A HISTORY OF AMERICAN BRANDY.

A HISTORY OF BRANDY IN AMERICA.

SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2015

BY MICHAEL VEACH & RENAE PRICE

COPPER & KINGS AMERICAN BRANDYBUTCHERTOWN • LOUISVILE • KENTUCKY

American Brandy- A Tale Of Two Coasts and Two Cultures

Brandy dates back to the earliest recorded times in both world history and American history. In America, brandy was an essential part of daily life during 17th Century Colonial times, and its importance continued throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries. The Prohibition era early in the 20th Century nearly decimated the brandy industry when production levels plummeted. It managed to survive as a medicinal prescription or for use in culinary purposes, such as baking.

The story of American Brandy is a tale of two coasts and two cultures. The East Atlantic coast with a prevailing English culture that was heavily Protestant. There was very little tradition of making brandy in Great Britain, yet there was notable Dutch and French influence in pre-colonial America. That influence included consumption of European Brandy. This included brandy made from not only grapes, but also apples, pears, peaches and other fruits.

The West Pacific coast was predominately a Spanish culture that was Catholic. A multitude of missions existed where the monks and nuns had a strong tradition of making wine and brandy from grapes to support their existence.

Brandy distillation in America - The original craft distilling movement.

On the East coast, Brandy was distilled in small pot stills by the farmers that grew their own fruit. They would use any fruit available, including native fruits such as Paw-Paws.

The West coast Spanish monks planted grape vineyards to make both wine and brandy for local consumption.

Most American brandies on both coasts were made for local consumption due to the limited availability and seasonality of fruit to ferment. Production could only occur as the various fruits ripened to be made into wine, cider or brandy. Brandy was very approachable as an un-aged clear spirit, yet it also aged well in wood for future consumption.

Aged Brandy - the inspiration for aged Bourbon.

Louis and John Tarascon were brothers born in Cabannes, France, not far from the Cognac region. Both immigrated to America and originally had a shipyard in Philadelphia. After losing a ship over the Falls of the Ohio, they ended up establishing a mill and building a warehouse east of the landmark falls. That positioned them to purchase whiskey, age it, and then ship the better tasting spirit to New Orleans. The first Bourbon Whiskey was put into charred oak barrels to make it taste more like French brandies to customers in New Orleans. It is clearly easy to say that “Brandy is Bourbon’s Older Beautiful Sister.”

THE EAST COAST – COLONIAL PERIOD TO 1776

Europeans from several nations settled the Atlantic coast of America during the birth of the United States of America. They all brought with them their traditional spirits and methods of production. The English eventually dominated the Atlantic coast, yet the Dutch, French, Irish and others still remained and became an important part of the new society.

It is believed that the very first American Brandy was distilled on Staten Island in 1640 by Cornelius Toun. It was very likely an apple brandy. This was eight years before Emmanuel Downing is believed to have distilled the first Rye Whiskey in Salem, and well over a century before the first documented Bourbon.1

By 1756 in North Carolina, the Moravians were distilling apple and peach brandies2 and distilled in North Carolina until 1802 when a fire destroyed their distillery

Brandy was a very important part of the economy as the spirits were either sold for local consumption, or traded along the East coast. Colonists fermented and distilled grapes, apples, peaches, pears,

blackberries, and other native fruits into brandy. There were no large distilleries by modern standards. Much of what was distilled went into earthenware jugs as an un-aged spirit, while remaining amounts were put into barrels for aging. Apple and peach brandies were particularly popular at this time as an aged spirit..

During Colonial times, brandy might be consumed neat or with a splash of water. Cocktails also were popular and the distilled spirits were imbibed in many forms. The now famous Mint Julep cocktail was originally made with Brandy. Brandies were used in cooking, as well as being used as a fruit flavor additive to wines and other distilled spirits like whiskey or rum. Many recipes of the time called for brandy, particularly fruit-cake recipes that called for aging the cake in a brandy soaked cloth.

The people drinking spirits in the form of whiskey at this time often attempted to make the whiskey taste more like brandy. They would flavor the whiskey with fruit to give it a better flavor. A very popular way to do this was to make a “cherry bounce” out of whiskey. One particular recipe called for making a strong tea out of wild cherry root, adding sugar to sweeten and then adding it to whiskey. Another method of flavoring and sweetening the whiskey was to simply soak the actual fruit in the spirit. During this time, many fruits such as blackberries, cherries, strawberries and others were infused to make what was often called brandy.

In 1770 Botetourt County, Virginia, established the tavern rates for spirits.3 The term spirits meant distilled spirits, which included French and American Brandies. The rates for brandies were set higher than the rates for whiskey. This fact would mean that the people were willing to pay more for brandies than whiskey. Both brandies and whiskies of this era would commonly be un-aged spirits. The French Brandy in the tavern would very often be American Brandy that was aged before being sold.

THE WEST COAST COLONIAL PERIOD TO 1776

The earliest Pacific coast colonial days were dominated by the Spanish. Spanish missions filled with Catholic monks and nuns led the settlement of California. Many monasteries had farms and planted vineyards for wine and brandy to support their mission.

The Spaniards’ rich tradition of making brandy from grapes heavily influenced the production of distilled spirits into brandy in California. The climate and terrain of many areas in California was excellent to cultivate vineyards. Many of the missions cultivated their vines for production based on the Spaniards’ traditional methods. The grape became the dominant style of brandy production along the West coast. Fruit brandies are likely to have been made in small quantities, yet supportive detailed evidence is difficult to find.

The oldest vineyard in California is thought to have been founded in 1697 at the Mission San Francisco Xavier.4 In 1769 the ship San Carlos lists on its manifest “5 jars of brandy”5 - California brandy exports have begin. Vines were brought to the San Gabriel mission from Mexico in 1771.

By 1784 brandy production had moved to Upper California as well. Padre Pablo Mugartegul had a small pot still converting wine to brandy. The Franciscan fathers shipped brandy around Cape Horn to Spain.6 By 1898, at least five vineyards in California were producing wine and brandy.

THE EAST COAST – A NEW NATION, TO 1865

The American Revolution changed the drinking habits of the US population.

Before the war, rum was a predominant drink of choice. New England had many rum distilleries that were part of the Triangle Trade that supported the industry. Molasses or sugar cane was shipped to New England from the Caribbean islands to be distilled into rum, the rum was shipped to Africa to be traded for slaves, the slaves were traded to the Caribbean islands to grow and harvest the sugar cane made into molasses for New England.

The American Revolution disrupted this trade cycle. Rum was soon replaced by American made brandy and whiskey.

Laird’s AppleJack Apple Brandy was sold commercially for the first time in 1780.7. Laird’s became a large producer of apple brandy, which would have been unique for brandy distillers. And uniquely continues as an operating distillery to this day.

Most in the trade remained small distillers producing a few dozen barrels of brandy a year at most. Fruit brandies remained more popular than grape brandies. George Washington writes an apology to Lafayette in 1786 because he could not send “an anchor [about 10 gallons] of old peach brandy” for Mrs. Lafayette. That same year, a letter by James Madison to his father indicated he was looking for a barrel of peach brandy. The letter described his requirements for age, quality, and type of container for the brandy.8

In order to support the industry, many orchards of fruit trees were needed.

In 1796, a land notice was published for the Hanging Fork area of Kentucky stating that the property had 600 peach trees capable of making 400 gallons of brandy.9 The property also had another 400 apple trees. In 1802 the botanist and traveler to Kentucky, Andre’ Michaux, describes “the immense quantity of peaches which they would gather to convert into brandy” in his journal.10 He also stated that if they did not acquire their own still, they would take the fruit to a neighbor to be distilled.

As he traveled down the Ohio River in 1807, an Irish immigrant Fortescue Cuming indicates in his journal that copper stills are purchased throughout the country for making whiskey and peach brandy.11

In 1791 the government passes “The Whiskey Act,” which included brandy and other distillations. Brandy and whiskey distillers alike protested the whiskey tax. This tax disrupted the nation’s distilling industry for several years. It eventually gets explosive when the government marches an army into western Pennsylvania to enforce the tax in October of 1794. The unpopular tax was finally repealed by Thomas Jefferson in 1802.

For a brief period between 1814 and 1817, the tax was brought back to pay for the War of 1812. Farmer distillers then went untaxed for many years until Lincoln passed a new “Whiskey Tax” to pay for the American Civil War (1861 - 1865).

The 1909 memoirs of William Agun Milton describe how an apple brandy distillery in the Shenandoah Valley managed to escape the ravages of both sides of the civil conflict.12 That was an exception and not the rule as the war ravaged the fruit production areas of Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky. Brandy from these areas were a rarity during the war.

