Interesting, Mike, it may show the continuing influence of Pennsylvania methods (or predominating ones) on Kentucky distilling in the early years.
It is interesting but I was just reading about distilling in Quebec province in that era. This was again (i.e., as for the Tanya MacKinnon work) a Canadian academic thesis submitted in this case in connection with completion of doctoral studies in industrial archeology at Laval University in Quebec City by the author, Richard Fiset. It dates only from 2001 and is in French.
It is a superb study and Mr. Fiset's work is of interest to us because he focuses not just on ownership and increase in number of distilleries but their physical characteristics, current traces of same, technical innovations (e.g. he lists many early patents applied for by distillers in Quebec and Ontario) and other elements of the study of industrial archeology.
He covers the period from 1680 (start of French era) until 1900 with particular emphasis from 1770 or so, i.e., after the British conquest of Quebec. He explains that rum has pre-English antecedents in Quebec but whisky-making came with the British. He explains that the people who founded distilleries after 1770, people like John Young, the Molsons (better known for brewing), the MacAllums and others, were mostly Scots and English incomers. Some post-1770 distillers were American and at least one was a Loyalist, i.e., who had left the U.S. due to loyalty to the Crown.
The equipment was what we know from M'Harry and other period sources: pot stills to make low wines with rectification done to make gin, cordials or a superior product. In terms of grains, he states John Young used malted barley only, thus a Scots influence was evident in the nascent Quebec practice. I could not find reference in Mr. Fiset's work of distilling with corn or rye although I think this must have occurred as it did in Ontario later.
Of the many period practices he describes, I found two of particular interest. One was the use of sour beer to distill. If beer was returned to a brewer from a pub because it went sour before sale, the brewery replaced it at full cost because it knew it could get the money from distillers. I am not sure I have seen evidence of such practice elsewhere. (E.g. M'Harry is particular, almost to a fault, on the need to use fresh yeast and clean vessels - I think he would not have approved of the practise). Some "high wines" were sold as such for consumption, some were sold to be blended with rum or beer. M'Harry is in accord here, so these strong white spirits, while clearly "whisky" even in the pre-aging era, had diverse uses and Mr. Fiset states it is sometimes not clear what type of product was being made or blended at a distillery making "rum" or "high wines" or "spirit".
The study also covers breweries in the period noted.
There is no reference to aging in wood, no doubt because such practices probably were few and far between.
The study can be found, full-text, at
http://www.collectionscanada.ca. Search under Quebec distilleries and breweries and Mr. Fiset's name, you will find it. (It is called, "Brasseries et Distilleries au Quebec: profil d'archeologie industrielle". This means in English, "Breweries and Distilleries in Quebec: a Study in Industrial Archeology"). Even if your French is not up to it, you may find the many illustrations and plans annexed at the end of interest. They show early distilling and brewing buildings and equipment, layouts, etc.
Gary