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19th Century Distilling Papers at The FilsonBy Michael R. Veach |
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Since we looked at “Early Distilling Papers at The Filson” in a previous issue (Vol.5, No.3, Summer 2005), we will start here in the 1830s. The distilling industry in the 1830s was beginning to shift from the farm to the city through “rectifiers” – merchants who bought whiskey from farmer distillers and “rectified” it to sell as their own brand. This process could be anything from simply aging the product to adding sugar and other flavoring agents to the alcohol to make a product more appealing to consumers. Most whiskey was sold by the barrel but many companies started bottling their product to sell to the consumer in the 1830s. The Filson has a scrapbook of labels produced by printer Henry Miller in the 1840s and 50s that include many labels for bourbon and rye. The distillers in the first half
of the 19th century used pot still
technology and The Filson has a
Henry Clay legal brief that gives
a description of a typical pot still.
Clay is representing his cousin
Green Clay in a case against
George Coons and John Cock
for failure to deliver his still. The
invention of the column still in
1830 by Aeneas Coffey in In the 1830’s James Crow became the distiller for Oscar Pepper at his Woodford County distillery. Crow started using scientific methods to measure such things as pH and temperature during the distillation process to document the process and its changes. The measurements made it easier to duplicate the process and make a consistent product. It was Crow’s quality of whiskey that E. H. Taylor, Jr. wished to produce when he entered the business after the Civil War. The Filson is fortunate to have records pertaining to E.H. Taylor, Jr. in the Taylor-Hay Family Papers. Before entering the distilling business, Taylor took a tour of distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and France to see for himself the most modern processes and distillery layouts. Upon his return to Kentucky his first project was helping with the design of the “Hermitage Distillery” for Gaines, Berry and Co. who owned the Old Crow brand at the time. A few years later he purchased an old distillery on the Kentucky River and rebuilt it as the “OFC Distillery” which started production in 1870. The Taylor-Hay Family Papers include Taylor’s correspondence from this period along with business receipts, letterpress books and distilling ledgers.
In the late 19th century most whiskey was sold by the barrel to a liquor store, druggist or tavern. The whiskey was then sold to consumers who would often bring in their own bottle or jug, but distilleries and rectifiers often offered jugs for sale to the consumer. The Filson has the J. D. Barnett Collection of stoneware jugs that are fine examples of typical 19th century whiskey jugs. Taverns would serve the whiskey to their customers by filling a bar decanter from the barrel when needed. Individuals could also purchase a full barrel and decant the whiskey as needed. The Filson Museum also has several nice examples of 19th century decanters. The library at The Filson is a
very good source for information
on 19th century distilling. Louisville
City Directories have ad-
dresses and often advertisements
for distillers and rectifiers. In the
Rare Books The end of the 19th century saw the passage of the Bottled-In- Bond Act of 1897. E.H. Taylor, Jr. played a significant role in getting this law passed and then promoting Bonded Whiskey in the U.S. market. “Bottled-In-Bond” whiskey must be all from the same distillery, made in the same season, aged at least four years, and bottled at 100 proof. At the time this law was seen as a model for future Pure Food and Drug laws. The Taylor-Hay Family Papers have three scrapbooks put together by E H Taylor, Jr. with many articles dealing with his efforts to promote Bonded Whiskey in the early 20th century. |
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