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History, myths, legends, traditions, tales and heritage all surround the bourbon industry. Sipping History uncovers them so that you know the story behind what you are sipping on.
Latest from the Blog
George Thomas Stagg Biography
George Thomas Stagg was born on Saturday December 19, 1835 in Garrard County, Kentucky to Samuel Stagg and Margaret Goodknight Stagg. Samuel was born in 1803 to Daniel and Maria Stagg. Margaret was born in 1806. George’s parents married on Monday October 15, 1827 and together had two other children besides George, Daniel (born 1828)…
History of Stitzel-Weller Distillery
The Stitzel-Weller Distillery opened up on Derby Day in May 1935 in Shively, Kentucky. The distillery was a result of a merger between W.L. Weller & Sons and A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery. W.L. Weller & Sons was first started as W.L. Weller & Brothers by William Larue Weller and his brother Charles Weller. William Larue…
History of Castle & Key Distillery
Castle and Key Distillery brought back life to the once abandoned Old Taylor Distillery that was once heavily used by infamous bourbon legend, Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. The distillery that the Colonel once walked in and distilled some of the highest quality whiskies at the time was left unused and deteriorating. Distillate is now once…
Belle Meade Bourbon Is Being Discontinued From National Markets
Belle Meade, a brand once revived by Charles Nelson after a fire destroyed the original producers and lost to the start of Prohibition until Charlie and Andy Nelson revived the brand in 2012, is soon to be discontinued being distributed nationally. National distribution is soon to end and the product will only be available in…
History of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
The story of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery is one of great ambition during the early years of the United States of America. It is also a great example of the damage of prohibition only to find itself resurrected once again. Carl Wilhelm Diedrich “Charles” Nelson was born in Hagenow, Germany on Saturday July 4, 1835…
History of Old Pepper Distillery
Bourbon history is not complete without the mention of the Pepper family and their contributions to the industry as a whole. Three generations of the Pepper family distilled whiskey on the forefronts of Kentucky, leaving behind not only a legacy but impacts that helped build the early days of the industry into what it is…
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Biography
Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. was born on Friday February 12, 1830 in Columbus, Kentucky to John Eastin Taylor and Rebecca Edrington Young. Edmund’s father was born on Saturday September 23, 1803 in Kentucky. He died at an early age when he fell ill of typhus. At the age of 32 on Thursday February 5,…
Colonel Albert Bacon Blanton Biography
On a farm near where the current day Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, Kentucky, Colonel Albert Bacon Blanton was born on Monday February 28, 1881 to Benjamin Harrison Blanton and Alice Elizabeth Blanton. Albert’s father was born on Wednesday December 16, 1829 and his mother on Tuesday July 25, 1843. Albert was the…
History of Woodford Reserve
Many of the big bourbon brands find themselves with roots of generations of distillers or a brand that had ties to the early days of bourbon, but the story of Woodford Reserve is unique. It is a new brand, owned by a company with pre-Prohibition roots that distills in a historic distillery. Being a relatively…
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