Hiram Walker Timeline

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Hiram Walker Timeline

Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Aug 11, 2005 6:41 pm

The history of this Canadian Whisky company is well worth knowing.

Hiram Walker History

1816 - Hiram Walker is born in East Douglas Massachusetts
(Beverage Media Blue Book, History of Hiram Walker).

1831 - James Worts comes to Canada (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

1832 - William Gooderham and his brother-in-law James Worts
establishes a distillery at York (Toronoto) Onterio. It
is the oldest distillery in Canada (Bev Med Blue Book,
History).

o - Henry Corby comes to Canada (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

1834 - James Worts dies (Brown, 200 Years of Tradition: The
Canadian Whisky Story, p. 17).

1838 - Hiram Walker comes to Detroit and is engaged in the
Tannery and Grocery businesses (Bev Med Blue Book,
History).

1845 - James Gooderham Worts becomes partners with William
Gooderham (Brown, 200 Years of Tradition, p. 17).

1857 - Hiram Walker establishes a trade as a commission
merchant of grain and amasses $40,000.00 to establish
a flour mill and distillery. The Michigan ligislature
shows fickleness when dealing with the whisky issue so
Walker puchases land on the Onterio side of the Detroit
River from Chief Pontiac (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Henry Corby opens a grist mill and the village that
grew around it became known as Corbyville (Brown, 200
Years of Tradition, p. 34).

1858 - Hiram Walker markets his first whisky, Old Magnolia,
and adopts this date as the founding of his company
(Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Hiram Walker convinces the Onterio legislature to pass
laws that forbid the sale of Onterio made whisky until
it is properly aged. This creates the new class of
whisky - Canadian Whiskey (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

1859 - H Corby Distillery is founded (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

o - Hiram Walker moves his family to Windsor Ontario. He
moves back to Detroit after 5 years (Brown, 200 Years
of Tradition, p. 30).

circa 1860 - Hiram Walker decides to bottle his whisky to
insure the quality. He offered this whisky on a limited
market or "club" and this became known as Walker's Club
whisky (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

1873 - Financial panic in the U.S. causes a slip in the
Canadian economy, forcing Hiram Walker to reorganize
the Company (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Legislation in the U.S. forces the country of origin to
be shown promently on the labels of all whisky imported
to the U.S., thus Canadian Club is born (Bev Med Blue
Book, History).

o - Harry C Hatch is born (Fortune, Nov., 33).

1875 - Gooderham and Worts were producing 1/3 of all spirits
in Canada ( Brown, 200 Years of Tradition, p. 20).

1877 - Montreal Gazette describes Gooderham and Worts as one
of the most important companies in Canada (Brown, 200
Years of Tradition, p.19).

1881 - Henry Corby dies. His son Henry Jr. takes over the
distillery (Brown, 200 Years of Tradition, p. 35).

1882 - Walkerville has a population of 600, most of whom
worked in the distillery (Brown, 200 Years of
Tradition, p. 31).

1884 - Harry Hatch is born in Ameliasburg, Ontario (Brown, 200
Years of Tradition, p. 108).

1885 - Hiram Walker incorporated the Lake Erie, Essex and
Detroit Railroad (Brown, 200 Years of Tradition, p.30).

1890 - Hiram Walker and Sons Limited incorporated in Ontario (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1898 - Hiram Walker is the first North American Whisky to
receive a Royal Warrant from the British Royal Family
(Brown, 200 Years of Tradition, p. 34).

1899 - Hiram Walker dies. He had founded Walkerville, Onterio
and had invested into many other Canadian and Detroit
businesses. His sons take over the company (Bev Med
Blue Book, History).

1902 - Gooderham and Worts set up a new company, General
Distillers Limited to produce industrial alcohol
(Brown, 200 Years of Tradition, p. 20).

1905 - Mortimer Davis purchases Corby Distillery (Brown, 200
Years of Tradition, pp.35-36).

1911 - The 1911 Mida's Financial Index list Hiram Walker and Sons as being located at 52 Shelby St., Detroit, Mich. and as a branch of a Canadian Firm.

1916 - All Canadian distilleries are converted to industrial
alcohol for the war effort (Brown, 200 Years of
Tradition, p. 20).

