Old glass and stoneware, dusted off and lined up on the shelves by lantern light. Mind the cobwebs.
Watch the bottom step · Lantern lit
The Foyer’s Bottle Shelf only has room for a few favorites. The rest of the collection lives down here, shelved like an old general store’s back room and laid out in the order you’d walk it: one family treasure under its own lantern, then soda pop (with the Whistle bottles), the tin signs on the wall, the old druggist’s glass dug from the Manor’s own privies, embossed whiskey bottles, the Stagg shelf, Distillery Row (where the Foyer’s two have a spot too), a top shelf of full bottles (Buffalo Trace’s experiments among them), a menagerie of decanters (some frankly a little unsettling), a back bar, and a drawer of old distillery paperwork. Every name below is read straight off the embossing or the label. Nothing is guessed. The treasure’s history is the one exception, and it is credited to Whiskey Bent, who wrote it up.
Before the shelves, one piece gets its own lantern: a sealed golden flask of Old Fitzgerald from Stitzel-Weller, the family’s own treasure.
Family Treasure
Old Fitzgerald Golden Decanter
THE LABEL READS: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey · 6 YEARS OLD · ORIGINAL SOUR MASH · OLD FITZGERALD · Stitzel-Weller Distillery · Bottled in Bond
A half-pint flask plated in gold, still sealed. Down near the base, a key is pressed into the metal.
As told by Whiskey Bent
The flask turned up years ago in a long-closed liquor store in Paris, Kentucky, tucked inside an old shipping case. It likely never made it onto a shelf for sale. It dates to the 1960s, when Stitzel-Weller, under Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr. and Julian Jr., was turning out ornate decanters and gold-plated gift flasks for the holiday and travel trade.
The key pressed near the base and the keyhole engraved on the metal cap nod to Stitzel-Weller’s “Key to Hospitality.” The back label reads Stitzel-Weller Distillery, DSP-KY-16, Louisville, 100 proof, and the green Bottled in Bond tax stamp across the cap is still whole. Decades in a dark cardboard case kept the gold bright, with only a little shelf patina along the lower rim, and the whiskey still sits high under the original factory seal.
Start at the bottom step with pop and seltzer, from the days when you paid a deposit on the glass and brought it back for refilling.
No. 1
Soda Water Star Bottles
THE GLASS READS: SODA WATER · …BOTTLING CO.…
A matched pair, one clear and one sea-green, with a ring of stars pressed into each shoulder.
No. 2
Orange-Crush Company Bottle
THE LABEL READS: Orange-Crush · TM REG U S PAT OFF · Company Bottle
Brown ribbed glass with the orange diamond, and a little round-headed mascot standing on top of the name.
No. 3
Green Seltzer Siphon
THE GLASS READS: (nothing legible)
Squeeze the lever and the fizzy water shoots out of that curled metal spout. Emerald glass all the way down.
No. 4
Louis Fritz Seltzer Siphon
THE HEAD READS: LOUIS FRITZ
THE ETCHING READS: LOUIS FRITZ M. & S.W. CO. · COVINGTON KENTUCKY · TRADE MARK · UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL
Two figures shake hands in the middle of the etched diamond. The only photo stops partway down the glass.
a Kentucky cousin of No. 3, the green siphon
No. 5
Parfay, Soda & Two Coca-Colas
THE FIRST READS: PARFAY · CINCINNATI
THE SECOND READS: SODA · …CINCINNATI…
THE PAIR READ: Coca-Cola · TRADE MARK…
The two on the right are the famous Coca-Cola contour bottle, the shape you could recognize in the dark.
the cellar has theories ↓
No. 6
Coca-Cola Crate, Fully Loaded
THE CRATE READS: Enjoy Coca-Cola · Trade-mark ®
A red wooden crate with every slot full of green glass.
Polaroid
The Tom’s Peanuts Cabinet
THE CABINET READS: Tom’s
An old Tom’s Toasted Peanuts store display, turned into a bottle cabinet, caught on a peel-apart Polaroid.