In the 19th century, until after the Civil War, production of brandy remained steady with the majority of the distillation taking place by small operations. Distillers were local producers making small amounts to be sold in local markets. While some American brandies decide to market on a larger scale, the majority of widely distributed brandies were those imported from France.

The industry began to use bottles for packaging of brandy during the 1850s.

During that time, Henry Miller was a businessman who owned a lithography company in Louisville, Kentucky. An original sample book from his company is held in collection at The Filson Historical Society, in Louisville, Kentucky. Examples of printed items produced for customers include bottle labels for brandy. Many labels bear the names Hennessy and Martell, while others only say Cognac. In addition to indicating various styles of brandy, there are labels for cherry brandy, ginger brandy, lavender brandy, blackberry brandy and raspberry brandy.13

THE WEST COAST – A NEW NATION, TO 1865

The Oregon and Washington coast became part of the United States in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana from France. These areas were quickly influenced by American culture and the love of fruit brandy.

Lewis and Clark carried brandy with them on their expedition to the Pacific coast. The trip’s manifest does not say what type of brandy, but it was known that William Clark had a fondness for peach brandy.

The Oregon and Washington settlers transported fruit seeds and trees to plant and harvest. Apples and pears were grown to produce cider and distilled brandy.

California was Spanish territory until 1821 when Mexico won its independence from Spain and gained control of California. After the Mexican-American war ended in 1848, California became a State of the United States as a part of the Compromise of 1850 that divided territories acquired during the war.

In California, using grapes to make brandy was a more common practice compared to the East coast method of using other fruits.

There were 21 Franciscan Missions in California in 1823, and all but four had vineyards for making wine and brandy.14

The name of the first American grower in California on record is Joseph Chapman, from Massachusetts. He originally traveled on a buccaneering expedition to Monterey in 1818. After being jailed by the Spanish and subsequently released, he made his way to Los Angeles in the early 1820’s. After purchase of a home in Los Angeles in 1826, Chapman planted 4,000 vines.15

During this period a Frenchman by the name of Jean Louis Vignes also made his way from a small town in the Cognac region to the Los Angeles area. It is known that Vignes began importing European grape varietals around 1833. He was not satisfied with the quality of the Mission grape. In 1840, Jean Louis Vignes received $4.00 per gallon for his brandy that was to be sold in Monterey and San Francisco via the ship Mooson.16

An eventual brandy maker of equal respect to Vignes, was a frontiersman from Kentucky named William Wolfskill. He was part of the first American trading expedition to Santé Fe in 1822. While settling in New Mexico for a few years, it was documented that he purchased “Pass Wines” and “Pass Brandy” for trade. This may be the only established link between the winemaking history of Mexican New Mexico and Mexican California. Other notable Mexican vine growers of the time were Manuel, Requena, Tiburcia Tapia, Ricardo Vejar, and Tomas Yorba to name a few. Vignes is credited with commercialization of the brandy trade.

Captain John Sutter, one of the founders of Sacramento, and of Sutter’s Mill fame, owned a still to make brandy from native grapes. He may have achieved lasting fame in the brandy business except for the fact that in 1849 his son sold the still to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Sutter was furious with his son, but the General was quite pleased with the transaction17.

Also in the late 1840s, Leland Stanford started to distill brandy in California and quickly becomes the largest producer in the state.

Another man by the name of Henry Morris Naglee, who would later gain fame as a General in the Union Army, visited Europe in 1858 to study viticulture. After purchasing 140 acres near San Jose, California, to plant a vineyard, Naglee became famous for his fine brandy.

The Civil War had less of an effect on the California brandy production than that of fruit brandy in the East. That resulted in increased transport of California brandy to the east. In 1863, the firm of Kohler & Frohling used the phrase “Let Americans Support American Industry” while selling their brandy in Boston and New York. The phrase is still used to this day by various California brandy distillers.

THE EAST COAST – LATE 19’TH CENTURY

The Civil War disrupted the life of all Americans.

For distillers it changed the way they did business.

The tax on spirits created a system of bonded warehouses where spirits were aged for a period before the taxes had to be paid. This led to a larger whiskey industry that forced most small distillers out of the whiskey business. Improvements in still technology helped create the large distilleries that Alexander Hamilton wanted when he first created the whiskey tax.

However, brandy distillers were not whiskey distillers. Brandy production was still very seasonal as the fruit ripened. It did not lend itself to large scale production with an early column still. Brandy was also commonly sold as an un-aged product, negating the need for storage in a bonded warehouse.

Much of brandy production escaped taxation due to the fact it remained small-scale and localized. In testimony before Congress in 1888, distillers estimated that only 1 in 3 barrels of brandy were taxed.

Brandy distillers were most often small scale farmer distillers. It would have been too costly to place a government gauger at the farm distilleries for the small amount distilled each year.18

In the last half of the 19th century, at least 300 to 400 producers of brandy existed in Kentucky. Most of the distilleries were making apple, pear or peach brandies. Few distillers exceeded a production of more than 100 barrels per year.

At this time in Kentucky, J.R. Hardin of Meade County was a typical brandy distiller. His distillery was built with plans to make apple brandy. Part of the lease for the distillery land included provisions to purchase apples from the land owner. He purchased apples from other sources as well. The distillery small and uses a pot still with a capacity of about three barrels a day.19

Other states had similar are even larger numbers of distilleries. Northern Ohio and New York produced wine and brandy as vineyards were planted in these states. Cincinnati became a center for the production of Blackberry Brandy. The firm of Mihalovitch, Fletcher & Co. produced blackberry brandy and sold it all over the south and west. The distillery was enlarged in 1891 to meet growing demand for Monarch Blackberry brandy, which included 200 barrels sold to Mexico that same year.20

The late 19th century saw an improvement in marketing. Trademarks were registered in the trade magazines. The lithograph allowed for color printing of stationary, advertising posters and even labels for bottles.

It is commonly believed that circa 1840s, Denis-Mounie and Jules Robin first sold bottled cognac in France.

By the 1870s, the Americans began to do the same. Many brand registered as Cognac in the 1870s and 1880s. Others simply registered as California Brandy or fruit brandy.

The market for blackberry brandy was very competitive and a good example of what was occurring in the market of fruit brandies.

The Rheinstrom Brothers of Cincinnati trademark RB for blackberry brandy in 1876.

Mihalovitch, Fletcher & Co., also of Cincinnati, trademark Monarch Blackberry Brandy in 1881 and Mihalovitch Hungarian Blackberry Juice in 1885.

Also in 1885, Cook and Bernheimer of New York trademark Blackberry Brandy, A Delightful Tonic – A remedy For All Difficulties of the Bowels.

Mother Putnam’s own Blackberry Cordial was registered by the Rheinstrom Brothers in 1889. Rheinstrom becomes Rheinstrom, Bettman, Johnson & Co., and trademark Eclipse Blackberry Brandy in 189421.

To support the trademarked brands, the distilleries advertised in trade magazines such as Louisville’s Wine and Spirit Bulletin. Liquor store owners subscribed to the trade magazines, and that was the targeted audience for the beginnings of Brand Marketing.

In Chester Zoelle does not ignore brandy distillerie in his book, Bourbon in Kentucky. His mission was to find whatever historical record he could on every whiskey distillery in Kentucky.

That research found so many brandy distilleries along the way that he could not ignore them. The book includes a list of the names of over 300 brandy distilleries in Kentucky, and the fact that about 100 whiskey distilleries also made brandy.

The largest supplier of apple and peach brandy in Kentucky during the 19th Century was T. H. Shirley. He owned a distillery, yet much of his supply was purchased from other small distillers in in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

Large rectifiers such as Brown-Forman also sold brandy. An article in the January 1891 issue of the Wine and Spirit Bulletin on the Brown-Forman Company states “…Apple and peach brandy are an important part of the company’s portfolio of products.”

The whiskey distiller Applegate & Sons of Daviess County, Kentucky, made 10,000 barrels of whiskey and 1,000 barrels of apple brand annually.

A Wine and Spirit Bulletin article of July 1892 states that Georgia had 400 brandy distilleries in the state.22 Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia were also large producers of apple and peach brandies with a similar number of distilleries in each of the states.

Fruit brandies of different variety dominated in the South.

Northern states such as Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey had large apple brandy production. Laird’s Apple Brandy was the most well known producer in the region, but not the only one.

