My Days at Kinsey Distillery

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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby Kinsey Worker » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:22 am

This past Monday I took a vacation day to take Fricky, and Bourbon Joe and Phils Fan
Joe on a tour of what is left of Kinsey Distillery. I showed them where the Steer Pens had been the Old Kinsey Rye #10 Still building, and the old Kinsey Bottling house out front which was used to make Liqours such as Peanut Lolita till the day the Plant quit making drinking Alcohol. They also saw the Huge Continental Bottling house from the outside and where Old DSP-Pa # 12 stood. I took them past the many Explosion proof Warehouses 14 showed them the Old Warehouse E out front where rye used to be aged for Rittenhouse Rye! And as much as we could see in the time which we were there about 2 hrs. We then went to have Lunch bought by Bourbon Joe and then to sip Bourbons At Fricky's it was a great time.
When I go there I in my mind can still see the old 1941 Ford Flat trucks roaring with barrels on the back from one Warehouse to the closest one with a dump Trough! It was a great Place too work and a great company to Work for and Mr Si Neuman was an amazing Man of Vision!
Dave Z
Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey
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Fricky & Phils Fan ( Joe ) in front of grain drying building with old Mantaince barn on the left fanside of the picture the #12 Still used to stand to the far left of the picture
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The Kinsey #10 Rye building an old Barn
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First floor of Old bottling house
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Tank in Old Jacob G Kinsey bottle house out front
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The wood ladder you had to climb to get to the upper levvels of racks 6 levelas up
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The wood barrel Racks in Old Warehouse E made of wood & Brick
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Platforms the Old Rye still once sat on
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Kinsey #10 Rye Biulding where they distiller Rittenhouse back in the Day gone by
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Explosion Proof Warehouses note the fire escape is differant than the ones before and after it as this is the one with a fire watch tower on top. It also was used to put labels to see how they held up in sun . Heat pipes ran all the way up to the two rooms the big one and the little top part, this was the highest spot in the plant, this was Q Building!
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Fricky and Phils Fan in front of Building O the Government Building & warehouse with Lunch room and Water distilling room!
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Pictures from Monday of Kinsey the Water Distilling room next to the Lunch room in the plant
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:55 am



Looks like you guys had a great time. Wish I could have been there.


Gayle
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby bourbonv » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:14 pm

I have found everything to be found in my reference books at home. To find out more you really need to be in Philly and use their records such as city directories and business directories. Not to mant Philadelphia directories here in Kentucky. I did take time at work to look on line at ancetorylibrary.com and found a 1900 census of a man who could be the Angelo Myers that you are looking for. He is in Ward 15 Philadelphia, was born about 1846 in Germany had been merried to Julia for 22 years and listed as a merchant. His son was listed in the same census and the only other Angelo Myers was from some other state. I did not find a death record or the same Angelo Myers in another census even though his son Agelo L Meyers was in New Orleans in 1920.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby fricky » Wed Aug 27, 2008 5:12 pm

Attached is a post card showing an artist's rendition of The Angelo Myers Distillery, Inc, Linfield, PA. Front and back are shown. Since it is a one-cent post card with a divided back, it was probably produced between 1907 and 1915. The wording on the back is: "The Angelo Myers Distillery is the most perfect plant in existence for producing Pure Rye Whiskey. It is here that the Kinsey Pure Rye is distilled.
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby bunghole » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:51 pm

Thanks for that post Mr. Fricky! What I find most interesting is the 'God's Eye' perspective the artist rendered. Given the time period, it is unlikely the artist had ever been airborn, but it is possible. Powered flight was cutting edge and all the rage at that time. There were no airlines that I am aware of.

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My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby fricky » Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:43 am

Linn,
I believe that I can explain how the artist was able to get a bird's-eye-view of the distillery. He or she (I don't want to appear sexist) went to the local Army & Navy Surplus store that was stocked with surplus items from The War of Northern Aggression, purchased, and used a tethered observation balloon to view the distillery. What do you think of that theory?
Doug
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:10 am

The ballon is a possibility, but that era also had artist who specialized in doing "birds-eye views" of places. The Filson has many such prints of Louisville, New Orleans and other city-scapes, as well as post cards of other places done in that manner. They are really quite acurate as well.

