Henry McKenna Time Line

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

Moderator: Squire

Henry McKenna Time Line

Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:57 pm

Here is a time line for Henry McKenna.

H McKenna Distillery

1819 - Henry Mckenna is born in County Derry, Ireland (The
Kentucky Standard, April 15, 1976).

1837 - Henry McKenna comes to America (History of Nelson
County, Distilleries).

1838 - Henry McKenna comes to Kentucky (History of Nelson
County, Henry McKenna).

1844 - Patrick Sweeny comes to America from County Derry,
Ireland (Kentucky Standard, April 15, 1976).

1847 - Henry McKenna marries Elizabeth Goodwin (Nelson County
Record, Historical and Industrial Suppliment, 1896).

1848 - David McKenna is born (Nelson County Record, 1896).

1855 - H. McKenna, an Immigrant from County Derry, Ireland,
founds a distillery in Fairfield, Kentucky to use
excess grain from his flour mill. It had a capacity of
less than one barrel a day and McKenna put an emphasis
on quality, not quantity of his whiskey (Courier-
Journal, Feb. 18, 1934).

o - The first whiskey made was a weat whiskey. McKenna did
his own diatilling with the help of a slave. (Kentucky
Standard, April 15,1976).

o - James S McKenna is born (Spirit, 1934).

1857 - McKenna changes to a corn whiskey (bourbon) (Kentucky
Standard, April 15, 1976).

1860 - Patrick Sweeny becomes McKenna's distiller (Kentucky
Standard, April 15, 1976).

1861 - Stafford McKenna is born (Nelson County Record, 1896).

1863 - James S McKenna starts working at the distillery
(Spirit, 1934).

1865 - The distillery is enlarged to a capacity of a little
over a barrel a day (Courier-Journal, Feb. 18,1934).

1880 - H McKenna opens an office in Louisville on Market
Street (Industries of Louisville and New Albany 1886,
Filson Club).

1881 - McKenna needs a larger office and purchase "the Old
Blue House" on Market Street (Kentucky Standard, April
15, 1976).

1882 - McKenna moves to larger offices in Louisville located
on Fourth Street near Main (Industries of Louisville
and New Albany 1886, Filson Club).

1883 - McKenna builds a new brick distillery with a capacity
of three barrels per day (Courier-Journal, Feb. 18,
1934).

1886 - Dudley S Reynolds, M.D. is quoted as saying; "H
McKenna's whiskey is the purest and best I have ever
seen." (Industries of Louisville and New Albany 1886,
Filson Club).

1892 - The "McKenna Bill" asking for an unlimited bonding time
for whiskey, is placed before Congress (Wine and
Spirits Bulletin, Louisville Public Library).

1893 - H McKenna dies and the business is taken over by his
sons Daniel, James S and Stafford E McKenna take over
the business (Courier-Journal, Feb. 18, 1934).

1911 - The 1911 Mida's Financial Index list H McKenna,
Distiller, Dy. No. 111, 5th Dist., Fairfield, Ky. with
a capital value of $125,000 to $150,000 capital value.

prior to prohibition - Daniel McKenna dies (Kentucky Standard,
April 15, 1976).

1918 - War and Prohibition forces the distillery to close, but
it is not dismantled (Spirit, 1934).

1918 - 1934 - H McKenna whiskey is stored in the Stitzel
consolidation warehouse and the brand is kept alive by
the Stitzel and Weller sales force (Stitzel Papers, U
D Archives).

1934 - H McKenna distillery is re-opened after prohibition
with James S and Stafford E McKenna in charge. The pre
-prohibition distiller, Coleman Bixler (Bixler followed
Sweeny as distiller) is re-hired. The distillery has a
20 barrels per day capacity and a 8,000 barrel storage
capacity (Courier-Journal, Feb. 18, 1934). Dr. Henry
McKenna, James' son is the plant manager (Kentucky
Standard, April 15, 1976).

1935 - Stafford McKenna dies (Kentucky Standard, April 15,
1976).

1936 - Bixler's son-in-law Sam Simpson becomes distiller
(Kentucky Standard, April 15, 1976).

1940 - James McKenna sells his share of the distillery to
Stafford McKenna (Mary Hite, Getz Museum, 12/2/93).

o - James McKenna dies (Kentucky Standard, April 15, 1976).

o - *Note* Mary Hite's grandfather, Coleman Bixler, was one
of the few non-McKenna family members who owned stock
in the distillery. Her father knew the recipe for the
mash.

1941 - Stafford McKenna sells the distillery to Seagrams, but
the recipe for the mash was not part of the deal.
McKenna whiskey became just another Seagram's whiskey
(Mary Hite, Getz Museum, 12/2/93).

1943 - Sam Simpson becomes Master Distiller for Barton
(Kentucky Standard, April 15, 1976).

o - A rectifying column was installed at the distillery for
War Production Alcohol (History of Nelson County,
Distilleries).

1958 - The distillery is enlarged to a capacity of 1,600
bushels per day (History of Nelson County,
Distilleries).

1974 - The last whiskey is made at Fairfield distillery
(Kentucky Standard, April 15, 1976).

1976 - Seagram's closes the Fairfield distillery and the
property is sold (Mary Hite, Getz Museum, 12/2/93).

early 1980's - Seagrams sells the domestic label to Heaven
Hill but continues to make the Henry McKenna bourbon
for the export market. They make it at the Four Roses
distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky (Mary Hite, Getz
Museum, 12/2/93).

1995 - Henry McKenna Single Barrel bourbon is introduced by
Heaven Hill (M. Veach, 1/1996).

Mike Veach
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
User avatar
bourbonv
Registered User
 
Posts: 4086
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 7:17 pm
Location: Louisville, Ky.

Re: Henry McKenna Time Line

Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:14 pm

The Filson has a collection of papers from John Jefferson. He was an avid scrapbook and diary person and we have most of his diaries from about 1856 to about 1912. His family owned several plots of reral estate and a store on Market Street called the Old Blue House. When Jefferson's father died in 1881, the store was sold to Henry McKenna.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
User avatar
bourbonv
Registered User
 
Posts: 4086
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 7:17 pm
Location: Louisville, Ky.


Return to Bourbon Lore

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 41 guests