Manor lore · unverified Some nights the whole cabinet clinks at once, as if somebody just closed the glass doors.
Kentucky pop & the crates
No. 7
Wainscott’s, Ale-8 & Two in Plain Glass
THE FIRST READS: …WA…SCOT…
THE SECOND READS: (nothing legible)
THE THIRD READS: QUALITY · Wainscott’s · WINCHESTER, KY. · BEVERAGES · CONTENTS 12 FL. OZ.
THE FOURTH READS: ALE8 · “A LATE ONE” · ALE8 · SOFT DRINK · CONTENTS…
Two painted labels and two bottles that only speak in raised glass. The first one’s embossing wears away mid-word, and the second is pebbled all over with nothing to read.
No. 8
Six Embossed Sodas
THE FIRST READS: …INDIANA…
THE SECOND READS: ESTB 1863(the script name above it won’t come clear)
THE THIRD READS: …BERT PORTNER · BREWING CO. · TIVOLI · …MARK · ALEXANDRIA…
THE FOURTH READS: J.S. FRANC… · 6 FL. OZ. · AVON PARK… · …COCA-COLA BOT…
THE FIFTH READS: LOUISVILLE · TEA PHO… · KENTUCKY
THE SIXTH READS: JOHN …
Clear, green, amber and aqua, every one with its name pressed into the glass. The amber one carries its lettering inside a diamond.
No. 9
Two Marbles & Two Elvis Knives
THE KNIVES READ: ELVIS PRESLEY · King of Rock ’n’ Roll · 1935 · 1977
Pocket curios that turned up with the bottles: a pair of red-and-orange swirl marbles, and two folding knives with the King grinning from the handle. One handle has gone gold with age.
No. 10
A Couple of Crates, Still Full
THE LABELS READ: Pepsi-Cola · PEPSI · …Pepper · BIG R… · SUN-RISE · 7up · YOU LIKE IT · RC · ROYAL CROW…
A wooden crate up front and a blue one behind, every slot taken. Most are plain embossed glass, with a few painted labels peeking out between the necks.
Orange and blue tin with music notes flying off it and a bottle tipped in from the corner. The Whistle bottles from the cellar are lined up right below it.
Manor lore · unverified As it’s remembered around the Manor, Whistle Stop Pop was here in Paris, Kentucky in the ’70s and ’80s.
No. 12
7up, Like, Whistle & Mountain Dew
THE FIRST READS: 7up · 7UP · 10 FLUID OUNCES
THE SECOND READS: Like · REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. · Diet Drink of Seven-Up Quality
THE THIRD READS: 12 OZ. · WHISTLE® · Thirsty? · JUST WHISTLE · 12 FL. OZ.
THE FOURTH READS: Mountain Dew · 8 FLUID OUNCES
Four in green glass. The Mountain Dew has a hillbilly figure up top and a little painted scene on its label. The clear Royal Crown that stood beside them is two cards down.
No. 13
Whistle in Clear Glass
THE BOTTLE READS: 12 FL. OZ. · WHISTLE® · Thirsty? · JUST WHISTLE · 12 FL. OZS.
The same painted label as the green one, on clear glass this time. The top of the neck runs off the edge of the only photo.
the green one is No. 12, the sign is No. 11
No. 14
Royal Crown Cola
THE LABEL READS: ROYAL CROWN · ROYAL CROWN · RC · COLA · COPYRIGHT 1936 BY NEHI CORPORATION
Shelved right alongside the Whistles. Its label credits the Nehi Corporation, the same name as the tin sign up on the wall.
that sign is No. 16
ON THE WALLTin Signs & Banners
Above the soda shelves, the old advertising hangs where the lantern can reach it: a paper banner from Blue Lick Springs and a pair of soda signs.
No. 15
Blue Lick Banner
THE BANNER READS: Drink the Genuine · BLUE LICK · THE QUEEN OF HEALTH WATERS · FROM THE FAMOUS BLUE LICK SPRINGS OF KY. · AWARDED GOLD MEDAL OVER 100 COMPETITORS AT LA. PURCHASE EXPOSITION.
