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dowling distillers very rare collectors item

Unread postPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:25 pm
by tnfootball419
I have an unopened bottle of bourbon and on the label it says aged 20 years very rare collectors item 94.6 proof The worlds finest rare old kentucky bourbon made 20 years ago from an old family formula kentucky straight bourbon whiskey genuine old style sour mash bottled in KY by dowling distillers lawrenceburg KY I cant find out anything about this any information would be much appreciated. i aquired this bottle from a gentleman who said he bought the bottle a/b 60 years ago

Unread postPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:55 pm
by TNbourbon
Well, here's a mention of a similar 21yo which includes comment -- not positive, I'm afraid -- from someone who's palate many of us enjoy enjoying, Julian Van Winkle III's. I belief that's John Lipman in there, too.
http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/a ... t-654.html

Unread postPosted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:34 am
by bourbonv
Dowling Distillery was one of many companies that Schenley owned in the 1950's, 60's and 70's that were either sold off or simply liquidated. I would suspect that the whiskey in your bottle could come from any one of about a dozen Kentucky distilleries owned by Schenley. It could also have been bottled at any of these distilleries. For more information on Schenley, see the timeline for Schenley in the Bourbon Lore forum. I have seen these bottles before and as Tim pointed out some were even bottled at Julian's old distillery site in Lawrenceburg.

I am not sure what you want to know about the bottle but if you are looking for a value, then it is only worth what someone will give you for it. I would not pay more than $100.00 personaly and I doubt others on this board would either. If you are looking to sell, I am not intertested, but good luck.

Unread postPosted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:58 pm
by mozilla
Dude (tnfootball),
when are you going to stop asking this question? You have posted at least five or six times with this same topic on two different boards. Get a grip man! Your bottles are probably going on ebay, anyway. I for one, get tired of people asking the same crap over and over. :evil:

Unread postPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:31 am
by EllenJ
TNbourbon wrote:Well, here's a mention of a similar 21yo which includes comment -- not positive, I'm afraid -- from someone who's palate many of us enjoy enjoying, Julian Van Winkle III's. I belief that's John Lipman in there, too.

Hey Tim! Thanks for the memories!
By the way, of course the website reference is outdated; the correct one is below with my signature. And the whole conversation may be a good illustration of what I've noted in other threads about whiskeymen and what they say. People who are unfamiliar with whiskeymen might be a bit shocked by Julian's disdain for that particular whiskey and his total lack of hesitation to say so. But those of us who know him realize that Julian expresses the same opinion about most of his own bottlings, once that's not what he's doing anymore. Most recording artists and movie directors are the same way; it's the nature of the beast. That said, those of us who are familiar with Julian's style should note the "94.6 proof" and consider just how many bottlers you know of from last century who gave their proof numbers in decimal?

Unread postPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:13 am
by bourbonv
John,
Dowling Bros. is one of those companies owned by Schenley at one time and the brand was sold off in the late 70's or early 80's, I think. Probably about the time they sold the Waterfield and Frasier brand which ended up with Medley Bros. before being sold to Glenmore who sold out to United Distillers who sold it to Heaven Hill or Barton - I forget which sale it was involved in! Just another note, Waterfield and Frazier was owned by Mary Dowling during prohibition and Pappy Van Winkle bottled and sold it for her using the Weller / Stitzel license as medicinal whiskey.

The whiskey for this Dowling Bros was probably from one of the smaller distilleries owned by Schenley. The Filson has a warehouse reciept from Dowling Bros.

(1941) Dowling Bros. Distilling Co. - Bugin, Ky. 101 proof

As you can see the distillery they bought was in Burgin, Ky. They later changed the distillery name to Melvale Distillery. (Note the entry proof of the whiskey.)

Unread postPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:14 am
by EllenJ
bourbonv wrote:...(1941) Dowling Bros. Distilling Co. - Bugin, Ky. 101 proof ... (Note the entry proof of the whiskey.)

Yep! Well, whether it tasted like Kentucky dew, mountain dew, or mill dew, at least it tasted full-flavored :40oz:

Unread postPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:32 am
by cowdery
The Dowling brand now resides at Heaven Hill.

Unread postPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:23 pm
by doubleblank
I looked at some of my examples of the "Collector's Item" and "Dowling Deluxe" bottlings. The two I found are

Dowling Deluxe 14yo BIB
Distilled 1951 at DSP 33 Ekron KY
Bottled 1965 at DSP 27 Tyrone KY

20YO Collector's Item BIB
Distilled at DSP 51 Greenbriar KY
Bottled at DSP 112 Lawrenceburg KY

Both are in the flask shaped bottle and wrapped with that damn fish net. These still turn up at estate sales here in the Houston area.

