BourbonEnthusiast.com

Ben found this old ad in the archives of a Brooklyn newspaper. http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=QkVHLzE5MDIvMTIvMTEjQXIwMjAwNA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Old Crow Rye? At 21 years old?

Very interesting LeNell, thanks. The ad reveals a number of things. First, it confirms my previous understanding that Kirk's products were centered or based generally in New York (including upstate, in the North East and beyond). Second, there were two Old Crow ryes. The fact that the special older version was 21 years old meant that the regular one was 10 years old, because the ad says the elder was twice as old. This confirms other information we have seen that circa 20 year old whiskey was available at the time. You may recall the story I posted last year or two years ago on straightbourbon.com about a stock of Pennsylvania rye available in about the same year (1901) that had been shipped to Bremen, Germany for aging and was recently returned to the U.S. The overseas shipment probably was done to defer taxes on the product but some shipment of this type was done through the 1800's to impart a special aging quality.

I would wager that the rye sold by the Kirk's agency under his own name was probably 6-8 years old, maybe younger. Clearly the prestige of the Crow line required whiskeys (rye anyway) at ages not under 10 years.

Old ads such as these are a goldmine of information.

I am quite sure Bettye Jo posted a picture of a 1950's-era Kirk's rye label, I think on straightbourbon.com; a simple search should find it, maybe it found its way here, too.

Gary

E H Taylor, Jr. was very active in making rye whiskey in the 1870's and often makes a comparison to the rye being made at the Hermitage distillery, where they make Old Crow. I have seen bottles of Old Crow Rye from the 19th century and the package was on par with the Old Crow Bourbon. Rye and Corn (Bourbon) whiskey were about even in the demand by the consumer in the 19th century. Rye was more a north-eastern market and Bourbon was a southern and western market.

The interesting thing about the Old Crow Rye is that it could not be bottled in bond because it was over 8 years old and had to be removed from the bonded warehouse after 8 years. I would bet in 1902 that the other Old Crow Rye was not 10 years Old, 8 years old and bottled in bond. Gaines, Llike Taylor was a huge supporter of Bonded whiskey.

Mike Veach

Got a real treat in tasting some Old Crow Rye recently. Damn good!

In the Library forum I posted some information on H B Kirk & Co. who distributed the Old Crow Rye.

Here are a couple pictures of an Old Crow Rye bottle from a recent Ebay auction. The seller claimed a date of appoximately 1906-1910 for the bottle.

another one...

and one more...