Schenley History Time Line

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Schenley History Time Line

Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Jul 13, 2005 6:38 pm

I was noticing in the recent review of J W Dant that the reviewer (TNbourbon) had seen J W Dant from Lawrenceburg, Ind. and suggested that maybe it was Seagrm whiskey. Schenley had a distillery there as well the Dant would be from their plant. I thought that I would take the time here to copy the timeline I did while at United Distillers for Schenley so that people would have a better idea as to the scope of their business and history.

Schenley History

1807 - Dunn and Ludlow build a distillery at the confluence of Tanners Creek and the Ohio River in Indiana (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

1809 - Dunn and Ludlow distillery is producing 2 barrels a week (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.36).

1826 - A Frieght bill shows that 500 gallons of whiskey are shipped from Lawrenceburg, Ind. to New Orleans at a price of $.25 a gallon (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.36).

1836 - John Gibson starts to distill whiskey at Gibsonton Mills (U D Archives, Uncataloged Document).

1840 - There are 25 "sizeable" distilleries in Armstrong Co., Pa. (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.45).

1846 - W.P. and G.W. Squibb start business in Aurora, Indiana as Rectifiers (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

o - John Braun opens a brewery in Milwaukee, Wis. and makes Valentin Blatz Brewer (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p. 206a).

1848 - John Braun dies, Valentin Blatz purchases the Brewery (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.206a).

1853 - Gibson builds a larger distillery (U D Archives, Uncataloged Document).

1856 - Joseph S Finch builds a distillery near Pitssburg, Pa. (U D Archives, Unpublished Manucript, p.45).

o - Golden Wedding is first sold (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.63).

1861 - Many, Blanc and Company is founded in Chicago (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

1867 - Komos Fredrick and partners W.P. and G.W. Squibb build a distillery at the location of the Dunn and Ludlow distillery in Indiana (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

o - Squibb Distillery had 300 bushels per day capacity (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, P.37).

1868 - Blatz is sales are 16,000 barrels of beer a year (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.207a).

o - Crigler and Crigler build the "Buffalo Springs" distillery in Stamping Grounds, Ky. (U.D. Archives, Buffalo Springs History File).

1871 - Kosmos Fredrick sells his shares of the distillery to to William P Squibb (UD Archives, 991.m.142). (Fredrick later builds the Nicholas Oester Distillery No.9.)

o - Squibb Distillery produced Chimney Corner, Old Dearborn, Rock Castle, and Gold Leaf Rye brands of whiskey (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.37).

1872 - Fire destroys Blatz Brewery, but it is rebuilt (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.207a).

1874 - Blatz Brewery is producing 52,548 barrels of beer this year (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.207a).

1882 - The Three Feathers brand is introduced (Liquor Store Magazine, Feb., 70).

1885 - The New England Distilling Co. is founded in Covington, Ky. (1947 Schenley Annual Report).

o - The Melrose Rare brand is introduced (Liquor Store Magazine, Feb., 70).

o - Melrose is introduced by Records and Golsborough of Baltimore, Maryland (Melrose: Honey of Roses, Stirling Graham, p.17).

o - The Squibb distillery is increased in size to 330 bushels per day (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

o - A Continuous Still is added to Squibb Distillery (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.37).

o - New England Distillery was founded by Charles H Jacob, Max H Alexander and Edward Dunlap on Feb. 17. The distillery makes Red Star and Royal Star rums (U D Archive, Uncataloged Manuscript).

1886 - Henry Wilken starts distilling (U D Archives, Uncataloged Document).

1887 - Chess and Wymond Cooperage founded (1955 Schenley Annual Report).

1888 - The Echo Springs brand is introduced (Liquor Store Magazine, Feb., 70).

o - I N Trager, a Cincinnati distiller, creates Cream of Kentucky (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.69).

1890 - Moorin-Powers Co. of Kansas City acquires the Buffalo Springs distillery (U.D. Archives, Buffalo Springs History File).

1891 - Lewis S Rosentiel is born. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - McCulloch introduces Green River Whiskey (U D Archives, Uncataloged Document).

o - Henry C Gibson of Gibsonton, Penn. and the son of John Gibson, dies on Dec. 19, 1891 (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Louisville Public Library).

o - Belmont whiskey form the 1881 crop is advertised for $290 a barrel (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 3, 1891, page 21).

o - A Fire in the mash room at the Belmont Distillery does $1,000 worth of damage, (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1891, page 25).


o - Blatz becomes the first brewer in Milwaukee to bottle their beer (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.207a).

1892 - The Schenley, Pennsylvania distillery is opened (U D
Archives, Uncataloged Item).

o - The Sinclaire brothers and Henry Bischoff start Schenley Distillery, Limited (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, pp. 45-46).

o - Harry E Wilkens, Sr. enters the distilling industry (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.46).

