Brown Forman Time Line

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Brown Forman Time Line

Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Aug 03, 2005 6:11 pm

For those interested in the history of Brown-Forman.

Brown and Forman History

1751 - James Brown marries Mary Thompson (Nothing Better in
the Market, John Ed Pearce).

1782 - William Brown comes to Kentucky for the first time to
visit his brother (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1792 - William Brown marries Hannah Street and moves to
Kentucky (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1825 - William Brown dies. His son is J.T.S. Brown Sr.
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

1831 - J.T.S. Brown Jr. is born (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1846 - George Gavin Brown is born. His mother is J.T.S.
Brown's second wife (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1863 - George Gavin Brown comes to Louisville to attend Male
High School (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Early Times Distillery is founded (Beverage Media Blue
Book, History of Brown-Forman).

o - Early Times three labels - Early Times, A G Nall and
Jack Beam (Belles, Bluegrass and Bourbon, Harry
Harrison Kroll).

1864 - Creel Brown Sr is born (the son of J T S Brown)
(Belles, Bluegrass and Bourbon, Kroll).

1866 - Jack Daniel establishes his distillery at Lynchburg,
Tennessee (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1870 - J.T.S. Brown & Brother is founded with George Gavin
Brown as the brother (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - J.T.S. Brown & Brother's first brand is Old Forrester,
a blended whiskey (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1872 - George Forman from Paris, Kentucky joins the firm
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

1873 - The Company changes its name to Brown, Chambers and
Company when Henry Chambers invest money into the firm
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

1874/1875 - J.T.S. Brown leaves the firm. The new company is
Chambers and Brown (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1876 - James Thompson, from Londonderry Ireland and Brown's
cousin, joins the firm (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1879 - Owsley Brown is born (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1881 - Chambers retires and sells his stock to George Gavin
Brown, James Thompson, and George Forman. The new
company is Brown-Thompson and Company (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

1890 - Thompson leaves the firm to form James Thompson and
Brother. He sells his stock to George Gavin Brown and
George Forman. The new firm is Brown-Forman (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

1892 - Mark T Alexander is put in charge of western sales as
the company recognizes the growing market for bourbon
in the west (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1894 - George Gavin Brown is elected President of the Wine and
Spirits Association (formed to combat prohibitionist
attitudes)(Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Ed Beam is made General Manager of Early Times (Belles,
Bluegrass and Bourbon, Kroll).

1896 - Owsley Brown enrolls in Centre College (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

1900 - Owsley Brown enrolls in Law School at the University of
Virginia (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Friedman, Keiler and Co. of Paducah, Ky. secure control of the entire output of the Jack Beam Early Times Distillery (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Jan.1, 1900, page 8).

1901 - George Forman dies. Brown buys his share of the firm
from his widow and retains the right to use his name
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

1902 - Owsley Brown starts to practice law in Louisville and
becomes active in the Democratic Party (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

o - Brown-Forman Distillery Company is formed with
$40,000.00 in capital. B.F. Mattingly of St. Mary's
distillery is one of the major investors (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

1904 - Brown-Forman is still buying much of its whiskey from
Mellwood Distillery because St. Mary's did not have
enough warehouse space and no bottling bouse (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

1905 - Owsley Brown marries Laura Lee Lyons (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

1906 - Owsley Brown helps form the National Model License
League, formed to protect and guide the liquor industry
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - William Lee Lyons Brown is born (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

1907 - Warehouse and bottling house are built at St. Mary's
Distillery (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1910 - Owsley Brown starts to assume control of Brown-Forman
as George Garvin Brown prepares to retire (Belles,
Bluegrass and Bourbon, Kroll).

1911 - Jack Daniel dies and his nephew Lem Matlow takes over
the distillery (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Lem Matlow has 8 indictments sworn against him by the State of Tennessee. He told farmers that if they would bring their own grain, he would make the whiskey for them (Wine and Spirits Bulletin, July 1, 1911, pages 63-64).

o - The Mida's Financial Index, 1911, list the following addresses and capital values for these companies: Brown-Forman: 117W Main St. Dy. No. 14, 5th Dist, St. Mary, Ky. $300,000 t0 $400,000. J T S Brown and Sons: 107 W Main St. Dy. No. 2, 5th Dist. McBrayer Station, Ky. $1,000,000 and up. Friedman, Keiler & Co. (Early Times): Dy. No. 7, 5th Dist. Early Times, Ky. Office in Paducah, Ky. Over $1,000,000 capital. Jack Daniel Distillery: 131 N Market St., Nashville, Tenn. Dy. No. 514, Lynchburg, Tenn.$150,000 to $175,000 Capital.