Gold letters on navy paper, framed in old barn wood.
As the family tells it
Granddad bought the entire contents of an old department store in Carlisle that had gone out of business. Going through it, he found that the building had once been the headquarters for Blue Licks Spring Water, and tucked away was a sealed crate of these banners.
He sold them off to collectors over the years. This one stayed.
No. 16
Nehi Tin Sign
THE SIGN READS: NEHI · NEHI BEVERAGES · THIS BOTTLE ONLY
A tall, narrow strip of yellow tin, worn and spotted, with the ribbed bottle painted half in shadow.
No. 17
7UP Sign
THE SIGN READS: 7UP · 7up
Big letters made of rows of green and white dots, with the little red square logo tucked in at the bottom.
SHELF IIThe Druggist’s Shelf
Before the pharmacy counter, the druggist had his own name blown right into the glass. Paris, Kentucky is the seat of Bourbon County, and its druggists turn up on this shelf more than once, starting with the man who built the Manor.
No. 18 · The Builder’s Bottles
more views
W.T. Brooks, Druggist, Paris KY
THE DRUGGIST BOTTLES READ: W.T. BROOKS · DRUGGIST · PARIS KY(with a mortar and pestle, and ℥VI or ℥IV above it)
THE TALL ONE READS: BROOKS · DRUG… · PARIS, K…
THE JARS READ: HORLICK’S · MALTED MILK · …RACINE…
ALSO IN THE DIG: CALDWELL’S … PEPSI… · MO… · HENRY’… · P… · CHESEBR…GH MFG… · VAS…LINE
A whole crowd of the druggist’s own glass, his name and a mortar and pestle blown into the side. Around them are the things a household threw out back: malted milk jars, a milk-glass jar, a small amber jar and a flat aqua bottle lying in front that won’t give up its lettering.
Dug from the Manor’s own privies · as the family tells it
W.T. Brooks built the Manor in the 1880s, and he ran a pharmacy in town. These bottles were dug from two privies in the Manor’s back yard.
THE PAPER LABEL READS: DR. WOOD’S · SARSAPARILLA · COMPOUND
THE RIGHT ONE READS: …WILSON · DRUGGIST · PARIS KY
THE ONE LYING DOWN READS: BARNES & HALL · DRUGGISTS · LEXINGTON, KY
The Wilson bottle has a lion standing beside a mortar and pestle pressed into the glass. The Sarsaparilla label is still hanging on, mostly.
the druggists aren’t talking ↓
No. 20
Amber POISON Bottle
THE GLASS READS: POISON
No ambiguity whatsoever. Every haunted house needs one, and this one is properly labeled.
No. 21
Two Cobalt Blues
THE GLASS READS: (embossed, but worn past reading)
Deep cobalt glass, the color that catches a lantern and glows back at you from the back of the shelf.
SHELF IIIThe Embossed Glass
Then the whiskey men, who blew their names into the glass the same way. Paris and Bourbon County come first, then the Louisville houses, then the rest. Hold one up to the lantern and the letters come out of the dark.
No. 22
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The Paris Distilling Co.
THE GLASS READS: THE PARIS DISTILLING CO. · 7TH DIST. · BOURBON CO. · PARIS KENTUCKY
Small, tall and purple, all from the same distillery, all saying the same thing.
No. 23
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Julius Kessler & Co., One Quart
THE GLASS READS: ONE QT. · JULIUS KESSLER & CO. · 7TH DIST. · BOURBON CO. · PARIS KENTUCKY
One of several of this quart in the collection; the thumbnail shows a second of the same. The Kessler name is on the Sam Clay labels (No. 43), and the Paris address matches No. 22.
No. 24
James Walsh & Co.
THE GLASS READS: JAMES WALSH & CO. · DISTILLERS · …RIS, BOURBON CO.…
Up close on the lettering. The top of the bottle runs off the edge of the only photo.
