It was named in honor of the historic distiller col. How woodford reserve got to keep the old name of its. If you would like to know more about the creation of. Scottish chemist dr james crow is often credited with pioneering the sour mash process. Old taylor was originally built in 1887, and was designed to be a showpiece for the kentucky distillery industry. Old crow lacks character even bad character its just bland, harsh and ultimately pointless. Brand name it is a longstanding tradition among distillers to burn the distillery name onto the barrelhead. Taylor william samuels makers mark bourbon was operating a commercial distillery in deatsville in 1844. This book comes from the frankfort, kentucky old crow distillery co.
James crow died in april 1856, but because of the fame gained by the crow brand, old crow bourbon continued to be produced at the old oscar pepper distillery by w. Make offer vtg old crow mixing guide and almanac book historical memorabilia frankfort ky amazing find. Exploring kentuckys abandoned distilleries and bourbon. In the past few years, buffalo trace distillery of frankfort, ky has acquired the rights to produce bourbon under the old taylor name hopefully the reintroduction of the brand will inspire the stabilization and preservation of the now quite. Crow is credited with the concept of sour mash or setback, a process similar to sourdough where part of a batch of product in. Pepper set up there in 1872, very early in the bourbon days, because of the proximity to the creek and the discovery of a natural spring. There are 20 pages, 19 cocktail recipes, and tips for the bartenderhost. There isnt a lot of the actual old crow distillery to see from the road, unfortunately, other than a series of warehouses.
I have had my fair share of vintage or antique whiskeys, and i will tell you they rival any of the whiskeys produced today. We stopped in for a tasting and really enjoyed the gentleman running the show. Around that time, old crow also had a reserve release that only offered for about four years. It is not a three year old jim beam like it was for a whileold crow is the best of the current 3 year old mass production bourbons, but overpriced. Vintage old crow whiskey pour top in brand new condition sealed. This is a pricing list of prints not published or distributed by paul swyier galleries. Suffice it to say, old crow has the legend, history and chops to be once called the best whiskey in the united states. Both facilities were later purchased by jim bean but when bourbon sales declined in 1972 it had shut down both distilleries, however the warehouses were kept in use the old taylor warehouse was used until the early 1990s. Nov 01, 2015 boiler room, old crow distillery, woodford county. Bare usa abandoned place in kentucky old crow distillery. Sep 24, 2015 chuck cowdery, in his masterful book of whiskey history bourbon straight writes of old crow. Getting to the brand we know and love today took the merging of three different timelines.
Mixology old crow recipe book collection of great bourbon. However, in his the social history of bourbon, gerald carson writes. Locals and visitors alike enjoy traveling along the bourbon trail and now theres a new place to visit, that actually isnt new at all. Glenns creek distillery frankfort 2020 all you need to. We dig into the old crow story with our resident dusty hunter aaron howard. Old crow traveler 80pf, 750ml, 19771979 posted in miscellaneous tags.
Marked on the back kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Old crow distillery abandoned abandoned building photography. I bought old crow because the label was calling me. The distillery was owned, in part, by colonel edmund taylor whose name still graces a popular line of bourbons today. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Money back guarantee ensures you receive the item you ordered or get your money back. Mitchell, who had worked with and then succeeded james crow as distiller. The distillery took advantage of the same limestone filtered water source that would also be used by more wellknown distilleries like old crow and old taylor. The site today is partially reused as glenns creek distilling. The tallest one measures 12 high x 4 12 wide x 6 deep. Old crow bourbon old crow is one of the most historic bourbons. The old crow and the cabin still not to be confused with.
Stagg the ancient age distillery opened his first distillery in 1840. Named after james crow, the scottish doctor who changed the course of american whiskey production by inventing the sourmash process. A beautiful photographic excursion through historic. It is one of the bestselling brands of bourbon in the world.
Pepper and old crow bourbons built the old oscar pepper distillery in 1838. Taylor is a premium version available in small batch, single barrel, and barrel proof versions, and as a rye. May 30, 2016 the twc is called in to investigate famous, forgotten, and haunted old crow distillery. Since 1795 interrupted by prohibition, seven generations of the beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand.
Since we looked at early distilling papers at the filson in a previous issue vol. The birthplace of this dream was the ligurian coast of italy in the middle of the 19th century, and the dreamer was domenico canale, a boy of modest background from an undistinguished hamlet called san pietro di. In a little corner of the old crow distillery, glenns creek is making small batch whiskey. Old crow reached the capacity to mash 1600 bushels of grain per day, and its warehouse capacity reached 125,000 barrels. Little changed when national distillers bought out gaines berry co. Oct 16, 2018 locals and visitors alike enjoy traveling along the bourbon trail and now theres a new place to visit, that actually isnt new at all. He attended the prestigious edinburgh university, studying medicine and chemistry, completing his studies in 1822. Some images display only as thumbnails outside the library of congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site. I would say that there is a lot about fermenting that i do not know. James crow, a scotsman who came to america and started producing old crow in 1835. Exploring the old crow distillery this weekend i was invited to the opening of deviant distillers which is located at the former location of old crow distillery. Zoellers book came in handy on a road trip to find the monumental ruins of the old taylor and old crow distilleries just south of frankfort, two victims of. David started to research the history of the old crow distillery to get a better feel of what role the old distillery played in the bourbon industry and kentucky.