1893 - Green River wins a Medal for Excellence at the Worlds Fair (U D Archives, Uncataloged Document).

1894 - Valentin Blatz dies and the brewery is sold to Chicago and Milwaukee Brewers LTD. (U D Archives, Unopublished Manuscript, p. 207a).

1896 - First bottling at the Schenley, Pennsylvania distillery
(U D Archives, Uncataloged Item).

o - Frank Gabal is hired as an ofice boy at Blatz (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p. 208a).

o - "Nelson's Greenbrier Whiskey" is trademarked by the Chas. Nelson Company of Nashville, Tennessee (U D Archive, Greenbrier Trademark File).

1897 - Harry P. Goldsborough purchases the Canton Distillery in the Baltimore suburb of Canton (Melrose: Honey of Roses, p. 19).

1900 - Max Selliger & Co. advertisement features Belmont, Astor, and Nutwood Brands (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Jan.1, 1900, page 14).

o - Green River advertisement on Page 19 of the Jan.1, 1900 issue of the Wine and Spirit Bulletin.

o - Green River wins 1st prize and the gold medal at the Paris Exposition (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Aug.1, 1900, page 12).

o - Wine and Spirits Bulletin states that the gold medal won buy Green River at the Paris Exposition was for high quality (Nov.1, 1900, p.16).

o - Col. Max Selliger wins a trademark dispute with Joseph C and Sameul Furst who were doing business as Belmont Distillery Co. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Oct.1, 1900, page 26).

1901 - S L Hellman of Max Selliger & Co. has sold more high price whiskey than any other salesman, approaching the 10,000 barrel mark (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Aug.1, 1901, page 12).

o - Cream of Kentucky becomes a registered trademark (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.70).

1903 - J Sabine Blackaller purchases Schenley Distillery, Ltd. (U D Archives, Unpublished Manucript, p.46).

1904 - Louisville Cooperage Company is founded (1945 Schenley Annual Report).

1905 - Green River whiskey wins the Grand Prize at the
Exposition Universelle de Liege. (UD Archives, 991.).

o - Green River whiskey wins the Grand Prize at the Lewis
and Clark Centennial Exposition at Portland, Oregan.
(UD Archives, 991.)

o - Article on the Green River display at Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in St. Louis. Display was simply a plain glass case with hundreds of bottles in it, left unattended. Green River won a Grand Prize (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Jan 12, 1905, page 35).(Copy of the award on page 99).

1906 - Green River whiskey wins the Grand Prize at the
Esposizione Internatioale at Milan. (UD Archives, 991.)

o - U S Government allows the manufacture of tax free, denatured Rum for industrial purpose. New England Distillery creates its "Eagle" brand industrial rum for the tobacco flavoring industry (U D Archive, Uncataloged Manuscript).

o - "Greenbrier Tennessee Hand Made Sour Mash Whiskey" label is Trademarked by the Chas. Nelson Co. of Nashville, Tennessee (U D Archive, Greenbrier Trademark File).

1907 - Green River whiskey wins the Grand Prize at the
Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition. (UD Archives, 991.)

o - Lewis S Rosentiel is hired by Susquemec Distilling Co.
in Milton Ky. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

1908 - Lester Jacobi becomes a whiskey broker in Florida (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.12).

1911 - Belmont Distillery builds a new brick warehouse (Wine and Spirits Bulletin, Dec. 1, 1911, page 52).

o - The 1911 Mida's Financial Index list the following addresses and capital values for these Companies: Jos. S Finch & Co., 129-31 McKean St., Pittsburg, Pa. Dy. No. 4, 23rd Dist. Pa. $200,000 to $250,000. Schenley Distilling Co., Distillers, Dy. No. 60, 23rd Dist., Lucesco, Pa. $400,000 to $500,000. W P Squibb and Co., Distillers, Dy. No. 8, 9th Dist., Lawrenceburg, Ind. $300,000 to $400,000. Green River Distilling Co., Distillers, Dy. No. 9, 2nd Dist, Owensboro, Ky. $600,000 to $750,000. Max Selliger & Co., 17th and Lexington Sts. wit Nutwood Distillery Dy. No. 364, 5th Dist and Belmont Distillery Dy. No. 412, 5th Dist. both in Louisville, Ky. Over $1,000,000 capital value.

1912 - Belmont advertisement from Max Selliger (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Page 32, Jan. 1).

o - Fire destroys 2 bonded warehouses at the Schenley, Pa. distillery (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, June 1, Page 17).

o - Green River advertisement on page 72 and an article about J W McCulloch's Green River Distillery's 25th aniversary on page 47. McCulloch started off as an agent for the Internal Revenue Department (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Nov.1, 1912).