No. 25
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W.L. Weller & Sons Bottle
THE GLASS READS: W.L. WELLER & SONS · DISTILLERS · LOUISVILLE, KY.
Up close on the embossing: three neat columns of letters running down the glass.
No. 26
W.L. Weller & Sons, in Purple
THE GLASS READS: W. L. WELLER & SONS · DISTILLERS
Lying on its side, the glass gone violet. Its pale cousin is No. 25.
No. 27
N.M. Uri & Co.
THE GLASS READS: N.M. URI & CO. · LOUISVILLE · KY.
A square amber flask with the lettering stacked down the front.
No. 28
Brown Forman & Co.
THE GLASS READS: BROWN FORMAN & CO. · LOUISVILLE KY
A tall clear bottle with the name pressed into its side.
No. 29
Lexington Brg. Co.
THE GLASS READS: LEXINGTON · BRG. CO. · LEXINGTON,
Thick amber glass with the lettering raised high enough to read with your fingertips.
No. 30
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Jas. E. Pepper, Tall & Flask
THE GLASS READS: Jas. E. Pepper · DISTILLERS · LEXINGTON KY
Two amber bottles, a tall one and a flask, the name written across the glass in flowing script.
No. 31
Three Amber Flasks
THE PLAQUE READS: Antique
THE LABEL READS: …RITUS FRUMENTI · 100 PROOF · ALCOHOLIC STIMULANT MADE FROM FERMENTED MASH OF GRAIN
Big, middle and small. The big one wears a little metal plaque. Spiritus frumenti is the old Latin name for grain whiskey.
No. 32
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Born With the Republic
THE GLASS READS: BORN WITH THE REPUBLIC
THE SHOULDER READS: FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE
Clear glass with a little scene pressed into it: figures among barrels.
No. 33
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Jesse Moore-Hunt Co.
THE GLASS READS: JESSE MOORE-HUNT CO. · TRADE MARK · SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. · & LOUISVILLE
Amber glass with the lettering set in a ring around the trade mark. Louisville on one side of the country, San Francisco on the other.
SHELF IVThe Stagg & O.F.C. Shelf
One Frankfort name gets a board to itself: everything here carries the Geo. T. Stagg name or its antlered mascot.
No. 34
O.F.C. Bourbon Tray
THE TRAY READS: THE GEO. T. STAGG COMPANY · O.F.C. · BOURBON · FRANKFORT, KY.
A round tin tray with a big-antlered elk standing square in the middle of the lettering.
No. 35
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Geo. T. Stagg Co. Collapsible Cup
THE LID READS: THE GEO. T. STAGG CO. · FRANKLIN COUNTY · KENTUCKY
A round metal case with an elk head and a ring of stars pressed into the lid. Take the lid off and a collapsible metal cup telescopes out.
No. 36
Geo. T. Stagg Co. Bottle
THE GLASS READS: BOTTLED BY · THE GEO. T. STAGG CO. · FRANKFORT, KY.
Clear glass, tall and slim-necked, with the bottler’s name pressed into the side.
No. 37
Old Stagg, in Reverse
THE PLATE READS: OLD STAGG
ALSO: a leaping stag in a dotted circle
A copper-colored metal plate with everything raised and running backwards, so it only reads right in a mirror.
On the Postcard RackA 1905 postal card from Cincinnati to Geo. T. Stagg Co., asking where the promised sample of O.F.C. had got to. From the Postcard Rack →
SHELF VDistillery Row
Crocks, flasks and old labels: stoneware from Frankfort, a barrel pitcher, a label torn off at the good part, and a bottle that came out of a theater wall.
No. 38
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Old Taylor Stoneware Crocks
THE LEFT READS: OLD TAYLOR (and a signature in script)
THE STAMP READS: OLD TAYLOR · HAND MADE SOUR MASH WHISKEY · E.H. TAYLOR JR. · DISTILLER · FRANKFORT KENTUCKY
Crackled cream stoneware. The right-hand crock spells out FRANKFORT around its base in big blue letters.