Those sources are fantastic books by fantastic authors and historians, and i highly recommend. Below is a short documentary on the origins of our historic whiskey brand. Old crow is aged in barrels for three years, and in the united states is 80 proof while old crow reserve is aged for four years and is 86 proof. The story of the old crow distillery must begin with the namesake of old crow bourbon, dr. Today, it can be found at shoe level in most of your best grocery and drug stores.
Crow is credited with the concept of sour mash or setback, a process similar to. Its at the same level as evan williams, so ok over ice. Old crow whiskey id identify vintage and collectible. Aug 08, 20 james crow died in april 1856, but because of the fame gained by the crow brand, old crow bourbon continued to be produced at the old oscar pepper distillery by w. Please click on any of the prints below to view a picture of the work. The history of kentucky bourbon tikitoki timeline software. Jul 07, 2010 i get that the words old crow and reserve dont immediately make sense together. The distillery wasnt just a source of jobs and bourbon, it was innovation incarnate. There is a lot of work to be done before production begins but i had the opportunity to explore the remains of the previous distillery. Early saloons stored barrels above the bar with the branded names visible to customers. Lots of information you probably wont hear at a largescale distillery, and the whiskey is good as well. Old crow collection of great bourbon drink recipes. Book illustrated in color, stapled, diecut into shape of a crow, and measures approximately 3. In 1860, oscar built a second distillery and named it the old crow distillery in tribute to james crow.
The name of this bourbon is one of the original bourbons the child of dr. This long view of the firstfloor boiler room shows both early and later stokers, a huge pipe suspended from the ceiling that delivered coal to the stokers, dials and meters, and the yellow brick that surrounded the steam pipes, much like those at the j. Old taylor bourbon is a brand of straight bourbon whiskey produced at buffalo trace distillery in franklin county, kentucky by the sazerac company. I get that the words old crow and reserve dont immediately make sense together. If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. The old crow brand has a venerable history as one of kentuckys earliest bourbons. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through library of. For a few bucks more, wild turkey 101 is vastly superior even though crows are smarter than turkeys. Old crow is aged in barrels for a minimum of three years, and in the united states is 80 proof while the slightly higher quality, but still inexpensive old crow reserve is aged for a minimum of four years and is 86 proof. James crow, a scotsman made his way to the glenn creek area of rural kentucky in 1835 and soon began working in the oscar pepper distillery. Chuck cowdery, in his masterful book of whiskey history bourbon straight writes of old crow. The story of memphis old dominick distillery begins, like most great adventures, with a dream and a voyage. Old crow is a lowpriced brand of kentuckymade straight bourbon whiskey distilled by beam suntory, which also produces jim beam and several other brands of whiskey.
View all attractions near the old crow on tripadvisor. Others have documented its significance well beyond what i could here. Glenns creek distilling is located on the abandoned property of the old crow distillery and this destination is filled with history, innovation, excitement, and of course, outstanding bourbon. Crow came to kentucky in 1838 and started work as a distiller for oscar pepper. James crow was born in 1779 in scotland, and later attended edinburgh. It was served in the presidential homes of andrew jackson, william henry. Jim beam is a brand of bourbon whiskey produced in clermont, kentucky, by beam suntory, a subsidiary of suntory holdings of osaka, japan. The result is a pot distilled, handcrafted, single barrel, barrel strength bourbon that has no equal on the market.
In the 1903 book the log of a cowboy by andy adams, the cook goes to abilene for supplies and also brings back a box of cigars and. A beautiful photographic excursion through historic bourbon. Crow was born in 1779 in scotland and was raised in the world of scotch whisky. Old crow is one of the most storied brands of american whiskey. Reports of paranormal activity on the grounds have called for drastic measures and they find themselves. Taylor is a premium version available in small batch, single barrel, and barrel proof versions, and as a rye whiskey. Also in the rare books collection is a copy of the book a history of kentucky. He spent most of his career as a distiller for pepper. Old crow is a lowpriced brand of kentuckymade straight bourbon whiskey distilled by beam. This is down the road from old taylor, and was probably a part of the old crow operation. Though it was first ever sour mash whiskey, dates back to the 1830s, and counts u. In 1987, jim beam bought old crow and shut it down.
Jan 06, 2015 history in your own backyard 2,564 views. I own glenns creek distilling and the former old crow distillery. Crow became the distiller for oscar pepper at his woodford county distillery. Old crow bourbon is named for the inventor of the sour mash process, dr. One of a family, one of a business and one of a location. See all formats and editions hide other formats and. The current old crow product uses the same mash bill and yeast as jim beam, but is aged for a shorter period of time and mixed to a more lenient taste profile before bottling. After the war, whiskeymaking resumed and old crow became one of the worlds top selling bourbons. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, a few brands began to dominate nationally, squeezing out the mediumsized operations like old taylor and old crow.
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