A large grape brandy region also existed in New York and Northern Ohio. The Lake Erie region of Ohio and the state of New York had several vineyards. A few of the larger distilleries that produced wine and brandy were Weideman, Holmes and Co. of Kelly’s Island, Lake Erie, Urbana Wine Company of Urbana, New York, A. Wherle & Sons of Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie, Engles and Krudwig of Sandusky, Ohio, Hammondsport Vintage Co. of Penn Yan, New York, Pleasant Valley Wine Company of Hammondsport, New York, and A. Schmidt, Jr. Wine Co. of Sandusky, Ohio.

The production of fruit brandies was always linked to the weather and harvest yield of the fruit crops. Each year the Wine and Spirit Bulletin reported on the apple and peach crops in different regions of the country. That report gave the reader information that helped them determine what to expect related to the prices of the year’s brandy production. A large and plentiful fruit harvest made brandy production more plentiful, which meant lower prices to the purchaser. In turn, a low yield crop translated into higher brandy prices for that year.

THE WEST COAST – LATE 19’TH CENTURY

The last half of the 19th century saw a tremendous growth of the brandy industry in California. Brandy became to California what Bourbon was to Kentucky, and Rye whiskey was to Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The industry growth was fueled by increased production by the original theological Christian Brothers, and investment by secular businessmen who invested in non-mission commercial operations within the wine and brandy industry.

California brandy started to gain a high quality reputation not only in their home state, but across all of the United States and Europe. The industry respect and expansion was aided by the outbreak of Phylloxera in France.

In the 1870’s the European vineyards in France, Spain and Germany, were nearly destroyed by the Phylloxera infestation that infected the vines. Production of wine and brandy in those countries collapsed.

There were many competitions in the late 19th century that saw California brandy bring home prestigious awards. The quality of the brandy was excellent, and the West coast producers gained recognition and respect.

In 1868, Charles LeFranc of Almaden winery won the prize for “…the finest grape brandy entered in the Santa Clara Fair.”23 It was a local award, yet it was the stepping stone to more and more awards from larger and larger competitions.

California wines won gold medals at the Paris Exposition in 1876. General Naglee’s Burgundy Brandy received a score of 100 in the international competition, and his Reisling Brandy scored an 85.24 In 1878, the Australian wine expert and chemist Reverend John I. Beasdale praised California brandy for its purity and freedom from the fusel oils found in so many other spirits.25

Kate Warfield, one of California’s original female brandy-makers won the highest award for brandy at the California State Fair in 1883. Her upset male counter-parts forced a re-judging of the brandies. Warfield still walked away with the award after the second judging.26

The competitions were viewed as serious matters. In the 1890s, the San Francisco Examiner publication wrote that the brandy made at San Gabriel Wine Company was “…highly superior to the dubious beverage made in France”.27

France continued to suffer from a shortage of grapes due to damage attributable to Phylloxera.

The brandy of George West & Son won a gold medal in 1892 at a competition in Dublin, Ireland. The judge H.E. Hudson to declared that it was as good as old Cognac.28

Many people entered the wine and brandy business during this time with new vineyards in California.

Francis Eisen planted a vineyard near Fresno in 1872. Paul Masson immigrated to California after Phylloxera destroyed his family’s 300 year old vineyard in Burgundy in 1878. Robert Barton started a vineyard near Fresno in 1881. Senator George Hearst acquired Madrone vineyard of Sonoma Valley in 1885. J. H. Wagner of Oakland California built a still in 1891.

The industry grew year over year fueled by increased domestic sales and international exports. Part of the growth also stemmed from the introduction of Thompson Seedless grapes. The Thompson varietal was developed by William Thompson of Yuba City. The vine originated from an English vine and was known for its high yield and multi-faceted use, from table grapes to raisins to wine to brandy.

Many of the producers and distillers signed contracts with liquor importers in New York to deliver their brandies both nationally and internationally. Railroad shipments of wine and brandy from Napa, California, in 1890 totaled 626 cars of wine and 38 cars of brandy.29 That same year Leland Stanford decided to distill his entire vintage into brandy.

The following year an attempt to create a pool or syndicate to control brandy production was rumored but it failed to materialize.

In 1892, production rose to 1,804,712 gallons of brandy from 611,706 gallons the year before. About 24%, or 432,351 gallons of the brandy produced in 1892 was shipped overseas.30

The Walden & Co. distillery in Geyserville and S. Helena, California, led the way in exports. They advertised themselves as “The Largest Distillers of Pure Brandy in the World.”31 The company president, Franklin Walden, traveled to London in 1891 to show samples. He sold brandy to over 200 leading places in England, with those businesses declaring his brandy superior to Cognac.32 In 1891 they handled 3,500 tons of grapes and sent 60,000 gallons of brandy to Germany and Great Britain.33 In 1892, Walden & Co. continued to expand and reflected it in their New York offices. That same year, the German ship Oberon left San Francisco with 92,500 gallons of brandy mostly from Walden.34

California brandy producers also began to advertise and trademark their brands.

The scale of production between Eastern and Western operations at this time was significant. California grape brandy producers were making significantly more gallons than their fruit brandy counter-parts east of the Rockies. The California distillers could not escape the notice of the tax collector. In 1891, The Gallegos Wine Company of Irvington, California, was seized by the government and charged with tax fraud for the unlawful sale of brandy since 1889.35

THE EAST COAST – 20’TH CENTURY TO 1933

The 20th century brought with it many new challenges to the broad distilling industry.

The brandy industry escaped the first big challenge that came in the form of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. That law created a “What is Whiskey?” controversy in the distilling industry, yet it did not impact the brandy distillers. The brandy business continued after the law just as it had done before.

In 1901, Thomas J. Batman was the successor to T.H. Shirley in the peach and apple brandy business in Louisville, Kentucky. Batman purchased the entire lot of one major distillery and negotiated with C.L. Applegate to get his entire crop. That same year the Wine and Spirit Bulletin declared Batman The King of Brandy in their magazine.36

Kentucky’s neighboring Northern Ohio continued to grow as a wine and brandy producing region. The Lenk Wine Co. of Toledo started to advertise in the Wine and Spirit Bulletin, as did the Sweet Valley Wine Co. of Sandusky, Ohio. The Sweet Valley Wine Co. sold grape, wild cherry and blackberry brandies. In November of 1903 the board of directors for Sweet Valley Wine Co. voted a 3% dividend to all shareholders.37

Other fruit distillers also continued to prosper, yet most still remained small in their production. In 1901, the Southern Indiana the 7th tax district produced over 1,200 barrels with the distiller Alexander & Co. of New Amsterdam. Harrison County making almost 1,000 barrels. Other smaller amounts were produced by farmer distillers.38

The year of 1902 there was a reduction in brandy production as drought and hard winters wreaked havoc on the fruit crops. The number of operating distilleries fell to 3 in Arkansas in 1903, down from 16 in 1902. The shortage of fruit was the problem.39

In October of 1903, E.J. Macon of Macon and Carson of Bentonville, Arkansas, traveled to Louisville to visit Thomas Batman. Batman was not short of brandy that year, as not all regions were caught in the same shortage situation as Arkansas. Kentucky conditions were good enough that Crawford Bros. of Milton, Kentucky, built a new distillery for making apple brandy.

The people of Ogden, Utah, built a brandy distillery to use fruit harvested that would go to waste otherwise. Utah’s primary focus was on peach brandy but the distillery did use other fruits as well.40

The second big challenge of the 20th century was the Prohibition movement. Brandy did not escape the nation’s long dry spell. The fruit brandy distillers were put out of legal business along with the larger whiskey distilleries. Brandy did survive in small scale as part of the “medicinal spirits” market. The six companies issued a license to sell medicinal spirits were Brown-Forman, Glenmore Distillery,

Frankfort Distillery, National Distillers, Schenley Distilleries and A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery. People could get a prescription from their doctor for one pint of 100 proof spirits every 10 days. The spirit could be whiskey, rum, or brandy, as the patient wished. Doctors or Dentist could get twelve pints of 100 proof spirits a year for office use. They often mixed the twelve bottles between the three spirits. Bakers could purchase twelve pints of brandy or rum a year to use in cooking.

There was no legal production of brandy the first seven years of prohibition. In 1928, the government allowed the six companies to distill in order to replace dwindling stocks. All six had a brandy or two in their portfolio of brands. Since the majority of what was being sold was whiskey, very little brandy was made by these companies until the end of prohibition in 1933.

THE WEST COAST – 20’TH CENTURY TO 1933

The new century brought continued growth in the California brandy industry. In March of 1901, the German government ordered 300 barrels of California brandy for the use by their military – army and navy.41

The French moved to make Cognac an official product of the Cognac Region of France in 1902.

