W.A. Gaines and Company

W.A. Gaines and Company was a liquor (distilled beverage) company that specialized in American-made whiskeys. Originally started as the partnership Gaines, Berry & Co. in 1862, it was reorganized in 1868 as W.A. Gaines and Company and later became a joint stock company in 1887.[1][2] Among the company's investors and officers was Edson Bradley.

W.A. Gaines & Co. Established 1868. 229 West Main Street. Downtown Frankfort, Kentucky.

History

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Brands included Old Crow and Old Hermitage.[3] W.A. Gaines erected the Hermitage distillery in 1868, and were the largest producers of fine "sour mash" whiskeys in the world.[1][4] Its owners were accused of being major players in the "Whiskey Trust", but that was never proved.[5]

The involvement of W.A. Gaines and Co. in the whiskey industry ended with Prohibition.[5] National Distillers, which owned the distillery and brand from the end of Prohibition until 1987, continued to use the W.A. Gaines and Company name. Jim Beam bought National in 1987.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The Hermitage Distillery". pre-pro.com.
  2. ^ "Hiram Berry Biography". wordpress.com.
  3. ^ "ROCK SPRING DISTILLING CO. v. W A GAINES & CO. , 246 U.S. 312 (1918)". Thomson Reuters.
  4. ^ "W A GAINES & CO., Frankfort, KY. 1868-1919". pre-pro.com.
  5. ^ a b "Edson Bradley: Washington's Whiskey Millionaire" (PDF). The Potomac Pontil.
  6. ^ "Old Crow Whiskey, a fine Bourbon". Whiskeywise.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2011-03-26.

38°11′54″N 84°52′39″W / 38.1982°N 84.8775°W / 38.1982; -84.8775