No. 39
Old Weller Barrel Pitcher
THE PITCHER READS: Old Weller · The Original · 107 · Proof Bourbon
Glazed to look like a little wooden barrel, hooped in gold.
No. 40
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The Torn Woodford Label
THE LABEL READS: Woodford… · Ky. Sour Ma… · None genuine without our… · …the Cork.
Copperplate script on paper gone the color of weak tea, torn away just where it gets interesting. The signature at the bottom is too far gone to read.
the ghost kept the ending ↓
No. 41
Chicken Cock, Big & Small
THE FLASK READS: …WHISKEY IS 3 YEARS OLD · Chicken Cock · STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY
THE TALL ONE READS: CHICKEN COCK
A rooster on both labels, one bright and one faded nearly to a ghost.
No. 42
The Opera House Bottle
THE LABEL READS: KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY · 100 PROOF · DISTILLED IN KENTUCKY · Produced by J. T. S. Brown’s Son Co. · Distillery No. 29 · Bardstown, Ky. · Bottled in Bond by FAIRFIELD DISTILLERY INCORPORATED · Bardstown, Nelson County, Ky.
THE GLASS READS: FEDERAL … LAW FORBIDS SALE OR RE-USE OF…
“Bottle removed during demolition for old Opera House. Found in plastered wall placed during some theater remodelling by plasterer or other worker.” (the handwritten tag that came with it)
Manor lore · unverified It spent years sealed up inside a theater wall. It still likes to sit a little closer to the back of the shelf than the others.
Brought down from the Foyer’s Bottle Shelf
No. 43
Sam Clay
THE LABELS READ: SAM CLAY · WHISKEY · Julius Kessler & Co. · DISTILLERY Nº 77 · 7TH DISTRICT · BOURBON COUNTY, KENTUCKY
THE NECK STRIP READS: …GOVERNMENT · SUPERVISION
“A couple of Sam Clay #whiskey bottles from my collection. #bourbon #home” (his own pin caption)
A full flask with the cap still on. The small print promises “rare drinking Bourbon—straight or mixed—and filtered through real charcoal too!”
No. 47
more views
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve, 20 Years Old
THE LABEL READS: Pappy Van Winkle’s · Family Reserve · KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY · 20 years old · 750ML · ALC 45.2% / VOL (90.4 PROOF) · BOTTLED BY OLD RIP VAN WINKLE DISTILLERY · FRANKFORT, K…
Full and sealed, with the sepia portrait and his cigar on the label. It was bottled by the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, the same name as the decanter beside it. A closer look at the label and its red velvet bag are under more views.
No. 48
Old Rip Van Winkle Decanter
THE LABEL READS: Old Rip Van Winkle · Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey · 90 Proof
THE SIDE READS: K · 1973 · KENTUCKY
A gold ball for a stopper and a grinning wildcat on the side. Rip Van Winkle slept twenty years; this decanter looks wide awake.
No. 49
more views
Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, Three Bottles
THE LABELS READ: BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY · EXPERIMENTAL COLLECTION
Part of the full-bottle collection: three experiments, each label typed out like a lab report, down to the warehouse floor and the rick, row and slot where the barrels sat. The full details for each are under more views.
“…after 21 years in oak the wood is ver…, but it doesn’t conquer the rich vanilla and …flavors that bring to mind handmade holiday candy.” (the 1989’s own label notes)
SHELF VIIThe Decanter Menagerie
Decanters shaped like everything except a bottle: clowns, a jockey, a caped mascot, a television oilman, wild turkeys, one very strange tube of toothpaste, and a whole parking lot of cars.
No. 50
The Clown Corner
THE BASE READS: The Original EMMETT KELLY
A balloon clown, a sad-faced hobo and a little hobo bust in a derby. Clowns in a cellar by lantern light. Nobody is comfortable with this.
A jockey in racing silks, standing on a long white base.
