, distilled and bottled in Bardstown by Heaven Hill.

Heaven Hill was established by a group of private investors in 1935, following the repeal of Prohibition a few years earlier. Among the founders was distiller, Joseph L. Beam, and a member of the Shapira family. As the company grew, the Shapira's eventually acquired sole ownership of it, and their descendants still run it today. In a similar dynastic vein, Joe Beam remained master distiller despite the Shapira takeover, and members of his family have occupied the role ever since. This was produced at the Old Heavenhill Springs distillery, later renamed simply as Heaven Hill, which was located in Bardstown, Kentucky. It was sadly lost in a devastating fire in 1996, and bourbon made there has become increasingly sought after as the years pass. The company had no distillery for the next three years, but were permitted to rent stills at Jim Beam and Brown-Forman in order to maintain production. They eventually acquired the newly refurbished Bernheim distillery from Diageo in 1999, which has been their home ever since.

Anderson Club is a charcoal filtered whiskey, a practice known as the Lincoln County Process and often better associated with Tennessee Whiskies such as Jack Daniel's. This often leads to a common misconception, likely deliberately promoted by some distillers, that whiskey produced in this fashion cannot be called bourbon. 

I.W. Harper 150 Month Old Collector's Figurine Decanter 1968

The I.W. prefix in this brand name derives from Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville in Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. Sadly, he felt Harper was a more marketable name than his own to apply to the bottles. 

This was distilled and bottled at the Bernheim distillery in Louisville by the Schenley company.

Schenley were eventually bought over by United Distillers in 1987 who discontinued the I.W. Harper brand in the US shortly after, selling it only abroad. The modern iteration of United Distillers, Diageo, revived the US version of the brand in 2015, although it is no longer bottled at Bernheim, which was sold to Heaven Hill in 1999.

I.W. Harper President's Reserve Decanter 

The I.W is named after Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville, Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. 

Distilled at the Bernheim distillery, the President's Reserve was the premium addition to the range.

Bernheim is a historic Kentucky distillery. It was established by the Bernheim Brothers in the late 19th century, before passing into the hands of the Schenley company following the repeal of Prohibition. When Schenley were bought over by United Distillers in 1987, the distillery was rebuilt as the new owners looked to consolidate their production to a single facility. When United Distillers became Diageo in 1997, the new parent company were interested in bourbon, and sold the distillery to Heaven Hill.

Diageo continue to bottle I.W. Harper bourbon today, initially as an export brand. They relaunched the domestic product in 2015 however.

I.W. Harper President's Reserve Decanter 

The I.W is named after Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville, Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. 

Distilled at the Bernheim distillery, the President's Reserve was the premium addition to the range.

Bernheim is a historic Kentucky distillery. It was established by the Bernheim Brothers in the late 19th century, before passing into the hands of the Schenley company following the repeal of Prohibition. When Schenley were bought over by United Distillers in 1987, the distillery was rebuilt as the new owners looked to consolidate their production to a single facility. When United Distillers became Diageo in 1997, the new parent company were interested in bourbon, and sold the distillery to Heaven Hill.

Diageo continue to bottle I.W. Harper bourbon today, initially as an export brand. They relaunched the domestic product in 2015 however.

Antique 6 Year Old Kentucky Bourbon 1974

A rare old bottling of Antique brand Kentucky straight bourbon. Historically this was a brand produced by Frankfort Distillery, who were bought over by Four Roses during Prohibition so that the latter could use the former's medicinal permit to continue selling its whiskey.

Frankfort Distillery was procured by Seagram following the repeal of Prohibtion, who took over production of its brands. This bottle was produced at the Seagram's Distillery in Louisville, which they opened in the mid-1930s. The distillery closed in 1983 and Seagram was dissolved in the 2000s.

Ancient Age 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1993

Ancient Age was introduced in 1938 by the Schenley company at the distillery then known as George T. Stagg, which they had acquired at the close of Prohibtion three years prior. Schenley were one of the \"big four\" American distilling companies at the time, alongside Seagram, Hiram Walker and National Distillers. Schenley's portfolio was significant, and despite turning down an approach for their Old Charter brand from former Fleischmann's Distilling director's, Bob Baranaskas and Ferdie Falke, they were willing to offer both Ancient Age and the George T. Stagg distillery that made it. The deal was completed in 1983, and the newly formed Age International quickly added a number of new lines to its range, including Blanton's, Elmer T. Lee and Rock Hill Farms.

The popularity of these products was particularly high in Japan, coinciding with a market boom for American whiskey there in the 1980s. In 1991, with Age International in some financial trouble, a Japanese company called Takaro Shuzo stepped in and acquired a 22.5% stake in the company. In an unusual series of events, they then scuppered a deal the following year that was to see the remaining shares sold to Heublein (a subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan). Their deal the year before had included a 30 day right of refusal to purchase the shares for themselves should they be put up for sale. With the deal all but done, the Japanese company stepped in on the final day of the window to acquire full control of the company. As it turned out, their only interest was in the brands, and they had used the 30 days to negotiate a deal with the Sazerac Company of  New Orleans. This saw the American company take ownership of the distillery (which they renamed Bufflo Trace in 1999), as well as the exclusive production and US distribution rights for the Age International labels. This is an arrangement that is still in place today.

This is the 100 proof Ancient Age. It was distilled and bottled by Ancient Age Distilling International at what was still the George T. Stagg distillery in 1994.