1913 - Both W.P. and G.W. Squibb die leaving the distillery to their seven sons and cousins (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

1914 - Four sons and one cousin of W.P.Squibb incorporate and build a new distillery on the same sight (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

1915 - John (Giovanni) Battista and his brother Lorenzo buy a winery at Lodi, California and create Roma Wines (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript. p. 212a).

o - Felix Goldsborough becomes president of Melrose. (Melrose: Honey of Roses, p.28).

1917 - L S Rosensteil marries Dorothy Keller (Life, July 21, 66).

o - Henry P. Goldsborough dies (Melrose: Honey of Roses, p. 28).

1918 - Louis Rosenstiel becomes superintendent of Susquemac Distillery (UD Archives, Unpubplished Manuscript, p.11).

1920 - With the beginning of prohibition, L S Rosenteil and
some other people form Cincinnati Distributing Corp. to
sell medicinal bulk whiskey. (Beverage Media Blue Book,
History of Schenley).

o - One of Rosensteil's partners was Sidney Hellman, Max Selliger's nephew (Fortune, May 36).

o - Rosenteil buys Joseph S Finch Distillery from Sol
Rosenbloom to obtain 500,000 gallons of Golden Wedding
and a "whiskey concentration permit" from the
government. (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Prohibition closes Blatz Brewery and the property is sold to Edward Landsberg (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p. 208a).

1921 - Schenley, Pennsylvania distillery purchased by D K
Weiskopf of Cincinnati, Ohio (U D Archives, Uncataloged
Item). He Joins Rosenstiel and they for Schenley
Products Company (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript,
p.13).

o - Schenley Distillery had 4 warehouses and 4,000 barrels of whiskey (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.13).

o - Rosenstiel acquires Finch Distillery in Pittsburg from Sol Rosenbloom. Finch has a consolidation warehouse permit (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.14).

1922 - Charles H Jacob dies and his widow sells the New England Distillery to Herbert Hoffheimer and Henry Pogue (U D Archive, Uncataloged Manuscript).

1923 - Schenley, Pennsylvania distillery is acquired by
Schenley Products Company (the predecessor of Schenley
Distillers Corperation) (U D Archives, Uncataloged
Item).

o - Harry E Wilken, Sr. becomes distiller at Schenley (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.46).

1924 - Schenley acquires the S Finch and Company with its Golden Wedding and Echo springs brands (Life, July 21, 66).

1927 - Schenley purchases 240,000 cases of Old Overholt Rye, the largest single purchase of the prohibition era (Life, July 21, 66).

o - A M S is formed and Schenley is asked to join but declines the offer (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.16).

1929 - Schenley acquires the Geo. T Stagg distillery and brands in Frankfort, Kentucky (Life, July 21, 66).

1930 - Ellis Liquor Company acquires Many, Blanc and Company (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

o - Schenley purchases $3.5 million worth of bulk whiskey from Large Distillery (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscrpit, p.17).

o - Dr. Lasche sets up the "Schenley Whiskey University to train new distillers and fermenters (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.43).

1931 - The Squibb brothers die within 6 months of each other and the distillery passes on to 4 sons and a cousin (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.37).

before 1933 - Rosentiel purchases four distilleries: Schenley,
Pennsylvania (Finch), Frankfort, Ky. (Ancient Age,
Geo T Stagg, Cream of Kentucky), Lexington, Ky. (James
E Pepper), and Lawrenceburg, Indiana (Old Quaker). (UD
Archives, 992.m.164).

1933 - Rosenteil and his associates form Schenley Distillers
Corp. Mr Rosenteil was chairman and Harold Jacobi was
President. (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Schenley builds a blending and rectifying plant, bottling house, and warehouse at Alladin, Pa (1933 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley Purchases the Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana (Life, July 21, 66).

o - Schenley purchases the James E Pepper distillery and brands in Lexington, Kentucky (Life, July 21, 1966).

o - The Schenley Distillers Corporation is created and it was composed of the following companies and brands: Companies: Schenley Products Co., Inc., Schenley Wine & Spirit Import Corporation, Jos. S. Finch Co., Geo. T Stagg Co., Jas. E Pepper & Co., John T Barbee Co., A B Blanton Small Tub Distilling Co., Cove Spring Distilling Co., Greenbrier Distilling Co., Melvale Distilling Co. Sam Thompson Gibson Distilleries Co., Old Quaker Co., Napa Valley Wine and Brandy Co., Eastern Distillers Syndicate, and Monticello Distillery Co. (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.21). Brands: Golden Wedding, Old Stagg, Schenley, Monticello, Greenbrier, Gibson, Jas. E Pepper, Sam Thompson, and Silver Wedding U D Archives, Upublished Manuscript, p.30).

o - Eight days before prohibition ends the Squibb Distillery produces its first 80 barrels of whiskey (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.38).

o - Blatz reopens after repeal of prohibition (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.208a).

o - The Buffalo Springs Distillery is rebuilt by James B. O'Rear with a capacity of 160 barrels a day and was one of the first distilleries to use air conditioning in its distillery to allow distillation during the heat of the summer (U. D. Archive, Buffalo Springs History file).

