I first met Peter Pogue at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History about twenty years ago. We were both part of the Whisky Magazine tasting for the “Best of the Best Whiskey”. Peter introduced himself as we were sitting... Continue Reading →
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail has been a huge success. It has increased the interest in Kentucky Bourbon and brought a lot of tourism dollars to the local economies. It has been successful enough that many of Kentucky’s dry counties have... Continue Reading →
When people think about the distilling industry in Kentucky, they think of places like Louisville, Lexington, Bardstown, Lawrenceburg, Frankfort and Owensboro. This is because these are places where the distilling industry prospered after the repeal of Prohibition. If Prohibition had... Continue Reading →
When Heaven Hill’s Evan Williams Bourbon Heritage Center released their Square Six Bourbon, they included an old map of Louisville showing the “Square Six” area where Evan Williams had his distillery in the 18th century. I like old maps and... Continue Reading →
Before Prohibition, Louisville was the home to a very prestigious industry magazine, The Wine and Spirits Bulletin. The Louisville Free Public Library has a collection of these magazines and this image comes from one of the early editions in that... Continue Reading →
The Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Ky. has a “scrapbook” from a lithographer named Miller from the 1850s. It is really a sample book of his work. There are labels of all types. Miller printed labels for perfumes, jellies and... Continue Reading →
The 1903 Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis played an important role in American distilling heritage. Yes, many brands, including Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 and I. W. Harper, won gold medals at the Expo, but that is not... Continue Reading →
Heaven Hill is a family owned distillery that opened in Bardstown, Kentucky at the end of Prohibition. The company had been found in 1935 by the five Shapira brothers who hired Joe L. Beam to be their first distiller. It... Continue Reading →
I don’t recall where I was when first heard Willie Pratt speak but I do know he impressed me with what he was saying about aging whiskey. So much so that I asked him to be on a panel at... Continue Reading →