California brandy remained strong in the world market. Natural and other disasters such as fire did not slow the growth of the brandy business. The Sonoma Valley Brandy Company had two separate fires in their New York warehouses by August of 1902.42 The St. George Winery of Maltimore, California was completely destroyed by fire in December of 1902.43

In 1903, the state of California changed its laws to allow brandy to be withdrawn tax free for the purpose of fortifying wine by non-distilling wineries.44 The intent was to encourage growth for both the wine and brandy businesses.

The wine and brandy industry continued to gain respect in the state. The whiskey distillers of Kentucky did not fare as well and were under heightened scrutiny by elected officials.

An example of the respect for vintner’s: Governor Pardee chose Mr. P. Rossi of the Italian-Swiss Colony Winery of San Francisco to represent California at the international Congress of Agriculture in Rome in 1903. The King of Italy himself invited Rossi to sit at his table. Rossi was very impressed by the King’s knowledge of the state of California and its wine and brandy industry. 45

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 had no effect on California brandy distillers and their businesses prospered.

The Prohibition Period of 1920 to1933 had a devastating effect on the industry.

The Christian Brothers Winery had been producing brandy since 1882. The profits were used to support their school. Leland Stanford made a fortune in several businesses, including the brandy business, and used some of his profits to establish Stanford University. After his death in 1893, Stanford left a huge winery to the University to help continue to fund the school. Prohibition forced both of these schools to find other sources of funds. In both cases, that included selling much of the property that had been vineyards.

While the California brandy was part of the pharmaceutical spirits market, it was a relatively small part of the market. They had to compete with brandies in storage in states like New York and Ohio. The companies licensed to sell medicinal spirits were all based in the East in Kentucky and New York. California Brandy could not compete nationally and was sold primarily in the Western states.

BRANDY POST PROHIBITION

The repeal of prohibition saw the brandy industry once again become the tale of the two coasts. However, the business climate had changed.

The farmer distillers who made fruit brandy before prohibition did not return to business. Regulations and fees became restrictive and it was not profitable for small distilleries to operate on a part time basIs.

The new government regulations were also now more eagerly enforced. Laird’s Applejack brandy was on the Atlantic coast and California grape brandies were on the Pacific coast. There was not much in between, as fruit brandies quickly became mass produced products using grain neutral spirits with fruit flavoring additives.

J.T.S. Brown, Jr., toyed with the idea of opening a citrus brandy distillery in Florida after repeal, but never did so.46

Just as Prohibition’s repeal is passed on December 5, 1933, Ernest and Julio Gallo start a winery in California. Production increased as others quickly followed their lead and invested again in the grape/wine business.

The government of California passed a grape-prorate law in 1938 that required every producer of grapes to distill 45% of their crops to be aged for two years.47

In 1941, the state authorities placed an 85% ABV ceiling on the distillation of brandy to avoid categorization as neutral spirit. The regulations changed the way California brandy could be produced. The brandy distillation process now resembled that of whiskey with the use of continuous stills.

By the 1960s, brandy consumption in the United States had risen four-fold since repeal. A total of 75% of the brandy being consumed was California brandy.

The Gallo Brothers entered the brandy market with E & J brandy in 1968. The brand launch was successful and brandy sales did not suffer like whiskey sales did in the 70s and 80s. Wine sales and the popularity of California wines in the United States supported growth of Gallo Brothers products.

Consolidation of the industry occured as the original companies were purchased by larger liquor companies. Even the Christian Bothers operation and brand was sold to the British liquor company, Grand Metropolitan, in 1989. During the 1980s the industry began to more closely resemble its pre-prohibition status.

THE ORIGINAL CRAFT DISTILLERS

During the 1980s the brandy industry experienced the first wave of the renaissance in the art of making fine craft distilled brandy in America.

In 1982, Jorg Rupf opened St. George Spirits Company as an eau-de-vie distillery in Alameda, California. Hubert Germain-Robin, Ansley Coale, and Jepson established distilleries in Ukiah, California, in 1983.

A more traditional method of heat source type, small batch size, and distillation in copper pot-stills was re-introduced into the American brandy production process.

The Clear Creek Distillery was established in Oregon by Steve McCarthy in 1985. It produced an eau-de-vie from pears as a way to use fruit from the family farm. On December 8, 1991, the New York Times Magazine wrote “In Oregon, Steve McCarthy’s Clear Creek Distillery producing what many experts feel to be the best fruit brandies…ever made in the U.S.”

In the early 1990’s Dan Farber and Jeff Emery establish the Osocalis brandy distillery in the Santa Cruz area.

For the craft distillery movement to continue to flourish, it required industry laws to be changed. It would take several years. By the first decade of the 21st century the renaissance continued. Craft distillers produced brandy on a small scale and also managed to be profitable.

By 2011 there are over 30 distilleries making fruit brandies or eau-de-vies in the United States.

On April 1, 2014, peach brandy made at Mount Vernon went on sale for the first time in 200 years. In a recent interview with Dan Farber, he stated, “Copper & Kings is leading the way for brandy distillation in the 21st Century.”

SPIRITED. BRANDY, DISTILLED AMERICA

It is a spirit of provenance that deserves respect. It is the original craft spirit in America. It created the craft distilling movement during the 1980s.

BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES

(Endnotes)

1 Chris Middleton, email, June 4, 2015.2 Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.30.3 Ibid, p.33.4 Herbert, California Brandy Cuisine, Forward.5 Ibid. Forward6 Ibid. p.21.7 Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.123.8 Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.45.9 Ibid. p.46.10 Ibid. p.45.11 Ibid p.44.12 Memoirs of William Agun Milton, The Filson Historical Society.13 Henry Miller Scrapbook, The Filson Historical Society.14 Herbert, California Brandy Cuisine, p.24.15 Ibid. p.47.16 Ibid. p. 75.17 Ibid. P.54.18 Congressional Record, July 27, 1888. The Filson Historical Society.19 Hardin Family Papers, The Filson Historical Society.20 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 18, 1891, pp.12 & 14.21 Mida’s National Register of Trademarks, 1900. pp.S1-3.22 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 18, 1892, p.49.23 Herbert, California Brandy Cuisine, p.72.24 Ibid. p.61.25 Ibid. p.78.26 Ibid. p.90.27 Ibid. p.80.28 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 18, 1892, p.22.29 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1891, p.52.30 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 3, 1892. P.27.31 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1891, p.95.32 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 3, 1891, p.21.33 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 18, 1891, p.20.34 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, February 18, 1892, p.27.35 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 18, 1891, 21.36 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1, 1902, p. 29.37 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1, 1903, p.24.38 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1902, p.28.39 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1, 1903, p.39.40 Ibid.41 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1901, p.20.42 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 1, 1902, p.42.43 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1903, p.17.44 Ibid, p.11.45 Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1903, p.17.46 Brown-Walker Family Papers, The Filson Historical Society, folders14-15.47 Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.110.

Books and Printed Materials

“Brandy’s Best”, Barrett, Jean T. and Linda Evangelista, Cigar Aficionado, Autumn 1995.

California Brandy Cuisine: Celebrating 200 years of California Brandy, Herbert, Malcolm, The Wine Appreciation Guild, San Francisco, 1984.

Dictionary of the History of the American Brewing and Distilling Industry, Downard, William L., Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1980.

Handbook of Fine Brandies, Brown, Gordon, Garamond Ltd., London, 1990. A History of Wine in America: From the Beginnings to Prohibition, Pinney, Thomas, University of California Pres, Oakland, Ca., 2007.

Kentucky Bourbon: The Early Years Of Whiskeymaking, Crowgey, Henry G., University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., 1971.

Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage, Veach, Michael R., University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., 2013

Manufacture of Whiskey, Brandy and Cordials, Hirsch, Irving, Reprint by Lindsay Publications Inc., Bradley, Il. 2008.

Lee W. Mida’s Directory Merchandiser, Mida’s Criteria Magazine, Chicago, Il., 1937.

Mida’s National Register of Trademarks: Spirituous and Malt Liquors and Wines, Chicago, Illinois, 1900.

Mida’s Financial Index Directory of Wholesale Liquor Dealers, Distillers, Importers, and Wine Growers, 1909.

Practical Distiller, Monzert, Leonard, Reprinted by Lindsay Publications Inc., Bradley, Il. 1987.

Wine and Spirit Bulletin, Louisville, Ky. 1891-1919.

Manuscripts

Brown-Walker Family Papers, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Ky.

Hardin Family Papers, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Ky.

Miller, Henry, scrapbook, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Ky.