1934 - A fire burns a warehouse with 18,000 barrels at the
James E Pepper distillery in Lexington. (UD Archives,
(992.m.164).

1935 - Schenley International Corperation formed to handle
exports. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley acquires New England Distilling Co. at
Covington Ky., at that time, the worlds largest
producer of industrial rum. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley opens a Louisville office for George Stagg and
James Pepper at 627 Starks Building (Louisville City
Directory, U of L Archives).

o - The Wilken Family brand of blended whiskey is introduced by Schenley, named for the distiller at the Finch distillery (Fortune, May, 36).

o - New England Distilling Co. is acquired for 7,500 shares of Schenley stock and $240,000 (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.86).

1936 - Schenley becomes the sole importer of Dewar's Scotch Whisky (1936 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley begins to purchase the outstanding stock in Bernheim Distillery Company with its two distilleries (1936 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Using aged "bourbon type" whiskey purchased in Canada, Schenley creates the Schenley's Ancient Age brand (Fortune, May, 36).

o - The first barrels of Old Quaker are drawn from the Lawrenceburg, Indiana distillery (UD Archives 991.m.142).

o - A new bottling house is built at Old Quakerwith a capacity of 10,000 cases (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

1937 - Flooding in the Ohio River basin causes hardship for
several of the distilleries and their employees. (UD
Archives, 991.m.140).

o - Schenley moves its main office to the Empire State
Building in New York City. (UD Archives, 991.m.140).

o - A distillery is built in Barstown, Kentucky with S L
Guthrie as president (History of Nelson County,
Distilleries).

o - Bernheim Distilling Co. acquired by Schenley (I W
Harper, Belmont, Old Charter). (UD Archives,
992.m.164).

o - Ron Carioca Distilleria builds largest Rum distillery in the West Indies (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscripts, p.242).

1938 - Schenley acquires a grape brandy distillery at Manteca,
California. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley becomes the American distributor of Bacardi
Rum. (UD Archives, 991.m.142).

o - Old Schenley Rye whiskey wins the Grand Prize at the
Twelfth Foire Internationale at Salonika, Greece. (UD
Archives, 991.m.142).

o - Quebec Distillers Incorporated is founded (1945 Schenley Annual Report).

o - First Time that the Annual Reports mention Ancient Age as a Schenley Brand (1938 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley purchase the rights to Geo Dickel's Cascade whisky (Life, July 21, 1966).

1939 - Schenley announces that Geo Dickel will be made at the
Geo Stagg distillery in Frankfort, Ky. (UD Archives,
991.m.143).

o - The 1939 Annual Report from Schenley list Geo Dickel at Lexington with the James Pepper brand (1939 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley purchases the American Eagle distillery in Pheonix, Arizona. It is Arizona's only legal distillery (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, pp. 103-104).

1940 - Oldetyme Distilling Corperation acquired by Schenley.
It has two distilleries; one at Limestone Springs, Ky.
(Green River), and one at Cedarhurst, Maryland (Three
Feathers). (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Oldtyme also owned a plant (probably bottling only) at Jersey City, New Jersey (1940 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley quits the Distilled Spirits Institute (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.211).

o - Schenley acquires Crest Blanca Wine Company of Livermore, California (U D Archives, Unpublished Manscript, p. 211a).

1941-1945 - Schenley produces more than 200 million proof
gallons of war alcohol. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

1941 - Schenley purchases Cresta Blanca Wine Co. (UD Archives,
992.m.164).

o - Schenley acquires the John A Wathen Distillery Co. at Lebannon, Ky. (1941 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley acquires the Buffalo Springs Distillery at Stamping Ground, Ky. (1941 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Edward Landsberg dies and Frank M Gabal succeeds him as president of Blatz (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.208a).

1942 - US government orders bottles to be made with thinner
glass and without unnecessary designs to save glass.
(UD Archives, 991.m.145).

o - Schenley acquires the Pan American Distillery near Pheonix, Arizona from L.J. Morris (UD Archive, Uncataloged File).

1943 - Roma Wines becomes affiliated with Schenley. (UD
Archives, 991.m.145). NOTE: Roma Wines is known for
sponsoring radio dramas such as Suspence Theater
during the war. The most famous was Agnes Morehead
in "Sorry, Wrong Number".

o - Schenley acquires the Blatz Brewing Co. (1943 Schenley Annual Report).

o - The Bacardi agreement is terminated (1945 Schenley Annual Report).

