From My Archive – Schenley Salesman Booklet

I recently received a surprise gift in the mail from one of my friends who works for the Ben Holladay Distillery in Weston Missouri. Her father had worked for Schenley in Texas and she found this booklet and sent it to me. It dates to about 1950 and was given to the sales force at Schenley at that time. It is a very interesting little booklet. It states that the booklet was for the sales person’s eyes only and that they were not to show it to any customers.

This item was designed to teach the salesforce about Schenley blended whiskeys, focusing upon three brands – Schenley Blended Whiskey, Schenley Reserve and Wilken Reserve. The booklet starts by explaining why Schenley was a leader in the industry and leads into educating the salesforce on blended whiskey. They begin the education by defining terms such as straight whiskey, bottled-in-bond, Bourbon, Rye, Blended whiskey, Scotch, Irish and Canadian whiskies. It then moves on to the art of blending whiskey and the advantages of blending whiskey. It then discusses grain neutral spirits and how it gives whiskey a lighter flavor that the consumers were asking for at the time.

Next comes a question and answer chapter. A question is posed and an answer is provided. Some of the questions include these: Would it be better to have a blended whiskey containing 51% base whiskeys and 49% neutral spirits? The answer is no. Schenley believed that the 35-37.5% base whiskey was needed for lighter flavor. Is blending the same as mixing? No. Mixing was what was done during Prohibition by moonshiners and bootleggers to stretch whiskey and not based on flavor. Blending is done to create a standard flavor profile. What would you say to a tavern owner who says we don’t sell any spirit blends here, only straight or bonded whiskey? You then ask them to see their bottle of Scotch or Canadian whiskies and explain that they are both blended whiskeys. Is bottled-in-bond the only whiskey made under government supervision? No. All whiskey has government supervision. All whiskey is stored in bonded warehouses and the green stamp does not guarantee quality.

The book then goes on to tell the salesperson that Schenley can guarantee that they will have a large supply of whiskey and there is no shortage because Schenley has over two million barrels of aging whiskey and can deliver what they sell. They have wide-spread distilling and blending facilities and a research institute. They have made their blends with whiskeys from four states. Kentucky gives the whiskey richness. Indiana gives it smoothness. Maryland gives it Bouquet and Pennsylvania gives it body.

The book ends by telling the story of the Wilken Family and their blended whiskey. “Dad” Wilken was a respected distiller in Pennsylvania. His sons followed in his footsteps. They created an excellent blended whiskey at a reasonable price. The booklet tells the sales person to sell to the customer based upon the price point that the customer needs. Wilken Reserve was $1.25 a pint. Schenley Blended Whiskey was $1.40 a pint and Schenley Reserve was a $1.50 a pint. Schenley does not make or sell “cheap” whiskey.
I find the book interesting on many levels. It states that there was a change in taste towards lighter whiskeys in the 1940s and this is reflected in the growth of blended whiskey and lower proof straight whiskeys. It shows the sales tactics of Schenley at the time. It is an interesting item from the history of what was one of the largest distilling companies of the time.