1921 - Corby hires Harry Hatch as sales manager and through
use of smuggling operations to the U.S., increases its
sales to 50,000 gal. a month (Brown, 200 Years of
tradition, p. 37).

circa 1925 - H Corby distillery bought by Canadian Industrial
Alcohol (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

1923 - Harry C Hatch purchases Gooderham and Worts Ltd. (Fortune, Nov., 33).

1926 - Hiram Walker's grandsons sell the company to Harry C
Hatch of Toronto. The new firm is called Hiram Walker
- Gooderham and Worts Limited (Bev Med Blue Book,
History).

o - December 31 - Incorporated as Hiram Walker's Limited under the Companies Act in the Dominion of Canada (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1917-1933 - During U.S. prohibition, Hiram Walker acquires
several Scotch distilleries including a large one at
Dumbarton (Bev Med Blue Book, History).

circa 1930 - Canadian Industrial Alcohol is acquired by Hiram
Walker (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

1932 - Acquires control of James and George Stodart Limited and Stirling Bonding Company Limited in Glasgow, Scotland (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1933 - Hiram Walker builds a distillery at Peoria, Illinois
(Bev Med Blue Book, History).

o - Hiram Walker is the first distillery in the U.S. to
hire full time scientist for a permanent research
department at the Peoria distillery (Bev Med Blue Book,
History).

o - Hiram Walker's Gin is introduced (Liquor Store Magazine, Feb., 70).

o - H. Clifford Hatch joins the company as a salesman (Bev Med, September 75).

o - Hiram Walker & Sons, Inc. is formed as a subsidiary under Delaware law (1966 Red Book, p.252).

late 1930's - Hiram Walker builds a distillery at Beunos Aires
(Distilerias Hiram Walker and Sons). Also acquires the
H. Corby distillery, a rum distillery in Peurto Rico
and W.A. Taylor and company, a California Winery (Bev
Med Blue Book, History).

1934 - Ten High is introduced in the United States (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

o - Name of U.S. company changed to Hiram walker & Sons Distilleries, Inc. (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1936 - Acquire all outstanding stock George Ballantine & Son, Limited (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1937 - Purchases the Glen Burgie and Milton-Duff malt distilleries in Scotland (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1938 - Hiram Walker commissions construction of a grain distillery in Scotland (Bev Med, Sept. 75).

1941 - Corby's Special Reserve is produced at the Peoria distillery (Liquor Store Magazine, 2/70).

o - "Imperial" whiskey is introduced by Hiram Walker
(Brown, 200 Years of Tradition, p. 108).

o - Acquires 100% interest in W.A. Taylor Company (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1942 - Acquired 100% interest in Frank L. Wright Distilling Company (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1943 - Hiram Walker and Sons (Argentina) S.A. is formed and acquires the firm of Mattaldi-Simon Ltda (largest grain distiller in Argentina)(1966 Red Book, p.252).

1945 - W.A. Taylor Company acquires the properties of Valliant & Sons of California (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1946 - Harry Hatch dies and H Clifford Hatch moves to an executive level of the company (Bev Med, Sept. 75).

o - Acquires the National Cooperage & Woodware Company (Peoria, Ill.) (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1947 - Acquires Riverside Elevator Company of Illinios (1966 Red Book, P.252).

1951 - Acquires Robert Kilgour & Company (Scotland) maltsters and grain merchants (1966 Red Book, p.252).


1954 - Acquires the capital stock of Bloch BrothersDistillers Limited (Scotland)(1966 Red Book, p.252).

1961 - Acquires Bali Brothers Glass Company (Illinios) (1966 Red Book, p.252).

1964 - H Clifford Hatch becomes president of Hiram Walker (Bev Med, Sept. 75).

1981 - Hiram Walker & Sons purchases Makers Mark (Courier
-Journal, Oct.3, 1992).

Mike Veach
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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Re: Hiram Walker Timeline

Unread postby p_elliott » Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:18 pm

Well then what happens?
If you don't stand behind our troops then feel free to stand in front of them.
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Re: Hiram Walker Timeline

Unread postby p_elliott » Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:57 am

I knew that wasn't the end of the story.
If you don't stand behind our troops then feel free to stand in front of them.
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Re: Hiram Walker Timeline

Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Oct 07, 2009 12:01 pm

Jeff has summed it up very well.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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Location: Louisville, Ky.


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