Milton, William Agun, 1844-1926, Memoirs, 1909. 2 vol. The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Ky.

Interviews, Correspondence, Websites Other

Farber, Dan, Telephone interview, September 1, 2015.

Germaine-Robin, Hubert, Telephone interview, September 1, 2015.

Middleton, Chris, Whiskey Academy, Multiple years correspondence about Brandy and Bourbon

Christian Brothers website: www.christianbrothersbrandy.com

Clear Creek Distillery website: www.clearcreekdistillery.com

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States website: www.discus.org

Korbel Brandy website: www.korbelbrandy.com

New Mexico History website: www.newmixicohistory.org/people/merchants/wine-production-in-el-paso-and-the-grapevine-inventory-od-1775

Osocalis Distillery website: www.osocalis.com

St. George Spirits website: www.stgeorgespirits.com

BRANDY TIMELINE

1361 – Frankfurt-on Maine forbade the consumption of gebrante wyne (burnt wine or brandy) to prevent drunkenness (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013)

1372 – Wurtzburg enacted a law against the consumption of gebrante wyne (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013)

Ca. 1411 – Distillation in the Armagnac region in France (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,44).

1497 – Amsterdam imposes a duty on imported French Brandy (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013)

1506 – Munich banned the consumption of spirits on Sundays (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013)

1519 – The Casa de Contratacion, the Spanish House of Trade, convinces the King to have root stock and vines sent on every ship bound for New Spain, America. (Wine Production in El Paso and the Grapevine Inventory of 1775, Newmexicohistory.org)

Ca.1530 – Distillation of Brandy starts in France’s Cognac region. (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,19).

1553 – The first reference to apple brandy in Normandy (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,59).

1577 – Sir Francis Drake takes 4 cask of brandewijn with him on the trip to circumnavigate the globe (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013)

1595 – The Spanish Crown forbade any new plantings or replacement vines to be sent to New Spain to protect the Spanish wine and Brandy trade. (Wine Production in El Paso and the Grapevine Inventory of 1775, Newmexicohistory.org)

1623 – The Colonial Assembly of Virginia passed a law requiring every family to plant 10 vines on its land (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p. 109)

1629 – It is believed that the first lymbecke still was used in Boston (Chris Middleton, email 4 June 2015)

1630s – Mission San Antoniode Senecu’ is producing enough wine to supply all of New Mexico. (Wine Production in El Paso and the Grapevine Inventory of 1775, Newmexicohistory.org)

1640 – First Brandy is distilled in New York by Cornelius Toun, of Staten Island in December, possibly apple brandy (Chris Middleton, email 4 June 2015)

1648 – Rye whiskey is distilled in Salem by Emmanuel Downing in the Autumn (Chris Middleton, email 4 June 2015)

1659 – Father Garcia de San Francisco founds Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Mansos near El Paso and plants a vineyard. (Wine Production in El Paso and the Grapevine Inventory of 1775, Newmexicohistory.org)

1697 – Historian Charles L. Sullivan: “It is generally accepted (among historical scholars), that Father Juan Ugarte was lower California’s first vineyardist, at Mission San Ferancisco Xavier in 1697. By 1768,

the year before the establishment of the San Diego mission, there were at least five lower California missions with vineyards producing wine and brandy.”(Herbert, California Brandy Cuisine, Foreward.)

1715 – Jean Martell founds a trading house in Cognac and begins to deal in Cognac (Martell and Co. S.A., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 82)

1731 – A Paper on distillation for the Royal Society Three Essays on Artificial Philosophy or Universal Chemistry by Doctor Peter Shaw noted imitation brandy was being exported out of Poland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Guinea (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013).

1738 – Peter Jefferson (father of Thomas Jefferson) sold some land for money and “the consideration of Henry Wetherburn’s biggest bowl of Arrack Punch” made with brandy. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 15)

1744 – Father Miguel de Menchero reports that the wine at Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Mansos was as good as any produced in Spain. (Wine Production in El Paso and the Grapevine Inventory of 1775, Newmexicohistory.org)

1750s-1790s – Brandy made in New Mexico sold in Chihuahua for the prices between 20-40 Pesos a barrel, double that of a barrel of wine. (Wine Production in El Paso and the Grapevine Inventory of 1775, Newmexicohistory.org)

1756 – North Carolina Moravians are making brandy from both apples and peaches and continued to do so until the distillery burned in 1802 (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.30)

1769 – The manifest of the ship San Carlos has on board “5 jars of brandy”, (California Brandy Cuisine, Foreword.)

1770 – Botetourt County, Virginia establishes tavern rates for French Brandy, peach brandy, apple brandy and whiskey. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.33)

1771 – The first oldest winery in California is thought to be the San Gabrial Mission in California, using vines brought in from Mexico (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.109)

1780 – Tavern rates for what would become eastern Tennessee include set prices for peach and apple brandies. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.32)

---- - Laird started distilling Apple brandy in New Jersey (Brown, Handbook of fine Brandies, p. 123)

1781 – Lincoln County (Virginia but later Kentucky) sets rates for distilled spirits including “good brandy”. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p. 36)

1782-83 – Sullivan has an educated guess that the first brandy from upper California “could have been as early as 1782, but might have been 1783”. (California Brandy Cuisine, Foreword.)

1784 – Padre Pablo Mugartegui had a small private still with which to convert fine California wine, produced in either 1783 01784, into great California brandy. (California Brandy Cuisine, Foreword.)1785 – Franciscan Fathers are shipping brandy around the Horn to Spain. (California Brandy Cuisine, p21)

1786 – George Washington apologizes to Lafayette for not being able to include in a gift to Mrs. Lafayette “an anchor [about 10 gallons] of old peach brandy” (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.45)

---- - Madison writes a letter looking for a barrel of peach brandy and describes requirements for quality, age and type of container. (Crowgey. Kentucky Bourbon. P. 45 (footnoted as Gaillard Hunt, ed. The Writings of James Madison (New York, 1900-1910), 6:105))

1788 – Virginia forbids using grains for distilling during the war, but brandy distilling flourishes. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.20)

1793 – Lexington Kentucky weekly prints notice from Mercer County “ five hundred gallons of peach brandy” is for sale (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.46)

1794 – William Morton of Lexington advertises that his firm is in the market for “some old peach brandy”. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p. 110)

1796 – Land notice for Hanging Fork area has land with 600 peach trees known to make 400 gallons of brandy in the year and 400 apple trees. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p. 46)

1799 – After George Washington’s death, more than 150 gallons of brandy are found at Mount Vernon. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 15)

Early 1800s – Brandy was originally called “aguardiente’, a generic term for any spirit distilled from fruit. It was first called “brandy” in the early 1800s. (California Brandy Cuisine, p.22)

1800 – Green Clay of Madison County advertises 500 gallons of peach brandy for sale (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p.47)

1801 – January to May the customs house at the port of Louisville records 6, 157 gallons of peach brandy passing through the port. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p. 47)

1800-1802 – Peach brandy prices in New Orleans are from $1 - $1.15 per gallon (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, pp.47-48)

1802 – Michaux in his travels in the United States describes “the immense quantity of peaches which they gather to convert into brandy” going on to describe how people without a still would still gather peaches and take them to a neighbor with a still for distillation. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, P. 45)

1803 – An article later printed in Literary & Philosphical Intelligence states “Flavour of malt spirits said to be improved by putting three and half ounces of finely powdered charcoal, four and half ounces of ground rice into half a quart of spirit and letting it stand for a fifteen days, frequently stirring it, let the liquor be drained, and it will closely resemble the flavor of brandy.” (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013).

1807 – Fortesque Cuming observes on his travels down the Ohio River that copper stills are purchased “throughout the whole western country for distilling peach and apple brandy and rye whiskey”. (Crowgey, Kentucky Bourbon, p. 44)

1815 – Martell decides to focus on cognac exclusively and acquires its own vineyards and distillery (Martell and Co. S.A., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 82)

1823 – By 1823 there were 21 Franciscan missions in California. All of them had vineyard and all but four were successfully making wine and Brandy. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 24)

1824 – An article in Register of Arts, Journal of Patent Inventions states a distiller in Copenhagen “several times distilled brandy and gin from wheat steeped in salt water” (Chris Middleton, email 10 December 2013)

1826 – California’s first full time brandy maker, Jean Luis Vignes is exiled from France and comes to California, where he makes brandy to be distributed along the coast. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 41)

---- - Joseph Chapman plants 4,000 vines near pueblo Los Angeles and stats to produce brandy. (California Brandy Cuisine, p.47)

1833 – Father Narcisco Duran of Mission San Jose consults the governor of Mexican California on Wine and Brandy. Suggest a dessert drink made from grape juice and brandy. (California Brandy Cuisine, p.26)

1840 – Jean Luis Vignes receives $4.00 per proof gallon for brandy shipped up the coast and sold in Monterey and San Francisco on the ship Mooson. (California Brandy Cuisine, p.75)

1842 – Captain John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant who founded Sacramento, is known to distill brandy from local wild grapes (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.109).