No. 52
Kessler, Smooth as Silk
THE MASCOT READS: SUPERBRAND · KESSLER · AMERICAN BLENDED WHISKEY
THE BASE READS: SMOOTH AS SILK · KESSLER
THE CLEAR ONE READS: JULIUS KESSLER & CO. · 7TH DIST. · BOURBON CO. · PARIS KENTUCKY
A bottle-shaped mascot in a red cape, standing on its own nameplate, next to plain Kessler glass from the old Paris days.
No. 53
J.R. Ewing Decanter
THE BASE READS: DALLAS · J.R. EWING
Cowboy hat, business suit and a briefcase full of cash.
No. 54
Two Little Wild Turkeys
THE LABELS READ: WILD TURKEY · KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY · 101 PROOF · 8 YEARS OLD · 50 ML · BOTTLED BY THE AUSTIN, NICHOLS DISTILLING CO., LAWRENCEBURG, KY.
A pair of miniatures, each turkey on its own little perch.
No. 55
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Wild Turkey Decanter
THE LABEL READS: Austin, Nichols · WILD TURKEY · KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY · 9 YEARS OLD · 101 PROOF · 4/5 QUART
THE BASE READS: WILD TURKEY
The full-size bird on a green base, its paper label still on and a little OKLAHOMA sticker beside it.
No. 56
Whiskey Tooth Paste!
THE AD READS: WHISKEY Tooth Paste! · Genuine 6 Proof Stuff · SCOTCH · BOURBON · $1
THE TUBE READS: Jigger · SCOTCH · A Proof Whiskey Flavored TOOTHPASTE
MAIL TO: Greenland Studios · Dept. HG-114 · Miami 47, Florida
Not a bottle, but it belongs down here: “real he-man toothpaste… 2½ oz. tubes flavored with the real thing—Scotch or Bourbon.” The ad even suggests rinsing with soda instead of water.
The Motor Court · car decanters
No. 57
’57 Chevy, Flamed
THE TIRES READ: CT RADIAL · GOODYEAR
Pale yellow with flames down the side and a big engine poking up through the hood.
No. 58
’57 Chevy in Black
THE DOOR TAG: too small to read in this photo
Black with a silver side panel and wide whitewalls.
No. 59
’57 Chevy in Red
THE DOOR TAG READS: Beam · DECANTER · …
Red with a white roof and a mouthful of chrome up front.
No. 60
’57 Chevy in Turquoise
THE DOOR TAG READS: Beam · DECANTER · KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY · BOTTLED BY JAMES B. BEAM DISTILLING CO. · CLERMONT · BEAM, KY.
Turquoise with a white roof, the tag right on the door where the decanter gives itself away.
No. 61
’57 Chevy Convertible
THE DOOR TAG READS: Beam · DECANTER · KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY · BOTTLED BY JAMES B. BEAM DISTILLING CO. · CLERMONT · BEAM, KY.
Red, top down, white side panel.
No. 62
Black Thunderbird
THE DOOR TAG READS: Beam · DECANTER · …
Black, with a round porthole window in the hardtop.
No. 63
Early Corvette
THE DOOR TAG: not showing on this side
Dark green with a pale cove scooped down the side.
No. 64
Black Corvette
THE TIRES READ: CT RADIAL · GOODYEAR
Glossy black, low and wide.
No. 65
Indy Pace Car Corvette
THE DOOR READS: OFFICIAL PACE CAR · 62nd ANNUAL INDIANAPOLIS 500 MILE RACE
THE TAG READS: limited edition · MAY 28, 1978
Black over silver with red pinstripes, lettered like the real pace car.
Manor lore · unverified Nobody has ever heard an engine down here. Nobody has explained the tire marks on the shelf paper, either.
SHELF VIIIThe Back Bar
Up from the shelves to the bar itself: bottles nobody is ever going to open, commemorative wax, Derby labels, signed bottles, and the glassware that goes with them.
No. 66
Four Maker’s Mark Specials
LEFT TO RIGHT: RUPP’S RUNTS · Maker’s Mark / Joe B. Hall · UK · Maker’s Mark / The Unforgettables · Maker’s Mark / Maker’s Mark WHISKY
A NECK RIBBON READS: 40th Anniversary
Each in its own wax and label. The Rupp’s Runts bottle carries a row of gold signatures.
