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Unread postby gillmang » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:02 am

Mike, regarding records: in Sam Cecils' book, he states that he approached the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (it may have a different name now). The reason was to access their voluminous records on distilleries. From what I read that archive contains many many details of business histories of individual companies, which they were required to file or otherwise came under the custody of ATF. Mr. Cecil was refused access. He persisted, but still no joy. He gives the reason in his book but I forget what it was. Maybe ATF would take a different view of it today and maybe the Access To Information Laws might assist.

Gary
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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:44 am

Gary,
I am aware of that source and have actually received some things from them while I was at U D. They have goverment records, but not the more interesting business records like mash bills, customer correspondence, etc... That is the type of record I hope will surface for more companies. It would be great to have records to such places as the Old Grand Dad distillery before National took over, or Ripy or Old Fitzgerald before W L Weller and Sons purchased it.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Aug 19, 2005 12:07 pm

It looks like in 1866 or 1867 E H Taylor, Jr. took a European your. In an 1871 description of the OFC distillery it is said the design of the distillery was influenced by what Taylor saw in Great Britian, France and Germany.


Mike Veach
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Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Aug 25, 2005 12:34 pm

Great find today. The OFC Distillery burned down in 1881 and I have aletter here that discusses it. He was driving home in a storm when he spotted the blaze at the distillery so he stopped to render aid. That would also explain why the distillery has their oldest warehouse listed as built in 1882.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby bourbonv » Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:21 pm

In a scrap bnook I am working on today, there are newspaper articles about the results of the Levy-Uri case from June 1908. The case accuses Uri of making "Pure Rye" using 1 portion Pennsylvania Rye, 1 portion Kentucky Rye, 3 different brands of bourbon, neutral spirits, bede oil, caramel suger and prune juice. The courts found in favor of the straight whiskey side and stated that this would have to be labeled a compound whiskey. The case covered some other issues as well. There was some "bourbon" made from molasses in New Orleans. They also stated that Bourbon had to be made in Kentucky and from a mash of corn, rye and malt. Things have changed some since 1908!

Mike Veach
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Unread postby gillmang » Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:47 pm

Mike, that recipe is very similar to many I've found in blending manuals including the 1885 book you and I have discussed before, extracts of which are reproduced on http://www.pre-pro.com. I've made such compounds myself, as many know here, and the results can be very good. If the whiskeys are good there is no need to add spirits or flavouring by the way. Clearly what tripped up this merchant was using the term "pure rye". Without knowing that legislation from so long ago, just on the face of it, his product doesn't seem pure to me, not in the normal sense of that word, because it is not all straight rye whiskey.

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Unread postby bourbonv » Mon Oct 10, 2005 8:46 pm

Gary,
You hit the nail on the head - The court case came about because he applied to trademark his label as a Pure Rye and the government took him to court as one of several test cases for the Pure Food and Drug Act. The court said that "pure rye" had to be made from 100% rye malt!

Mike Veach
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Unread postby bourbonv » Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:42 am

In an article in the scrapbook, the writer tells of the commission appointed by King Edward in 1906 to decide "what is Whisky?" The reported decision was that "whiskey is distilled from grain and made potable". This is a very loose definition and the americans were trying to tighten the restrictions even more. I think we can see why for the most of the 20th century, Americans focused on straight whiskey and the Scots and Irish and Canadians were dominated by the blends.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Nov 04, 2005 12:04 pm

In December 1915 600,000 people saw the "moving Pictures" of the Old Taylor distillery, with another 50,000 seeing the film in Louisville.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby bourbonv » Tue Nov 29, 2005 11:50 am

I have started to catalog these papers now and I am reading letters to and from Richard Taylor Jr. (E H Taylor's grandfather) and Edmund Taylor (who would later raise E H Taylor Jr.). They deal mostly with land speculation, banking business, slave transactions and shipment of goods between Columbus, Ky. in the Jackson Purchase area of the state and Frankfort. Edmund is requesting venison hams and bear bacon. He is sending clothes and shoes.

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Unread postby bunghole » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:28 pm

"Bear Bacon"! - :tonqe:
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Unread postby bourbonv » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:55 pm

That's what he wrote!
Mike Veach
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Unread postby bunghole » Wed Nov 30, 2005 11:58 am

bourbonv wrote:That's what he wrote!
Mike Veach


Oh, I believe you, Mike! I've only had bear meat a couple of times and it was mighty tastey. The emoticon in my post was supposed to show that I thought bear bacon would be some pretty yummy stuff, especially since it would have been smokehouse cured. Something you would gladly trade a pair of shoes for.

I don't know any modern day hunters that even own a smokehouse let alone cure meat in that fashion. Everything is butchered and frozen as steaks with side meat that would have become bacon usually becoming jerky. Neck meat and front quarters are ground into hamburger or made into sausage, or they could become stew meat.

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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:30 pm

Linn,
I knew you believed me but I thought that was a show of suprise. I agree with you that Bear Bacon is probably a lost delicacy with very few people willing to take the time to smoke meat of any kind, let alone bear meat. I am not sure he ever got the bear bacon, but Richard (his father) sent Edmund abour 20 venison hams that had been salted in brine, but still needed to be smoked.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:09 pm

I am up to 1835 and John Taylor, his wife Rebecca, son Edmund and slave Tony have traveled to New Orleans in a flatboat. Their daughter Euginia was left behind with John's father, Richard Taylor Jr., in Columbus Ky. John describes the trip and his apartments in New Orleans in a 2 January 1835 letter. I also know that this is the year he dies and Edmund eventually ends up in Frankfort raised by his Uncle Edmund.

Mike Veach
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