1912 - Lem Motlow has a plant errected in St. Louis after Prohibition forces him from Tennessee. He is still going to challenge the Tennessee law in the courts (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 1, Page 67).

o - Lem Matlow and Jack Daniel's distillery looses their case in the Tennessee courts but vow to take it to the U S Supreme Court (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, Page 42).

o - Jack Daniels Advertisement in the Wine and Spirit Bulletin does not mention "Tennessee Whiskey" but does call Jack Daniels "Lincoln County Whiskey" (Feb. 1, 1912, p. 20).

1915 - Jack Beam dies. S L Guthrie gains control of Early
Times (Belles, Bluegrass and Bourbon, Kroll).

1917 - George Gavin Brown dies. Owsley Brown becomes President
of Brown-Forman (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1917-1933 - Brown-Forman is bottling whiskey for "medicinal
use" (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1923 - Brown-Forman acquires the complete stocks of Early
Times from S L Guthrie (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1924 - Acquisition of the G. Lee Redmond Company with its
concentration warehouses. Stocks include Yellowstone,
Belmont, and Brook Hill bourbons (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

1930 - Manual Ice, a former master distiller from Glenmore
Distilleries, is hired to make whiskey for Brown-Forman
as the government allows limited production to
replenish dwindling stocks (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1932 - Lem Motlow wants to sell the rights to use the Jack
Daniel label on whiskey to Schenley (Jack Daniel
Trademark File, United Distillers Archive).

1933 - Construction of the Howard Street offices and plant
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Owsley Brown and Frank Thompson go to Washington to
help form the new code for the liquor industry (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

o - Garvin and Lyons Brown join the firm (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

o - October 19 - Incorporated in Deleware (1966 Red Book, p.221).

1934 - The Midlands Distilleries Inc. is founded by Francis Fowler Jr., Philip and Lucian Foulke (Liquor Store Magazine, Feb., 70).

o - Lem Motlow wants Schenley to help fianance the
rebuilding of the Jack Daniel Distillery (Jack Daniel
Trademark File, U D Archive).

1935 - Creel Brown Jr. inherits J T S Brown (Belles, Bluegrass
and Bourbon, Kroll).

o - Midlands changes its name to Southern Comfort Corp. in honor of its best brand (Liquor Store Magazine, Feb., 70).

1936 - Dr. Frank Shipman leaves U of L and joins Brown-Forman.
He turns the company into a whiskey factory (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

o - Brown-Forman acquires the King of Kentucky label (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

1937 - The flooding of the Ohio River forces the company to
move its records to higher ground. The plant has to be
cleaned and sterilized before production can begin once
again (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Sales slump causes a decrease of price on all Brown
-Forman brands (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1938 - Plant forced to suspend production as the banks begin
to worry about their investments (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

o - Manual Ice dies. Henry Sherrard is the new distiller
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

1939 - Congress authorizes a tax refund for businesses who
were victims of the '37 flood (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1940 - Brown-Forman acquires the Labrot & Graham distillery
(the former Oscar Pepper distillery) and the Old
Kentucky Distillery Company (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1942 - Owsley Brown becomes a member of the distilling
committee of the chemical division of the War
Production Board (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1942-1945 - Second World War forces rationing of the existing
liquor stocks as war production of alcohol forces the
distillers to shut down their normal operations
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

1945 - Production of Bourbon is resumed in January (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

o - W.L. Lyons Brown becomes the third President of the
firm (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Purchases 16 acres and plant from the Wood Mosaic Company in Louisville, Ky. for use of making barrels (1966 Red Book, p.221).

o - Purchased the complete stock of Manor Distillies Inc., Manor Pa. and acquired the property of Independent Ice and Coal Company, Louisville, Ky. (1966 Red Book, p.221).

1946 - It takes till December of this year for Brown-Forman to
achieve full production once again (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

o - Acquisition of the Manor and Old Bridgewater
Distilleries in Pennsylvania by Brown-Forman (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

o - Garneau becomes importers of Usher's scotch and several
brands of wine (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1947 - Lem Matlow dies and his four sons take over the
distillery (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1949 - Owsley resigns from the Distilled Spirits Institute and
Garvin takes his place on the board (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

1951 - George Garvin Brown II becomes the fourth President of
the firm (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

1952 - Owsley Brown dies (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1953 - Early Times becomes the nation's top selling straight
bourbon (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Brown-Forman pulls Early Times from a major southern
dealer who wants to cut the price and use the brand as
a "loss leader". The company does this because of
George Garvin Brown's doctrine of "Quality whisky at
quality prices for quality prices". (Nothing Better,
Pearce).

1955 - Brown-Forman acquires Jack Daniel's Distillery at
Lynchburg, Tennessee (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Creel Brown sells J T S Brown Distillery to Alvin A
Gould of Cincinnati, Ohio (Belles Bluegrass and
Bourbon, Kroll).

1956 - Brown-Forman acquires Garneau (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Kentucky charges Brown-Forman for giving away liquor at
a Kentucky Derby Party (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1957 - Brown-Forman purchases exclusive distribution rights
for Bols liqueurs (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

1959 - Brown-Forman lowers the proof of Old Forester to 86
proof (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1960 - Brown-Forman completes the assimulation of Jack
Daniel's into the company (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1962 - Acquires the franchise for Chequers Scotch Whisky (1966 Red Book, p.221).