1944 - Schenley purchases Louisville Cooperage. (UD Archives,
992.m.164).

o - First commercial shipment of penicillin made from the
Lawrenceburg, Ind. plant. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Dorothy H Rosenstiel dies (Life, July 21, 1966).

o - William F Tigh is made the first president of Canadian Schenley LTD.(U D Archives, unpublished Manuscript, p.239).

1945 - The United States government has restricted the
distilling industry to just 95 days of commercial
production andrestricts the types, grades and
quantities of grains used. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley purchases Quebec Distillers Inc. and change
the name to Canadian Schenley Ltd. (UD Archives,
992.m.164).

o - Bomber crashes into the Empire State Building. Schenley employee credited with saving over 40 people. (Remarks
of Merit, Oct. 1945. UD Archives, 991.m.146).

o - Schenley acquires Many, Blanc & Co. and its DuBouchett
brands. (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Schenley purchases the Bardstown, Kentucky distillery
(Hist Nelson Co., Distilleries).

o - Schenley purchases the Companie Ron Carioca Destilleria
of San Juan, Puerto Rico (Schenley History File).

o - Schenley acquires the Louisville Cooperage Co. (1945 Schenley Annual Report).

o - The distillery in Pheonix, Arizona burns down on May 22, 1945. The plant was covered by insurance, but may be rebuilt elsewhere (U D Archives, Uncataloged Manuscript).

1946 - Schenley signs an agreement with the Kahlua Co. in Mexico and become the sole importer of this product as well as running a distillery in Mexico City under Schenley de Mexico (1946 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley acquires the Pebbleford Distillery at Newport, Ky. (1946 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Geo. T Stagg, as a subsidiary branch of Schenley, acquires 50% of the Dowling Bros. stock with their distillery at Burgin, Ky. (1946 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley acquires controlling interest in Chess and Wymond Cooperage (U D Archives, Uncataloged Item).

o - Frank Gabal retires at Blatz, Frank C Verbest becomes president of Blatz (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p.208a).

1947 - Schenley purchases the Limestone Springs distillery (U
D Archives, Uncatologed Deed).

o - Schenley introduces Canadian MacNaughton (U D Archives, Uncatologed Item).

1948 - Schenley acquires the Ekron, Kentucky, Pebbleford
distillery. (UD Archives 991.m.146). This was part of
the acquisition of Records and Goldsborough Inc. which
brought the Melrose whiskey label to Schenley. (Bev Med
Blue Book, History).

o - Schenley acquires the Melrose trademarks (Life, July 21, 1966).

o - The Ekron plant purchase included the rights and
trademarks to Old Poindexter, Old Barry, and Belle of
Franklin labels. (U D Archives, Uncataloged
Manuscript).

o - Canadian Schenley introduces Golden Wedding to the Quebec market (Canadian Packaging, May 1951).

1949 - Schenley Industries Inc. is formed from the old
Schenley company (Who's Who in the Liquor Industry,
1966).

o - Canadian Schenley introduces Tradition Canadian Rye whisky to the Quebec market (Canadian Packaging, May 1951).

1950 - Schenley acquires a grain alcohol distillery in Kansas City Mo. from the U S Government (1950 Schenley Annual Report).

o - Schenley acquires the Cook's Imperial Champagne brand (Life, July 21, 1966).

o - Blatz becomes a nationally distributed beer (U D Archives, Unpublished Manuscript, p. 209a).

o - Schenley acquires 96% of the outstanding stock of American Wine Company (Cooks sparkling wines) (1966 Red Book, p.245).

1951 - Three new warehouses are built at the Bardstown
distillery (Hist. Nelson Co., Distilleries).

1952 - J W Dant brand becomes part of Schenley with the
purchase of Dant Distillery. The brand dates back to
1836. (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

1954 - A second Canadian distillery is built in North
Vancouver, British Columbia. The Schenley Canadian
brands are O.F.C. and MacNaughton. (UD Archives,
992.m.164).

o - Schenley gains controlling interest in the Park &
Tillford Co. and merge the company with Schenley in
1958. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley introduces O F C Canadian whisky (U D Archives, Uncataloged Item).

1955 - The last whiskey is made at the Bardstown distillery
(Hist. Nelson Co., Distilleries).

o - Schenley acquires the outstanding stock in the Dubonnet Wine Corporation, a brand that they had been distributing since 1933 (1955 Schenley Annual Report).

1956 - Schenley purchases Seager, Evans & Co. Ltd. and their
distilleries and brands around the world. (UD Archives,
992.m.164).

o - The whiskey is bottled at the Bardstown plant (Hist.
Nelson Co., Distilleries).

1957 - Schenlabs Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is created. It is later
sold in 1960 to Rexall Drug and Chemical Co. (UD
Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Acquires the stock of the Merchants Distilling Corporation (1966 Red Book, p.245).

