Age of the Rectifier

There's a lot of history and 'lore' behind bourbon so discuss both here.

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Unread postby gillmang » Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:14 pm

Thanks Mike, it really would be interesting to see a description of the defined whiskey types from the 1930's.

Gary
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Unread postby bunghole » Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:30 pm

I'd really like to see a collection of photos of Louisville during the "Gilded Age" featuring the hustle and bustle of whiskey row. It would really be nice if one of the existing buildings could be converted back to its original use with bourbon available for sale uncut and unfiltered from a single barrel just as it used to be. There could also be historical exhibits.

With DISCUS doing up the American Whiskey Trail such a project is not out of the question nor out of reach. It really wouldn't cost all that much money. Jug sales of uncut/unfiltered single barrel bourbon might be enough to keep the place afloat after the initial startup costs. Brown-Forman might be interested in offering replica bottles of their original "Old Forrester" for sale. That would be very much in keeping with the time and spirit of whiskey row as it was back then.
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Unread postby cowdery » Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:04 pm

Brown-Forman has restored several buildings on "Whiskey Row" (Main Street) and is using them for offices but they also have some historical exhibits in the windows on the first floor.

The facades of most of the buildings in that part of Main Street are cast iron, made in pieces in Pittsburgh and floated down the Ohio from there, so they look essentially as they did then. No restoration really needed. It is the largest concentration of cast iron building facades outside of New York City, and the whiskey brokers were the ones primarily responsible for it being there.

There is one whiskey company still doing business on "Whiskey Row." It is Heaven Hill. They have had a building there, which I think is primarily their local sales office, for most of the company's 70+ years in business.

The buildings on the north side of the street once had ramps that ran from their back doors all the way to the river, so they could just roll the barrels down to the river boats. The new Muhammad Ali Center is in the way now, plus the docks are gone.
- Chuck Cowdery

Author of Bourbon, Straight
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Unread postby EllenJ » Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:00 am

Not all of our travel photos end up on the web site... here are a couple shots of the cast-iron facades of Distilllers' Row in Louisville.

Note that this block, although it LOOKS old, is not decayed and decrepit. The detail shot of Stitzel-Weller's front door, for example, shows it's in fine shape. And the wooden door is simply gorgeous!

These were taken in 2002. I think some of the things Chuck mentioned, such as Heaven Hill's offices and some other restorations have occured after this.
Attachments
Distiller'sRow Panorama_50pct.jpg
Distillers' Row, Louisville -- 2002
Distiller'sRow Panorama_50pct.jpg (43.92 KiB) Viewed 5188 times
WLWeller_Front Door Detail_R.jpg
Front Door - WLWeller Bldg.
WLWeller_Front Door Detail_R.jpg (59.44 KiB) Viewed 5188 times
WLWeller_Sign Detail.jpg
Note the bottles in the window
WLWeller_Sign Detail.jpg (70.69 KiB) Viewed 5188 times
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Unread postby bourbonv » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:54 am

John,
Great photographs. For those that do not know, the reddish building in the first photgraph was the office of W L Weller and Sons after they purchased it from Bernheim Bros. around the turn of the 20th century. That scene is Main Street looking north toward the river, just east of the 2nd Street bridge.

Linn,
Your idea sounds simple but unfortunately it is not. In order to sell barrel proof whiskey from the barrel you would have to start changing laws on the local level, then the state level and finally the national level. I don't see it happening. Especially if Ann Northup was to become Governor of the state. She was no friend to the distilling industry as a congresswoman and I don't see her being any friendlier as governor.

Your idea is a grwat one for the consumer, but it would be resisted by too many politicians for it to ever happen.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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Unread postby bunghole » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:14 am

John: Thanks for posting those shots. It looks like several places are empty and available.

Chuck: Cast iron building facades???? ima never heard of such, but nothing a little sand blasting; auto primer & paint couldn't cure.

Mike: Change is good! That's why you have DISCUS and the KDA to get things like this going and to push through the necessary legislation. Where are the old "Bourbon Democrats" when you need them? ima knows they are all dead and in the grave, but now is the time to distil a new batch!

:arrow: ima always optimistic for a better and brighter tomorrow :!:
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