Late 1840s – Leland Stanford starts to distill brandy in California. He quickly becomes the world’s largest Brandy producer and uses the money to found Stanford University. His business continued to fund the University after his death until prohibition forced them to sell off the estate (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.110)

Ca. 1845 – Denis-Mounie’ and Jules Robin are the first company to sell cognac in a bottle. (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,19).

1848 – Francis Korbel participates in revolution in Bohemia and is arrested. He escapes prison by dressing in civilian clothes and walking out smoking a cigar un-noticed by the guards. (Korbel Brandy website, History section.)

1849 – John Sutter’s son sells his still to General Vallejo while he is away from home. He is furious, but General Vallejo is was delighted with the purchase. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 54)

1850s – Henry Miller, a Louisville lithographer, is printing labels for brandy bottles. (Miller, Henry, Scrapbook, The Filson Historical Society)

1850 – The “Alambic Armagnacais” still is introduced. This is a continuous still. (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,44).

1858 – Henry Morris Naglee (later a General in the Union Army) visits Europe to study viticulture and the same year purchases 140 acres east of San Jose. (Wikipedia)

1862 – The phylloxera aphid is apparently exported from the United States to Europe (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.110)

1863 – Kohler & Frohling export their product to New York and Boston and use the phrase “Let Americans Support American Industry”, a phrase California brandy makers still use today. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 63)1863-64 – William Agun Milton describes in his 1909 memoirs an apple brandy distillery in the Shenandoah Valley Virginia that managed to escape the ravaging by troops on either side of the war. (Milton, William Agun 1844-1926, Memoirs, 1909, The Filson Historical Society)

1868 – Charles LeFranc of Almaden winery wins the prize for “the finest grape brandy entered in the Santa Clara County Fair”. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 72)

1870s – Spanish Brandy production takes advantage of Phylloxera in France to increase their export market (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,67).

---- - General Naglee’s Burgundy Brandy receives a score of “100” on a scale of 1-100 in international competition. His Riesling Brandy receives a score of “85”. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 61)

---- - Dr. Thomas Munson of Red River Texas and Hermann Jaeger of Missouri supplied louse resistant root stock to European vines and are awarded the Legion d’Honneur (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies. P.110)

1872 – Phylloxera reaches the Cognac and within 8 years the vineyards are totally blighted. (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,19).

---- - William Thompson of Yuba City introduces a new variety of grape to California using an English vine he planted on his farm. Thompson seedless grape became known for over-production and brandy-production (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.110)

1873 – Michael Doherty & Co. trademarks Imperial Cognac (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Phylloxera breaks out in Napa, Sonoma and several other valleys in California and it takes 30 years to eradicate (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.110)

---- - Francis Eisen settles near Fresno and set out his first vines. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 74)

1874 – H. B. Kirk & co. trademarks OG (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

1876 – Rheinstrom Brothers of Cincinnati trademark RB for Blackberry Brandy (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - American Wines win gold medals at the Paris Exposition (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.110)

1878 – The Wm. Bergenthal Company of Milwaukee trademarks Montilla Brandy (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Reverend John I. Bleasdale, a prominent wine expert and chemist, at a formal tasting at the Mechanic’s Institute in San Francisco praises California brandy stating it pure and free of fusel oils found in so many spirits. (California Brady Cuisine, p. 78)

---- - Paul Masson immigrated to California from Burgundy after phylloxera wipes out the family’s 300 year old vineyard (Brown, handbook of fine Brandies, p.119)

---- - General Naglee’s brandy, “Naglia brandy” was declared the finest at the Centennial Exposition in 1878. (California Brandy Cuisine. P.101)

1880 – The Purifying & Maturing Process Co. of Boston trademarks a brand of the same name (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)1881 – Mihalovitch, Fletcher & Co. of Cincinnati trademarks Monarch Blackberry Brandy (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Robert Barton, starts a vineyard near Fresno. By 1883 his establishment was called “greatest of all the Fresno vineyards”. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 52)

1882 – Venable & Heyman of New York trademarks Marquis de Lafayette Fine Champagne Cognac ( Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - The religious order of the Christian Brothers began to distill Brandy using profits to fund their school in California. (Christian Brothers website)

---- - Renauld & Niederstadt of New York trademarks Helmet Brand (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Weideman, Holmes & Co. trademarks Kelley’s Island Grape Brandy (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - The Korbel brothers, Francis, Joseph and Anton, start making champagne in the Russian River valley of California (Korbel Brandy website, History section.)

1883 – Kate Warfield, one of the original female brandy-makers, won the first premium at the California State Fair with her brandy. Disgruntled competitors insisted on a second test that only confirmed the original results. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 90)

1885 – Mihalovitch, Fletcher & Co. of Cincinnati trademarks Mihalovitch Hungarian Blackberry Juice (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Cook and Bernheimer of New York trademarks Blackberry Brandy A Delightful Tonic – A Remedy for All Difficulties of the Bowels (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - U.S. Senator George Hearst acquires Madrone Vineyard of Sonoma Valley. He perfected the vineyards and brandy making and proudly served California brandy to International guests. (California Brandy Cuisine. P.29)

1887 – J. R. Hardin signs a lease for land in Meade County, Ky. To build an apple brandy distillery. The lease is for the years 1888-1890. Much discussion about the type of apples that the land owner will supply for the distillery owner. (Hardin Family Papers, The Filson Historical Society)

1888 – On July 27 there is testimony before a Senate committee by several people in the liquor trade on taxation of spirits. In the discussion on brandy they point out that fruit brandy distillers are small, part time distillers and are not subject to the bonding rules. That only 1 in 3 barrels of brandy are taxed as a result. Apple and peach brandies are discussed. (Rare Pamphlet, Congressional Record, Filson Historical Society).

1889 – Julius P, Smith of San Francisco trademarks Olivina Brand (Mida’s Criteria National Register of Trademarks)

---- - H.H.W. McIntyre of Vina, Ca. trademarks DV (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Rheinstrom Brothers of Cincinnati trademarks Mother Putnam’s own Blackberry Cordial (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Practical Distiller by Leonard Monzert is published. Includes sections on making Brandy from fruit as well as grapes.

---- - Francis Korbel starts shipping his premium Korbel California Brandy (Korbel Brandy website, History section.)

1890 – Shipments of Wine and Brandy from Napa, Cal. Were 626 cars wine and 38 cars of brandy, (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1891 p. 52)

---- - The San Francisco Examiner writes that brandy made at San Gabriel Wine Company are “highly superior to the dubious beverage made in France”. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 80)

---- - Leland Stanford distills his entire vintage into brandy this year making him the world’s largest distiller of grape brandy in the late 1800s. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 88)

1891 – National Distilling Company of Milwaukee trademarks Chateau La Rose Cognac Brandy (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Luhrs & Harrs of New York trademarks Fidus et Fidelis (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Advertisement for Monarch Blackberry Brandy by Native Wines and Spirits, 168-72 East Pearl Street, Cincinnati (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1891 p. 12)

---- - Article on Brown-Forman discusses its history and the fact that they carry lines of peach and apple brandies as well as Bourbon. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1891 p. 40)

---- - Wine and Spirit Bulletin publishes a list of brandies imported from France (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1891 p. 72)

---- - Advertisement for Walden Cognac stating that they were the “Largest Distillers of Pure Brandy in the World with distilleries in Geyserville and St. Helena, California (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1891 p. 95)

---- - Advertisement for California Brandy with vintages 1887-1888-1889. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, February 3, 1891 p. 30)

---- - Advertisement from T. H. Shirley &Co. of Louisville for Apple and Peach Brandy (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 3, 1891 p. 4)

---- - J. H. Wagner of Oakland California is to build a new distillery (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 3, 1891 p. 13)

---- - Wine and Spirits Bulletin publishes a list of French Brandies. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 3, 1891 p. 15)

---- - Rumor has it that a Pool or Syndicate is trying to control brandy output in California and may control as much as half already. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 3, 1891 p. 12)

---- - California Brandy report – crop in excellent shape. Syndicate has not materialized but undoubtedly had an effect on stiffening prices. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 18, 1891 p. 11)