1958 - Seager and Evans acquires Coates & Co. (Plymouth) Ltd.
(Plymouth English Gin). (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley plans to build the Geo Dickel distillery in
Tulahoma, Tennessee. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley introduces Balck Friar's Gin (U D Archives, Uncataloged Item).

o - Schenley plays a major role in establishing the Bourbon Institute (New York Times, Jan. 22, 1976).

o - The Schenley Elegance brands of Vodka, Rum, Brandy and Licquers are introduced (U D Archives, Uncataloged Item).

o - Schenley builds the Tormore Distillery in Speyside, Scotland. It is the first new distillery in Scotland in the 20th century and the first distillery ever built with American capitol (Life, July 21, 1966).

o - Schenley sells the assets of Blatz Brewing Company to Pabst Brewing Company (1966 Red Book, p.245).

1960 - Schenlabs is sold to Rexall Drug and Chemical Co.
(Schenley History File).

1961 - Schenley acquires A H Riise Chemical and Distillers
Corperation (Schenley History File).

o - Schenley introduces Order of Merit - 15 year old Canadian Whiskey (Schenley Annual Report, 1961).

1962 - Seager-Evans buys a minority interest in D. Johnston &
Co. (Laphroaig) Ltd. (Laphroaig and Islay Mist). (UD
Archives, 992.m.164).

1963 - SEager Evans & Company, Limited acquires Stanley Holt & Son (Manchester, England), blenders and exporters (1966 Red Book, p.245).

1964 - Market debut for Geo Dickel. (UD Archives, 992.m.164).

o - Schenley buys majority interest in Buckingham
Corperation, the sole importer of Cutty Sark to the US.
(UD Archives, 992.m.164).

1966 - An Anti-trust suit forces Schenley to drop the Buckingham Corporation (U D Archives, Uncataloged Item).

1967 - Tennessee Walking Horse Blended Tennessee Whisky and Ancient Age Bottled in Bond are introduced (Schenley Annual Report, 1967).

1968 - L S Rosenstiel retires, selling all of his interest in
Schenley to the Glen Alden Corporation (New York Time,
Jan. 22, 1976).

1971 - Schenley list Cascade Tennessee Whisky as a product (Schenley Annual Report, 1971).

1972 - The Glen Alden Corp. is acquired by Rapid American (New York Times, Jan. 22, 1976).

o - Schenley introduces six new "light" whiskies: Schenley XL, P & T Light, J W Dant Pemium Light Whiskey, Red Satin by Schenley American Blended Light Whiskey, Melrose Rare Blended Light Whiskey, and Three Feathers Superior American Light Whiskey - A Blend (What's New At Schenley, July 1972).

1973 - Schenley World T.&I. Co. starts to import Peter Dawson Scotch whiskey (What's New At Schenley, Winter (Jan/Feb) 1973).

o - Canadian O.F.C. wins the gold medal at the Monde Selection in Geneva, Switzerland (What's New At Schenley, Winter 1973).

1976 - L S Rosenstiel dies (New York Times, Jan. 22, 1976).

o - Schenley prepares "The Little Black Book 1976" honoring black history in America as part of the bicentennial celebration in the U S (U D Archives, Uncataloged Item).

1987 - United Distillers acquires Schenley. (C Morris,
Glenmore, 15/11/91).

Mike Veach
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Schenley History

Unread postby Peter H. Pogue » Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:28 pm

Mike:

Terrific timeline. I have at hand the original documents conveying the New England Distillery from Mrs. Nellie Jacob to my grandfather H.E. Pogue and Herbert Hoffheimer. Mr. Hoffheimer was my a law partner to my two great uncles, John F. Pogue and Province Pogue, in Cincinnati. The date is November 30, 1925. The purchase price was $37,500 which included the distillery and all inventoried product. If you'd like a copy let me know I'd be glad to send one.

Peter Pogue
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Unread postby Strayed » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:02 am

OhmahGAWD! That's an incredible timeline. Thank you SO much for posting that. Here's a photo to enhance the experience. I swiped this off of an EBay auction (the auction's still open until the 26th if anyone wants to bid on the bottle). There's more photos on the page. Item# is 6195049744.
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Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Jul 21, 2005 6:36 pm

Peter,
I would love a copy of the contract.

John,
Glad you liked it. I was wondering if anybody else was interested in such things. I have about 20 other timelines of distilleries and or brands as well.

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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:08 pm

Peter,
I received the document today - Thanks for sending it! I take it that Schenley acquired the rest of the Pogue distilling interest when they acquired New England Distillery?

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Old Quaker Bourbon

Unread postby scratchline » Sun Feb 26, 2006 3:09 pm

Just happened across an old pint of Deluxe Old Quaker Bourbon and was pleased to be able to place it thanks to this historical thread.