No. 67
Three More in Wax
LEFT TO RIGHT: 2005 · AFFIRMED · Maker’s Mark / COACH · UK · BROOKS · Maker’s Mark / Maker’s Mark WHISKY
THE HANG TAG READS: ROCK THE VOTE
Silver wax, white wax, and the classic with a red-and-blue tag hung on its neck.
No. 68
Calipari Maker’s Mark
THE LABEL READS: calipari · Maker’s Mark · …45% ALC/VOL
THE SEALS READ: UK · 2010
Blue from top to bottom, with a portrait in gold, and signed by Calipari himself.
No. 69
Woodford Reserve, Derby Bottles
THE LABELS READ: KENTUCKY DERBY 133 · MAY 5, 2007 / KENTUCKY DERBY 134 · MAY 3, 2008
THE NECKS READ: THE OFFICIAL BOURBON OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY
ALSO: LABROT & GRAHAM · WOODFORD RESERVE
Two years of Derby bottles, side by side.
No. 70
Sazerac Rocks Glass
THE GLASS READS: SAZERAC
A rocks glass with the name printed on the side.
No. 71
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Heaven Hill Glasses
THE GLASSES READ: HEAVEN HILL
THE MEASURE READS: LoBALL · 2 oz. rich · 1½ oz. regular · 1 oz. mild
The measuring glass lets you pick your strength by the line.
No. 72
Kentucky Bourbon Festival Glass
THE GLASS READS: Kentucky BOURBON FESTIVAL · A CELEBRATION FOR T…
A souvenir glass with the festival’s logo printed on the side.
No. 73
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The Bar Cart
THE CART READS: (no maker’s mark showing)
A wooden cart with a glass top, glassware at the ready.
SHELF IXThe Distillery Office
Last stop before the door: paperwork from the whiskey business, letterheads, tax drafts and shipping notices, kept flat in their sleeves.
No. 74
Sunny Brook Distillery Co.
THE LETTERHEAD READS: OFFICE OF Sunny Brook Distillery Co. · INCORPORATED · 28TH AND BROADWAY · LOUISVILLE, KY.
THE LETTER SAYS: …made draft on you… for Government Tax on the whiskey shipped you this day…
Typewritten and signed off SUNNY BROOK DISTILLERY CO.
No. 75
Wm. Davie & Co., 1871
THE HEADING READS: WM. DAVIE & CO. · Paris, Ky. · Dec 1 1871
A full page of close handwriting, the oldest date in the cellar.
No. 76
Kentucky Distilleries & Warehouse Co.
THE LETTERHEAD READS: Kentucky Distilleries and Warehouse Co. · Incorporated · Frankfort, Ky.
STAMPED: SEP 28 1901
THE LETTER SAYS: We enclose herewith Tax Statement, Copy of Regauge and Bill of Lading covering 5 Bbls. Whiskey…
Five barrels, shipped out to Great Falls, Montana.
SHELF XUncorked
The bottles are on the shelf. The real stories are still sealed inside, so the cellar has been filling the silence.
Cellar Whispers
Manor lore · unverified
The POISON bottle is the one thing on the shelf the ghosts won’t touch. Smart ghosts.
On damp nights the green seltzer siphon is heard fizzing all by itself.
The Rip Van Winkle decanter was caught yawning once. Just the once.
The Woodford label was torn by a ghost who wanted to keep the ending a secret. Or a mouse. The jury is out.
Nobody has ever seen the clowns move. Nobody has ever seen them hold still, either.
The Opera House bottle spent years sealed inside a theater wall. On quiet nights it hums something from the second act.
J.R. Ewing keeps his briefcase shut. The Wild Turkeys keep an eye on it.
None of this is on record. The bottles stay corked and the lantern stays lit.
OUT BACKThe Loading Dock
Up the back steps and through the cellar doors, something is parked at the dock with its message painted on in big letters.