Unread postPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:10 pm
by bourbonv
Greenbrair and Ekron were both Schenley owned distilleries in the 1950's, 60, and 70's.

Unread postPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:46 pm
by bourbonv
I received an email from a person who has been reading this thread about Mary Dowling and Dowling Bros. He said he did not want to reveal his name or email but that I could post information if I wish. I have copied the email and removed revealing information but I do want people to know that this is their information and to give credit where credit is due. Here is the email:

In the late 1800s and early 1900s my great-grandfather worked for Dowling (I
have always been told he was a distiller for him, but have been unable to
document his specific job). At one point or another, Dowling owned part of (a)
Clover Bottom distillery at Tyrone (owned in partnership with T.B. Ripy); (b)
the Waterfill & Frazier Distillery on Bailey’s Run at Tyrone, and (c) the
“Walker Plant” 1 mile north of Lawrenceburg.

Mr. Dowling died in the early 1900s (1904 comes to mind, but not sure). Mary
Dowling bought out the other heirs and continued to run the business. When
prohibition started Mrs. Dowling tried to convince my g-grandfather to move to
Juarez, Mexico to start up the W/F distillery there (to make medical alcohol).
He declined and stayed in Anderson County working on her farm operation. I think
Mrs. Dowling died ca. 1930-35. I recently heard that the only remaining Dowling
decendent (an elderly woman) lives in Georgia, somewhere near Atlanta. (She may
have died recently, not sure.)

The Waterfill & Frazier Distillery was located (at the bottom of the hill below
what is now the Wild Turkey distillery [a different distillery started by T.B.
Ripy], next to Bailey's Run [a creek] on property now owned by the rock quary).
I've not seen them, but the Ekstrom Library at the University of Louisville has
some photographs/negatives of the Waterfill & Frazier plant on Bailey's Run and
workers at the plant.

The Dowling House still exists on South Main Street in Lawrenceburg. Since Mrs.
Dowling's death it has served as a funeral home, restaurant, and more recently,
an apartment house.

Mrs. Dowling used to walk about town followed by a black servant girl who held
the trail of her dress off the ground, so that it did not get dirty. While often
praised in the paper for her philanthropy I have been told several stories that
lead me to believe that she treated her servants and some local merchants
poorly.

Distillers such as Dowling, Ripy, Hoffman, Waterfill, Frazier, Bond, Hanks,
Lillard, Saffell, etc. were all part of Lawrenceburg's Guilded Age. Their
distilleries grew during the 1870s-90s. It was truly a time characterized by
great wealth and extreme poverty, with little in between. Not to paint all of
these people with the same broad brush, but the "every man for himself"
attitude, excess, and opulence characteristic of the time seems consistent with
descriptions of many of their lifestyles. The street on which several of them
lived was euphemistically known as "Cream Street." They threw lavish parties.
One I have been told about involved having black "servants" fan them with palm
leaves as they dined at the table. Several became alcoholics.

All of this ended with prohibition. I've been told that 70% of Anderson County's
male population left when prohibition began. Farmers who provided grain were
also harmed. While some of these distillers came back after prohibition, my
impression is that they never recovered their pre-prohibition wealth and status.
Their neo-renaissance homes and conspicuously large monuments in the local
cemetery are all that remain.

I think this is interesting information and I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Dowling still available

Unread postPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:25 pm
by PaulO
Earlier this year while in Louisville, I managed to pick up several brands that are not available to me locally. One was Dowling Deluxe Bourbon BIB. It was a little dry and woody to my taste. It sort of reminded me of Ezra Brooks. It was just ok, not my favorite. Then again I believe I payed under $10 for a fifth of 100 proof bourbon.

Unread postPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:57 pm
by EllenJ
Paul, what you found was the Dowling bourbon currently made by Heaven Hill. It bears no relationship at all to the original, other than its name. Your comparison of it with Ezra Brooks (I'm guessing you mean the regular Ezra, not the older versions, which are considerably better) is astute, as it, too, is made by H.H. and is is essentially the same whiskey.

However, as cheap whiskey goes, I should also point out that Dowling 100 is my "well-boubon" of choice (along with BIB JTS Brown, another HH-owned classic brand).

Dowling comparison

Unread postPosted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 2:17 pm
by PaulO
Yes, I was comparing to modern 90 proof Ezra Brooks. I like JTS Brown BIB better than EB or Dowling. JTS Brown is what I get when I don't know what I want. I noticed that JTS Brown and JW Dant both come from distillery 31 listed on the label. Something else I found in KY that I thought was good; Mellow Corn BIB.

Re: dowling distillers very rare collectors item

Unread postPosted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 8:51 pm
by trdowling
I've been looking to purchase Dowling bourbon. I also saw that a great glass bar placard traded on ebay a few years ago. Please help ----- trdowling (no relation)