1963 - Gold Pennant Canadian Whisky is introduced (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

1964 - Brown-Forman acquires Oertel Brewing Company (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

1965 - Jack Daniel as a subsidiary of Brown-Forman acquired the rights to distribute world wide the F. Korbel & Brothers champagnes, brandies and California wines (1966 Red Book, p.221).

1967 - Brown-Forman acquires Quality Imports with the
Ambassador Scotch and Old Bushmills Irish Whiskey
(Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Brown-Forman acquires Pepe Lopez Tequila (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

1968 - Brown-Forman acquires the rights to distribute Martell
Cognac in the U.S. (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Brown-Forman acquires Fontana-Hollywood Corperation
which deals in Italian wines (Nothing Better, Pearce).

o - Brown-Forman sells Oertel Brewing Company (Nothing
Better, Pearce).

o - President's Choice Bourbon is introduced (Liquor Store Magazine, Feb., 70).

1969 - Garvin Brown dies. Bill Lucas becomes President of
Brown-Forman (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1970 - Brown-Forman opens its new office building on 18th
Street (Nothing Better, Pearce).

1971 - Brown-Forman acquires Canadian Mist from Barton (C
Morris, 25/1/93).

o - Frost 8/80 is introduced: a "white whiskey filtered through hardwood, softwood and nutshell charcoals." (Sports Illustrated Advertisement, 11/22/71).

1979 - Brown-Forman acquires Southern Comfort Corperation (C
Morris, 25/1/93).

1983 - Early Times Old Style Kentucky Whiskey creating a new
type of whiskey (C Morris, 25/1/93).

1985 - Brown-Forman acquires California Cooler Company (C
Morris, 25/1/93).

1988 - Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey is introduced (The Book of Bourbon..., Gary and Mardee Regan, p.136).

1992 - Brown-Forman introduces Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails (Courier-Journal, 5/18/93).

1993 - Brown-Forman introduces Southern Comfort Cocktails (Courier-Journal, 5/18/93).

1994 - Jack Daniel's Beer Introduced (M. Veach, 5/3/95).

1995 - Brown-Forman announces that they will purchase and renovate the Labrot and Graham distillery and make a pot still bourbon (Mike Veach, 3/22/96).

Mike Veach
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"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Aug 03, 2005 6:13 pm

Whatever happened to Jack Daniel's Beer? Was it that bad?

Mike Veach
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Unread postby Mark » Wed Aug 03, 2005 6:33 pm

What year was it pulled Mike? I vaguely remember it on the shelves but wasn't of drinking (legal at least) when it was out... I see them from time to time on eBay though. I know from Bob that most beer can remarkably keep for quite some time if in a cool and dark enough spot but geez, I've gotta wonder about this stuff by now! :lol:
-=_Mark_=-
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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Aug 03, 2005 7:53 pm

Mark,
I really don't know when they quit making their beer there. They were doing it the last time I went down there with U D in 1986 and a remember it on the shelves for a couple of years but never see it now. I was hoping one of you might know.
Mike Veach
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Unread postby Stoopsie » Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:10 pm

The last time I remember it being on the shelves here in Maryland was in January 2001. I bought some a millenium celebration, Sandy and attended.
Howie

Some people see the glass as half full, some see half empty, but I prefer to drink straight from the bottle.
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:54 am

So Howie,
Was the beer any good? I know they were brewing it at the distillery when I was there, but there was talk of having the Schlitz brewery make it for them. Maybe that was the death of the brand.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby Stoopsie » Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:49 pm

Yes Mike, I really liked the lager a lot. But, since it was on the expensive side I only bought it for special occasions like the millenium celebration. I also drank it only on special occasions like " Oh, I found a penny on the ground face-up" or "Hey, this pizza has pepperoni on it, woo-hoo" or "Sandy, you really are working hard out there in the sun. I think I will go get an ice cold JD Lager and sit in the shade and watch you." Needless to say if I had some, I drank it because I liked it so much. I was very dissapointed whern they stopped making it.
Howie

Some people see the glass as half full, some see half empty, but I prefer to drink straight from the bottle.
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Unread postby bunghole » Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:57 pm

Stoopsie wrote:,,,, or "Sandy, you really are working hard out there in the sun. I think I will go get an ice cold JD Lager and sit in the shade and watch you." Needless to say if I had some, I drank it because I liked it so much. I was very dissapointed whern they stopped making it.


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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Aug 05, 2005 4:45 pm

Howie,
I take it you liked it. Was that the brew from Tennessee or the later mass produced beer?

Mike Veach
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Unread postby Stoopsie » Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:43 am

Mike,

I had both the one made at the distillery and the mass produced product. I really can't remember that there was a difference between the two.
Howie

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