Thanks for sharing the post card,
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby fricky » Thu Aug 28, 2008 12:24 pm

I would love to know the entire history of The Angelo Myers Distillery and Kinsey Distillery. John Lipman has great information on his website; however, The Angelo Myers Distillery is still somewhat of a mystery. As you suggested previously, a visit to Philadelphia is probably required to get more information. However, I do not know where to begin.
Doug
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My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby fricky » Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:30 pm

I found an interesting old photograph of Angelo Myers Philadelphia Office at 311-313 N. Third Street. I found it on http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org. The following information was under the photograph: Local ID #: PhilaBourse-239a
Engelhardt, George Washington, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, The Book of Its Bourse & Co-operating Bodies, Philadelphia, Lippincott Press, 1898-99., p. 239
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby Kinsey Worker » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:52 pm

Last night I called up Al Landis 90 yrs old his Grandfather Henry was married to one of two sisters the other sister was married to Mr Kinsey ! Al Landis's Father Hoarce told Al all about the Angelo Myers days. I spent two hours talking to Al and here is the story of Angelo Myers. Angelo Myers was in the late 1800's a very well known Whiskey Merchant and also a master Distiller himself. He and Jacob G Kinsey were good friends and around late 1897 Myers name began to be named with the Distillery then in 1909 or a little earlier Mr Kinsey decided that to be able to get his Whiskey's well known he would get Mr Myers to run the plant for a while and use his name with Jake Kinsey's. On my Wooden Kinsey box one side says Kinsey Distllery the Other side says Angelo Myers Distillery. One thing I can also state Jacob Kinsey always owned Kinsey Distillery till Publicker Bought it in late 1939. Jacob Kinsey was married to Edna Longacher and Al's Grandfather Henry was married to Annie Longacher. The Kinsey Brands started to get a good name and just about the time that Mr Kinsey would have started using His own Name only Prohibition came about. One of the brands was Maywood Brand straight Rye Whiskey. At the top it says Kinsey's Pennsylvania Rye. On the bottom of the label it says bottled by the american Liqour Company Boston Mass. Mr Myers had many connections in Phila, New York City and Boston! Neither Angelo Myers or Jacob G Kinsey ever thought that something like Prohibition would bring an end to this, rather then them. Kinsey was to small at that time to make medical Alcohol so the Plant was shut down till fall 1933. End of prohibition.
Mr Angelo Myers contiued to sponser the Boy Scouts in Linfield for many years after leaving.
In late fall 1933 Jacob G Kinsey went down to visit Hoarce Landis and Asked him to come work at the Distillery, He stated that he was going to train him to be a Master Distiller of great ability.
Well for starters the old Dsp-Pa 12 was a continuos still and the Old Dsp-pa 10 was a small batch type still. Those first months out put was 80 barrels a day, Mr Kinsey Hired Hoarce's son Al Landis to work for him, at 17 yrs old Al Racked the first 20,000 barrels made after Prohibition and Al and a man named Oscar Tyson Dumped the very first barrels to be bottled at Kinsey they bottled in the Old Barn then right next to the Dsp-Pa 10 still it was an old very large Barn building. during the time Angelo Myer was running the Plant with Mr Kinsey Mr Kinsey was the Master distiller and was trying to make the very best whiskey's money could buy. When Jacob G Kinsey reopened the Plant in Fall 1933 He was 75 yrs old so he trained Hoarce Landis to be a very Good Master Distiller. In Fall 1939 when Kinsey Had to sell and Continental Distilling bought the Plant Hoarce Landis stayed on to be Master Distiller at Kinsey Dsp-Pa 12 till the day it shut down in Spring of 1951! He then worked at many things there and finished running security for Continental Distilling and retired in spring 1963. Late in 1963 early 1964 Hoarce Landis got a call from ContinentaL Distilling Company Chairman Si Neuman asking him if he would come out of retirement for a few months to help him with the start up of the Inver House stills in Scotland with all exspenes paid. Hoarce went to Scotland and trained people as master Distillers and over saw the start ups. Al also told me that when Mr Kinsey was running the Plant at age 75 He would get up every morning before Hoarce came in to start at 6:00-AM He would go down to the Boiler room to check to see the Boiler operater had 100 pounds of steam up before Hoarce started the still up. Then Mr Kinsey would go eat his breakfast. The still ran from 6:00 Am till about noon cranking out 80 barrels when ever he got done was considered a full day for Hoarce by Mr Kinsey and he would go home with full pay. Mr Kinsey was a very Generous man and his goal was for Kinsey Whiskey to be of the very Best!