---- - Gallegos Wine Company, Irvington, Ca. was seized by the government on account of fraud alleged in unlawful use of taxed brandy since 1889. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 18, 1891 p. 21)---- - Brandy Distillery of Monticello Wine Company, Charlettesville, West Virginia burned on [April] 19. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 3, 1891 p. 15)

---- - California Brandy strengthens every day and shipments are very heavy. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 18, 1891 p. 11)

---- - California Brandies are fast coming to the front. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 18, 1891 p. 12)

---- - Mehalovitch, Fletcher & Co. [Monarch Blackberry Brandy] must increase capacity to meet demand. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 18, 1891 p. 14)

---- - Walden & Co. – increase demand in Europe for their Cognac. Over 60,000 gallons to Germany and Great Britain. Article includes analyses of the spirit versus cognac. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 18, 1891 p. 20)

---- - Walden & Co. will handle over 3,500 tons of grapes and is at fullest capacity. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 3, 1891 p. 21)

---- - Advertisement for Urbana Wine Company of Urbana, N.Y. features brandy for sale. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 18, 1891 p. 1)

---- - Apple and Peach crops are very heavy. Fruit brandies will be low priced next year. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 18, 1891 p. 26)

---- - Monarch Blackberry Brandy has enormous sales in the Southern States. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 18, 1891 p. 27)

---- - Advertisement for A. Wherle & Son, Native Wines and Catawba Brandy, Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie, Ohio . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 3, 1891 p. 21)

---- - Advertisement for Engels and Krudwig Native Wines and Brandies, Sandusky, Ohio . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 3, 1891 p. 24)

---- - Advertisement for F. O. Boyd & Co California Wines and Brandies 54 Broad St. New York . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 3, 1891 p. 41)

---- - Advertisement for Charles Stern & Sons California Wines and Spirits . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 3, 1891 p. 41)

---- - Reading, Pennsylvania has a fine crop of apples for applejack this year. Last year there was no applejack distilled in the Schuykill Valley . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 18, 1891 p. 14)

---- - I. DeTurk Wines and Brandies will be sold exclusively by Delafield, McGovern & Co. east of the Mississippi . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 3, 1891 p. 13)

---- - Mihalovitch, Fletcher & Co. exported 200 barrels of Blackberry Brandy to Mexico . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 3, 1891 p. 15)

---- - Mr. Franklin Walden is in London showing samples of the 1890 vintage of their Brandy . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 3, 1891 p. 19)

---- - An article about California Distilling Works and the “Brandy oils” they are making, referencing their advertisement on page 3 . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 3, 1891 p. 21)

---- - Article from Hammondsport Vintage Co. Penn Yan, N.Y. – Brandy is pure distillation of grape and is free from fusel oil “for medicinal purposes it has no superior”. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 3, 1891 p. 13)

---- - Apple Brandy crop will be heavy. Expect low profit margins for first year to have three year bonding of Brandy. Many applying for bonded warehouses. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 18, 1891 p. 11)

---- - Pleasant Valley Wine Company of Hammondsport, N.Y. is building a distillery. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 3, 1891 p. 12)

---- - Walden & Co. has their brandy in over 200 leading places in England. These places find it superior to Cognac. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 3, 1891 p. 21)

---- - Article that describes how applejack is made in New Jersey. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 3, 1891 p. 25)

1892 – Fruit Valley Wine and Fruit Co. of California is fined for running an unlicensed distillery. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 3, 1892 p. 14)

---- - California has produced 1,804,712 gallons of Brandy, mostly in the northern section of the state. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1892 p. 34)

---- - Article about the Urbana Wine Co. with illustrations pf their president Harlo Hakes and Vice president D.M. Hildreth. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 18, 1892 p. 48)

---- - Walden and Co. moves their New York offices as they grow to need more space. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, February 3, 1892 p. 20)

---- - The German Bark Oberon left San Francisco with 92,500 gallons of Brandy, mostly from Walden & co. This had a price of 50 cents per gallon free of taxes. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, February 18, 1892 p. 27)

---- - Advertisement for S. Jung & Co., Milwaukee as importers of Ky. Bourbon and California Brandy (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 18, 1892 p. 17)

---- - Advertisement for Engels & Krudwig, Sandusky, Ohio Native Wines and Brandies with 250,000 gallon capacity (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 3, 1892 p. 31)

---- - Advertisement for A Wherle & Son Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie Ohio Pure Native Wines and Catawba Brandy (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 3, 1892 p. 48)

---- - Advertisement for F. O Boyd & co. Commission Merchants for California Wines and Brandies, 59 Broad Street, N.Y. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 3, 1892 p. 52)

---- - Article on Georgia Brandy “expects to make a vast quantity of Brandy – mostly peach, this year” there were 400 Brandy distillers in the state (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, July 18, 1892 p. 49)

---- - Apples scarce in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee this year and a small crop of Brandy expected (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 18, 1892 p. 12)

---- - Dr. John R. Chappell of Petersburg, Va. Is said to have in his possession some peach brandy made in his county of Dinwiddie, Va. In 1800 (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 18, 1892 p. 15)---- - A small distillery is being added to A. Schmidt, Jr. Wine Co. of Sandusky, Ohio Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 18, 1892 p. 13)

---- - Hugo Engels of Engels and Krudwig was in Louisville (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 18, 1892 p. 14)

---- - Article on Tennessee distilling “Brandy reputation in Tennessee ranks amongst the first” (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 18, 1892 p. 15)

---- - Spirits competition in Dublin, Ireland has H. E. Hudson saying about George West & Son’s gold medal Brandy that it was “as good as old Cognac” (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 18, 1892 p. 22)

---- - Article on California Brandy ‘in 1891 produced 1,900,000 gallons with 432,851 gallons sent overseas. 1890 production was just 611,706 gallons (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 3, 1892 p. 27)

---- - Article about Wm. Rogers & Son becoming brokers and Distiller Agents for Peach and Apple Brandies of New York and New Jersey (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, December 3, 1892 p.19)

---- - Czech immigrants, the Korbels began making brandy using a solera system (Brown, Handbook of fine Brandies, p.118)

1894 – T. H. Shirley of Louisville trademarks Absolutely Pure Kentucky Apple Brandy (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Rheinstrom, Bettman, Johnson & Co. of Cincinatti trademarks Eclipse Blackberry Brandy

1900 – Walden & Co. of Geyserville, Cal. Trademarks a bottle (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - S. Lachman Company of San Francisco trademarks California (Mida’s National Register of Trademarks)

---- - Urbana Wine Co., has advertisement with more graphics (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, June 1, 1900 p.27)

1901 – Advertisement for Sweet Valley Wine Co. with Royal Oak Brand (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1901 p.23)

---- - Thos. J. Batman is the successor to T.H. Shirley & Co. apple and peach brandies (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 1, 1901 p.11)

---- - The German government orders 300 barrels of California Brandy for their Army and Navy (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1901 p.20)

---- - Mr. Victor Fletcher of Mihalovitch, Fletcher and Co. was in Louisville (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1901 p.22)

---- - The apple and peach brandy crop will be larger but the quality will suffer because drought caused much defect of fruit (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 1, 1901 p.16)

---- - Advertisement for Grape Brandy from the Lenk Wine Co., of Toledo, Ohio (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1, 1901 p.4)

1902 – Article titled “Fruit Distilleries Close” states that the distilleries in the 7th district of southern Indiana will be finishing the season with over 1,200 barrels of apple and peach Brandy distilled. One firm, Alexander & Co. of New Amsterdam, Harrison County, distilled almost 1,000 barrels and the rest were produced in smaller amounts by farmer distillers. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1902 p.28)

---- - Article about distillers in Cognac and the surrounding region suing to make “Cognac” a type of Brandy only from that region (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1902 p.24)

---- - Sweet Valley Wine Co. advertising “Grape, Wild Cherry and Blackberry Brandies” (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1902 p.42)

---- - T J Batman closed out on a lot Apple Brandy, the entire crop of one distillery (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 1, 1902 p.22)

---- - Severe winter has killed much fruit and damaged orchards making the advance of Brandy a good deal (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 1, 1902 p.24)

---- - Fire at the warehouse for Sonoma Valley and Brandy Co. at 10-22 Hamilton Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. was second within a year (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 1, 1902 p.49)

---- - C L Applegate of Owensboro was in Louisville talking with T J Batman about the crop of Apple Brandy for the year (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, September 1, 1902 p.19)

---- - Cartoon proclaiming T J Batman “The King of Brandy” (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1, 1902 p.29)

