Broad Ripple Whiskey

[Dump Bucket]

I have come up empty on finding info here on this one













Y'all have any info on it?

[bunghole]

No, but thanks for the pix Emerald! Chuck or Mike V. should know something about it, as if you didn't already know that.

[bourbonv]

Em,
This is one of the brands sold by Frankfort distillery during prohibition. The whiskey was made at their Frankfort, Kentucky distillery before prohibition. The brand did not survive the acquistion by Seagram. I have two bottles sitting under my desk at work, waiting to be tasted at a fund raising event.

[Dump Bucket]

Em,
This is one of the brands sold by Frankfort distillery during prohibition. The whiskey was made at their Frankfort, Kentucky distillery before prohibition. The brand did not survive the acquistion by Seagram. I have two bottles sitting under my desk at work, waiting to be tasted at a fund raising event.

Is the stuff any good?

[bourbonv]

Don't know. I have not tried it yet. Let me know if you open your bottle. It may be best not to use it a fund raising event! I would think that it is on par with other Frankfort whiskey such as the Antique brand. We opened a prohibition bottle of Antique on a Filson tour of Four Roses and it was decent whiskey. Very minty.

[MJL]

Just an odd question on this one. Was this what Fred Sandford was talking about when he talked about drinking ripple? That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the name.

[PaulO]

Fred Sanford's "ripple" was a slang term for inexpensive fortified wine. The first thing I thought of when I saw Broad Ripple, was the Broad Ripple neighborhood in Indianapolis. There are a lot of bars there.

[cowdery]

"Ripple" is not a slang term. Ripple was an actual brand of inexpensive fortified wine popular in the 1960s and 70s.

I speak from personal experience.

[Sean]

I have a bottle, too. The tax stamp has two dates on it: Fall 1912 and Fall 1933. There is also a State of Illinois tax stamp on the back, dated 1935. The bottle has been opened and is about 2-thirds full. Beyond that, it is identical to the bottle pictured. I also have the box, in similar condition to that pictured. Does anybody know if this is at all valuable?

[EllenJ]

...This is one of the brands sold by Frankfort distillery during prohibition. The whiskey was made at their Frankfort, Kentucky distillery before prohibition...

Mike, you should know better than that.
It was NOT made at Frankfort. It was BOTTLED by Frankfort Distillery, which (despite the name) was neither a distillery nor located in Frankfort. What they bottled in 1933 was whiskey made in 1912 by Illinois Distillery #11, DBA American Spirits Manufacturing Co.

By the way, Emerald, don't confuse American Spirits Manufacturing (ASM?) with American Medicinal Spirits (AMS). This Illinois "manufacturing company" may have been a distiller of ethanol, from which a whiskey product was "manufactured". And also, don't let the fact that it's "bonded" fool you, either. During Prohibition, when federal bonded warehouses were the only legal source of alcohol, even blended whiskey was Bottled in Bond. The term "Spiritus Frumenti" on the label indicates that, far from being bourbon, this "whiskey" was officially classified only as "fermented spirit" and could have been just about anything alcoholic.

And Sean, Your opened bottle is pretty much worthless. Empty prohibition pint bottles, even with boxes, go for about five bucks on eBay, or a dollar at a flea-market. If it were full and sealed this still wouldn't be a particularly attractive find -- maybe $20. If the contents are still good, I'd suggest using it for ceremonial pours and enjoying the "specialness" until it's finally gone.

[bourbonv]

John,
I do know better and the bottle I have was made at the Frankfort Distillery in Frankfort, Ky. Yes John, Frankfort Distirllery Company did have a distillery in Frankfort, Ky. prior to prohibition.

[EllenJ]

Mike, you're my friend and I love you, but read the label.

[bourbonv]

John,
I just checked my bottle again and it is definitely Frankfort, Ky. Whiskey.

[EllenJ]

No problem, Mike; I'm sure it is, or you wouldn't have said otherwise.
But DumpBucket's isn't. Look at the photo. It was BOTTLED by Frankfort (probably in 1933). But it was MADE by ASM (Illinois Dist.#11), several years before Prohibition or even WWI.

[cowdery]

I don't believe "Spiritus Frumenti" had any legal meaning. I have a Prohibition-era bottle of Old Taylor KSBW that says "Spiritus Frumenti" on the label. I think "Spiritus Frumenti" was a general term used by pharmacists for any beverage alcohol sold for medicinal purposes. It sounds more medical than "whiskey," what with being Latin and all.