During the time Hoarce Landis was in Scotland his granson Ken was stationed in Germany, one day Mr Neuman came over to visit and was very pleased how things were going so He said to Horace is there anything I can do for you for the great job you have done here, and Hoarce told him he wished he could go see his Grandson Ken a couple of days so Si Neuman flew him to Germany to visit Ken a few days! There were 3 generations of Landis that worked at Kinesy Hoarce 1933 to 1963 Al 5 Yrs got layed off and went to work for Packard and Grandson Ken who is a friend of mine and worked there around 20 yrs +.
It was really great talking to Al and finding these things out knowing that this is the real story and fills in alot of blank spots in the history. After Leaving Kinsey's Mr Kinsey lived to be 94 yrs old and Kinsey Distillery operated for 94 years total.
Dave Z
Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey
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Dsp pa 10 Rye Building
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Old Maywood Straight rye Whiskey bottle in my collection
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby bourbonv » Tue Sep 02, 2008 2:43 pm

Interesting post. Thanks for posting this information.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby Kinsey Worker » Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:08 pm

This past Weekend I also went to see my old Friend Ludy who worked at Kinsey from 1936 till 1980. He lent me an original Picture of the Distillery from 1937 given him by Mr Bill Theodois who was Plant manager Back in 1950 or about. The Picture has The Company Letterhead and Mr Kinsey's Office address in Phila on Locust Street. Here are 2 Aerial Photos of Kinsey Front and the back of the old Picture from 1937 a shot from 1986 of the major part of the plant out front and a Picture of Me with Al Landis from Mar 2008 when I gave a talk about Kinsey in March of this year for the Historic Society. Pic 2 AL Landis on Left Me on Right he is holding an original of the old Publicker Broshure about Kinsey.
Dave Z
Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey
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Here is A Photo copy I made from an old Broshure aerial shot from 1986 spring just before it closed forever this is an aerial shot of most of the Plant so you can see how very big it was
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Me & Al Landis this Spring when I gave a talk about Kinsey
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Back of Old Aerial Photo Lent to me by Ludy
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Picture on front of Kinsey 1937 note Kinsey Letter head and Mr Kinsey's Office address in Phila on Locust St
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby Kinsey Worker » Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:55 pm

Here are some of the many Pictures I took at Kinsey this past Sunday, Pictures of the old Kinsey Bottle House the #10 Rye Building and warehouses and the new Bottling house. I will be posting more soon1
Dave Z
Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey
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Piles of Barrel Staves next to Warehouse H
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Outside Picture of The Kinsey #10 Rye Barn-- Dsp-Pa-#10
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Warehouse H this is the Warehouse in the Picture I posted from the Old Aerial shot being Built back in 1936
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Another shot of the first floor of the Old Kinsey Bottling house roof has fallen in so I wanted to get some good shots while it still stands
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Common Walls for Warehouse A & B the first warehouses built at Kinsey 1892 by Jacob G Kinsey
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Trap door from second floor old Kinsey Bottle House they sent Boxes and bottles down from here and lifted full cases up to the Second floor to go out the big doors up stairs to pickup with a fork truck.
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Racks colased in Warehouse A one of the two Original Kinsey Warehouses
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Pictures in The Old Kinsey Bottling house out front built in the Early 1933-34
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Old Kinsey Bottle House
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Old Kinsey Bottle House This Bottling house was used till 1979 being used from 1966 on to Bottle Liquors such as Caffe Lolita till closing in 1979
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#10 Rye barn
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#10 Rye Barn
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby Kinsey Worker » Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:26 am

One Sunday I went into what was the State of art Continental Distilling Bottling house into total darkness with my 3 flashlights and took some pictures in there,when It operated it had 11 continueous lines.

Speaking to the Person I spoke to Sunday that was involved in all operations of the company He told me that we could do all are bottling and at the same time do all of Seagrams too it had that much capacity!
These shots were taken in total darkness and turned out fairly good if you do not know your way in there you could get lost it is over 600 feet long or two football fields. I have some better shots to put up another time. Do not have them here with me right now.
Dave Z
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Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey
For Unhurrued Moments
Kinsey The Genial gin
Join The Swing To Kinsey
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Tank Platform above with about 8 tanks
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Old Safety sign
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Whats left of the begining of one of the Lines
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Inside the Lab
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The Door to the Bottle House Lab
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A while back armed with three fashlights i went into the 2 foot ball fields long Continentel Distilling Bottle House designed and built in the early 1960's it opened in late 1965 fully operating in 1966 the year I started there
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Re: My Days at Kinsey Distillery

Unread postby mozilla » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:22 am

Thanks for taking the time to do all this research, Dave. I bet your getting your daily amount of exercise with all that walking.

How big of a backpack does it take to lug all your equipment? Were there any good papers in the lab? Did they test the quality of the whisky there? Maybe there are some examples of quality reports or tasting profiles available for some of their products?

Thanks again for your posts....very enjoyable.
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