1903 – Article about California brandy being allowed to be drawn tax free for fortifying wine by non-distillers (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1903, p.11)

---- - St. George Winery of Maltimore, California was destroyed by fire on December 13, 1902 (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1903, p.17)

---- - Advertisement for Sweet Valley Wine Co., Kelly’s Island, Ohio has illustration of winery. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1903, p.48)

---- - Article about Asti Winery in Sonoma County, California. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, February 1, 1903, p.23)

---- - Article titled “Brandy Trade Secrets – French Brandy Improved with American Help” describes how a Texas vine that is disease resistant is taken to France to save vineyards. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, February 1, 1903, p.39)

---- - Mr. P. Rossi of Italian-Swiss Colony of San Francisco is appointed by Governor Pardee to represent California at the International Congress of Agriculture in Rome. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1903, p.17)

---- - Italian-Swiss Colony Advertisement (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1903, p.33)

---- - Mihalovitch, Fletcher & Co. is incorporated with $500,000 in stock. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, June 1, 1903, p.48)

---- - Apple and Peach Brandy Advertisement from Thomas J. Batman (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, August 1, 1903, p.16)

---- - W. J. Morse of California Wine & Brandies was in Louisville for a visit. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 1903, p. 19)

---- - E,J. Macon of Macon & Carson of Bentonville, Arkansas, was in Louisville for a visit. Their firm was largest distiller of fruit brandy in the U.S. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 1903, p. 19)

---- - Article on Union Wine Company of Kelly’s Island, Ohio. Makers of wine and brandy from Catawba grapes. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, October 1903, p. 37)

---- - Sweet Valley Wine Co. had a meeting of directors that voted a 3% dividend to stock holders. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1903, p. 24)

---- - Last year [1902] there were 16 brandy distilleries in Arkansas, but only 3 operating in 1903 because of shortage of fruit. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1903, p. 39)

---- - Crawford Bros. of Milton, Ky. Has a new distillery for making apple brandy. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November 1903, p. 39)

---- - Ogden, Utah to establish a fruit brandy distillery to use excess fruit – mostly peaches –that would go to waste otherwise. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, November1903, p. 39)

---- - Indiana apple crop is larger this year than at any other point, when most of the country has a failure of the crop. Country will have to depend largely on Indiana for apple brandy. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, December 1, 1903, p. 19)

---- - Brownsville Fruit Brandy Distributing Company, New York, incorporated for $3,000. . (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, December 1, 1903, p. 43)

1904 – Wine and Spirit Journal states that there were 1,326 fruit distilleries operating at the end of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1903. This was down 491 from 1902 and 542 from 1901. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, January 1, 1904, p.21)

---- - Milhalovitch, Fletcher & Co. had a fire destroying a $250,000 processing building. Two firemen were injured, but the 50 women working in the building escaped without harm. The fire was caused by an overheated stove. The Offices and main distillery were spared. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, February 1, 1904, pp.35& 49)

---- - Italian-Swiss Colony Co. moved their San Francisco offices to the block on Battery, Greenwick and Sansome Streets. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 1, 1904, p.21)

---- - Utah capitalist will establish a brandy distillery at Brigham City, using an old distillery that had been operated near Kaysville. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 1, 1904, pp.41-42)

---- - The new government regulations on the storage and taxation of brandy are printed. (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, March 1, 1904, p.62)

---- - A new distillery to make brandy and whiskey is built at Hansford, California by E.P. Thomas and C.H. Swayne (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, April 1, 1904, p. 35)

---- - Golden West Distillery Co. of Berkley, California is re-incorporated. This is a brandy distillery (Wine and Spirit Bulletin, May 1, 1904, p.47)

1909 – Mida’s Financial Index Lists the following businesses:

Ranking CompanyIn Hands of receiver Mihalovitch, Fletcher & Co.. Cincinnati A Rheinstrom Bros. Cincinnati, Ohio BBB Engels & Krudwig Wine Co., Sandusky, Ohio D The Sweet Valley Wine Co., Sandusky, Ohio B Lenk Wine Co., Toledo, Ohio DDD Michael Doherty& Co. Boston, Mass. EE F O Boyd Co., New York, New York A Cook & Bernheimer Co., New York, New York CCC H B Kirk and Co., New York, New York BB Renauld and Niederstadt, New York, New York BB Urbana Wine Co., Urbana, New York AAAA National Distilling Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin C Wm. Bergenthal Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin

---- - Cognac is protected by law and can only be made in officially sanctioned land zones. (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p,19).

1933 – Ernest and Julio Gallo start a winery at the end of prohibition (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandis, p.116)

1934 – J. T. S. Brown, Jr. explores the idea of making citrus wine and brandy in Florida. Many letters dealing with the subjects involved. Letters to cooperages, Vendome and government regulators. (Brown-Walker Family Papers, folders 14-15, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Ky.)

1937 – The government regulations for Brandy following the repeal of prohibition. ( Lee W. Mida’s Directory Merchandiser, 1937)

---- - Manufacture of whiskey, Brandy & Cordials by Irving Hirsch is published. In includes five chapters on Making Brandy with separate chapters for Applejack, Pear Brandy and Slivowitch.

1938 – A grape prorate is passed in California requiring every producer to distill 45% of their crop and store it for two years (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p.110)

---- - Distillerie Tuoni Canepa is founded in Livorono, Italy (Tuaca brandy based liquor) (Distillerie Tuoni Canepa Srl., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 149)

1941- Authorities placed a 85% ABV ceiling on distillation of Brandy to avoid being categorized as “Neutral” spirit (Brown, Handbook of fine Brandies, p.112)

1948 – The famed “General Naglee Brandy, last made before his death in 1886, is served and declared “exquisite”. (California Brandy Cuisine, p. 40)

1954 – Korbel is sold to the Heck family (Brown, handbook of fine Brandies, p. 118)

1960s – Brandy consumption had risen four-fold in the United States and 75% of it was California product (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandy , p.110)

1964 – Martell acquires the Jules Robin house and its labels (Martell and Co. S.A., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 82)

1968 – Gallo first marketed their brandy (Brown, Handbook of fine Brandies, p.116)

1980s – Phylloxera returns to California (Brown, Handbook of fine Brandies, p.110)

1982 – Jorg Rupf opens the St. George Spirits company as an eau-de-vie distillery in Alameda, California (St. George Spirits website, Timeline)

1983 – Jepson stats a distillery at Ukiah, California (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandies, p. 117)

---- - Germain-Robin makes its first brandy in Ukiah, California after Hubert Germain-Robin and Ansley Coale start distilling at Coale’s ranch. (Jean T. Barrett, Cigar Aficionado, print edition, Linda Evangelista, Autumn 95).

1985 – Steve McCarthy starts Clear Creek Distillery as a way to use fruit produced on the family farm. (Clear Creek website, About Us)

1986 – Clear Creek distillery in Portland, Oregon began making a pear eau-de-vie. (Spoelman and Haskell, The Kings County Distillery Guide to Urban Moonshining, p.93)

1988 – Seagrams acquires Martell (Martell and Co. S.A., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 82)

1989 – Christian Brothers sell their business to the British Firm Grand Metropolitan ending the tradition of brandy making by the French Roman Catholic teaching order (Brown, Handbook of Fine Brandy, p.115)

1990s – Dan Farber starts distilling at the Osocalis distillery in Soquel, California. (Osocalis Distillery website, History.)

1991 – New York Times Magazine writes that Clear Creek Distillery is making some of the best fruit brandies ever made in the U.S. (The New York Times Magazine, December 8, 1991)

1996 St. George Spirits hire brewer and former nuclear scientist Lance Winters as a distiller. (St. George Spirits website, Lance Winters)

1999 – Brown-Forman acquires distribution rights to Tuaco (Distillerie Tuoni Canepa Srl., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 149)

2002 Pernod Ricard acquires Martell after Seagram’s is dissolved (Martell and Co. S.A., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 82)

---- - Brown-Forman acquires 100% of Distilleries Tuoni Canepa (Distillerie Tuoni Canepa Srl., International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 149)

2008 – Toms Foolery distillery in Chagrin Falls, Ohio was started in this year by Tom Herbrook. He makes 1,485 proof gallons or 24 barrels of his Applejack brandy from 1005 apples with no sugar or GNS added to the product.

2010 – Jorg Ruph retires from St. George Spirits and sells their Hanger One Vodka to Proximo Spirits (St George Spirits Website)

2014 – On April 1, 2014, peach brandy made at Mount Vernon goes on sale for the first time in 200 years. (Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Press Release, March 19, 2014)

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