It was bottled by "Old Quaker Distilling Frankfort KY, Lawrenceburg IN, and Fresno, CA". 80 proof, 4 yrs. old. It bears the legend "Old Quaker is in tune with today's growing preference for mildness and mellowness. You don't have to be rich to enjoy rich whiskey." Truer words were never spoken.

Has anyone sampled this? I can't wait to see what this olde tyme whiskey tastes like.

-Mike
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Unread postby bourbonv » Sun Feb 26, 2006 3:23 pm

Mike,
That is why I posted these timelines - to help people find the history of different brands and companies. I am glad it has been useful to you.

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Unread postby Philip » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:07 pm

Wonderful stuff Mike.

I visited Ekron yesterday and found this information after talking with Bob Chism, the local historian.

J.A. Berry owned the distillery at Ekron. Started operations in 1883. His residence was at Cloverport, KY. He commuted daily by train (L & N) to the distillery. Was Pebbleford the name from the first owner?

In the beginning they made brandy. The local farmers would sell there apples, pears, and peaches to that industry.

There are no limestone springs in that area. Water was pumped in from Doe Run Spring or Doe Run Inn. If I'm not mistaken that spring is actually Otter Creek. The water was piped 7 or 8 miles. The detail from Bob Chism were sketchy.

I have an arial picture of the place in its better days. The photograph was from Schenley Tim LaFonders. Schenley bought the distillery for the sole purpose of shutting it down, or so says Bob Chism.

Your probably aware Derby Tank Car Company had an operation there from 1952-1974? They cleaned railroad tank cars that carried hazardous materials. Paul LaVertue owned DTCC. The EPA shut the operation down and now monitors the entire site. DTCC buried railroad equipment on the site. Its a sad site to see.

My question. How did it go from producing rum to producing bourbon?
Any label names from the rum production era? Bob Chism ONLY mentioned Poindexter. You had mentioned two others Berry and Bell of Franklin.

Philip Stave
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P1010045.JPG
A terrible picture that was in the posession of Bob Chism.
Pebbleford, Ekron, KY
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Unread postby Philip » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:34 pm

This is the old Pebbleford Distillery

Philip
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:19 am

I have seen these photgraphs and many more of the Ekron distillery. In the 1950's Schenley did a photographic study of the town and I donated duplicate photographs from that collection to the Filson. It is an interesting collection of photographs showing Main Street and all of the secondary streets of the town, along with the distillery photgraphs and ariel photgraphs. There are also photographs of a warehouse after a wind storm blew down the side of a warehouse showing the barrels still sitting in their ricks.

I don't recall much of the pre-Schenley history of this distillery. I am not sure that I ever heard of them making rum there. I did know they made brandy there at one time. It is interesting that I cateloged a diary from the mid 1800's here at the Filson. It was mostly about a flatboat trip down the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, but towards the end, another generation used it to keep his journal, and he discusses starting a brandy distillery in that same general area. I always wondered if that was the start of distilling at the Ekron distillery.
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Unread postby cowdery » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:10 pm

Do you know, Mike or anyone, if Ekron was a significant GNS plant during WWII? I wonder because of its proximity to Fort Knox.
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:19 pm

Chuck,
It depends upon how you define "signifacant". All distilleries were making alcohol for the government and most of them were shipping their distillate to a distillery that was capable of distilling it to the high proof needed to make GNS. I don't think they were capable of making the GNS themselves, but Schenley did patent and then made available to all distilleries at no patent cost, an attachment to the column still that did allow distilleries to make GNS. I would say they probably sent the whiskey to Bernheim, or one of the other Louisville Distilleries that had the capability for redistillation. Fort Knox was not as important as "Rubbertown" in Southwest Jefferson County as a final destination for alcohol during the war. Schenley did not purchase this distillery until 1946, so it could have been sending to any number of the bigger distilleries in Louisville.
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Unread postby cowdery » Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:12 pm

We've discussed before some of the war profiteering that went on in the industrial alcohol business during WWII. Evidence suggests that the little distillery group of which Bomberger/Michter's was a part was informally affiliated with Schenley then, even though it was at the time nominally independent. I wonder if Ekron had a similar relationship.

That's good information about where the alcohol was going. I imagine some of it was going to the big munitions plant across the river too.
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Unread postby EllenJ » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:33 am

I can add a few things to this, although I'm not sure they'll do much for clarifying this brand and its history.
We have a bottle of "DAM SITE" (no "n", mind you; this refers to a place where the river is blocked).
Hunner-proof, six-year-old straight Kentucky bourbon, bottled-in-bond in the spring of 1952.

To the best of my knowledge, there was no finer bourbon to be found in Wilder, Newport, nor throughout all of Campbell County...

