Fleischmann's Distillery

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Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby fricky » Sat Sep 13, 2008 9:36 pm

Was there ever a Fleischmann's Distillery in Owensboro that made Kentucky Straight Bourbon?
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Re: Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby barturtle » Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:45 am

Fleischmann's is a Barton brand, Barton does own a distillery in Owensboro, though I think it's either currently bottling-only, or they just no longer make whiskey there (this would mean they still make other spirits, vodka, gin, schnapps and the like.)

So yes, I think it could be possible that Fleischmann's was at some point made in Owensboro. Whether the distillery was ever actually called that I'm not sure.
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Re: Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby cowdery » Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:52 am

Fleischmann was owned by Medley, in Owensboro, before it was owned by Glenmore but for more than that, i.e., what and where was it before Medley bourght it, I'll have to look it up.
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Re: Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby barturtle » Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:35 am

Cecil's book doesn't show a "Fleischmann Distillery" in Owensboro. However, the Hill & Perkins/Rock Spring Distilling Co, (RD #10) was bought by the Fleischmann Distillery Co. after Tom Medley died in 1940. That plant was operated by them until the 1970s. Bottling was performed at other plants they owned outside KY.
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Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby fricky » Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:45 am

Thanks for all of the comments. I have a bottle of of 4 year old, 86 proof, straight bourbon from the 70's that states it was distilled by Fleischmann's Distilling Corporation, Owensboro, Kentucky.
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Re: Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby cowdery » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:53 pm

My recollection is that Fleischmann's became a DBA of Medley in about 1985-86.

The Fleischmann brothers, Charles and Max, started the company with a third partner in Cincinnati in 1868. They had two plants in Riverside, Ohio. The company and Fleischmann name were purchased during Prohibition by Standard Brands, Inc., which converted the assets to food processing, e.g., yeast. My source says it was Daviess County Distilling, RD #2, that they bought in 1940, not Rock Spring, RD #10, but it was one of them. I know Medley bought the brands in 1985-86. I doubt they bought any facilities. The Medley family didn't own Medley by then, but Charlie Medley worked there. When Glenmore bought Medley, primarily to get its brands, it sold that distillery to Charlie, which is the one he recently sold to Angostura. Since DSP-10 was available, Charlie took the number because that was his grandfather's place, so #49 became #10, and I presume it will be #10 under Angostura.
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Re: Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:01 am

Dare I try to answer this question? The last time I tried to do so was about 1:15 Sunday afternoon and Ike's winds knocked the power out here for almost 3 days!

You can get a brief history of Fleischmann's with the timeline I did for the company. If you also look at the timeline for Glenmore you will see that Glenmore bought Standard Brands/Fleischmann in 1989, the year after they purchased Medley Bros. That does not mean that the Medley bothers had nothing to do with making the brand. I was walking across the distillery grounds at Medley Bros. with Charles Medley one day before United Distillers sold the distillery back to him, and I asked what was the distillery located behind them (there were still a couple of warehouses standing at the time) and he said that was the Davies County Distillery and then went on to tell me how his uncle (sorry I don't remember which one) was the master distiller there when it closed. He told me Fleischmann's was one of the brands that they made there.
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Re: Fleischmann's Distillery

Unread postby mdriggs » Sat Sep 19, 2015 4:32 pm

When I was growing up in Owensboro in the '50s and '60s it had three distilleries: Glenmore, Medley Brothers, and Fleischmann. To the best of my knowledge they were independent of one another at the time. Wathan Medley was running Medley's.
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