Or at least the part of it that was occupied by the Pebbleford Distillery in 1946. That's when this bourbon was made, and that's who made it. Good ol' RD#34. However, by the time this fine elixir made its way into Dam Site bottles it was living in Anderson County where it was bottled by the King's Mill bonded warehouse (IRBW #35). Now, flowing through Anderson County, we find the lovely Dix River, near whose banks once stood the King's Mill Distillery -- back in the late 1800s. The River Dix eventually empties into the Kentucky River, but not before creating Herrington Lake, a reservoir formed by the Harrodsburg Dam. Inspiration, I suspect, for the name "Dam Site" on the whiskey.

It's almost certain that the "King's Mill Distillery" was related in name only to the one that ceased operations there around 1907. The one bottling Dam Site whiskey in 1952 may have been owned by Schenley, who would have also bought (and probably closed) the Pebbleford Distillery in Wilder (Newport) shortly after (or maybe even before) this whiskey was made in 1946.

Then again, maybe not. Read on...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... in this case that would be the Ekron Ranch, there appears to have been ANOTHER Pebbleford Distillery. Which Schenley ALSO bought two years later (thanks again, Mike, for the wonderful timelines!). Mike doesn't say whether those two sites had been operated by the same distiller before Schenley bought them, but it seems likely, given the short time between purchases. Fortune Brands operates a Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont and another in Boston (KY), each called simply "Jim Beam". It does seem strange, though, that since Schenley owned the Ekron plant (which Philip's pictures show was certainly large enough to have had its own bottling operation) they didn't ship the Newport Pebbleford product there instead of to a third site. Perhaps the pre-Schenley owners of Pebbleford had already sold and delivered that product to the King's Mills facility before Schenley's purchase?

But WAIT!!! Speaking (as I did a couple sentences ago) of Jim Beam... THERE'S MORE!!!!!
Philip wondered whether the Pebbleford name referred back to some earlier distiller. While I couldn't come up with a early distillery owner named Pebbleford, I've learned that the Pebbleford brand itself has some pretty impressive bloodlines.

In addition to the photos of our collection's proud representative of Northern Kentucky's distilling prowess, there is another y'all might be interested in. Among the stuff cluttering our little basement whiskey warehouse is a brochure, the subject of which is "the new Bardstown Distillery", which was the replacement for the original T. W. Samuels Distillery in Deatsville, about halfway between Bardstown and the Clermont Jim Beam plant. But the Clermont distillery wasn't the original Beam distillery. According to the late Sam Cecil's exhaustive and indispensable (if somewhat difficult-to-navigate) volume of Kentucky whiskeyana, the Deatsville location had also been the site of David M. Beam's first Nelson County distillery, and later the Beam and Hart Distillery and the Clear Springs Distillery, from which Jim Beam (himself, that is; the real one) produced three brands: "Old Tub", "Clear Springs", and (ta-dada-daahhhh!) "Pebbleford".

So, this brochure we have, from about 1934, which introduces the brand spanking new Bardstown Distillery as if it were just about to open, mentions several times that it is the home of Pebble-Ford [sic] bourbon, apparently because that brand (and not Old Tub or Clear Springs) enjoyed "a high international repute" as of the early thirties. For all that, the Bardstown Distillery didn't offer Pebbleford (or Pebble-Ford) as a brand -- their brands were Old Anthem, Bourbon Springs, and Bardstown. The brochure is also carefully-worded to avoid saying that there was any of the old Pebble-Ford whiskey still left in the warehouses -- only that they once were. Cecil notes that one Walter Brown of Chicago acquired the Clear Springs brand, and that the brands he was selling in the thirties also included "Pebbleford", but he doesn't mention any more about it.

It would be interesting to know if there were any connection between this Pebbleford and the whiskey made in Newport/Wilder and bottled in Anderson County. Did the King's Mills Distillery also end up with the Nelson County Pebbleford? There is a certain "corporate standard" appearance to Schenley labels that tend to identify them, and which are not present in the Dam Site labels, and that makes me think that this whiskey wasn't bottled by Schenley. But, then, by whom? Who operated the distillery (or at least the bottling line and bonded warehouse) known as King's Mills in the early 1950s?

Hey, thanks Philip, for bringing all this up in the first place!
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Pebbleford_backlabel.jpg
Back label of Dam Site Bourbon bottle
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Pebbleford_DamSite.jpg
Front of bottle. Note that the design would allow any distillery's name to be easily inserted in the white box
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DixDam.jpg
This postcard is from right around the time the whiskey was made.
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BardstownDistillery.jpg
I love the part about there being an "electric generating plant", so there's "no danger of infection".
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TWSamuels2003.jpg
Yes, I did choose red and black for the text colors. I'm waiting for someone who doesn't already know to ask why :-)
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Unread postby gillmang » Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:07 am

Very interesting. I love those "washed- or faded-style" colour photos from the 1930's-1940's. I remember when in school in around 1960 seeing them in books and thinking they had an old-fashioned look even then.

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