DEATH OF THE MILWAUKEE LIQUOR INDUSTRY
Article courtesy of John Lindsay with minoralterations by the Editor.
Last Revised 08/16/2015
About a hundred and twenty years ago, the Milwaukee liquorindustry was dealt a death blow. Here is how it happened.
The distilleries and the breweries grew up here before theCivil War in competitive harmony, even though beer was not then used as achaser. With Milwaukee whiskey selling for 15 cents a gallon, there was littleneed for slowing down consumption by the use of chasers of any kind.
During the Civil War, the Federal government slapped a $1a barrel tax on beer and a $1 a gallon on whiskey, which made beer drinking abargain and led thrifty Milwaukeeans to change their drinking habits.
After the war, the whiskey tax was raised to $2 a gallon,even though President Ulysses Grant, of all people should have known better.
There were then eight distilleries in Milwaukee and anumber of others outside the city limits. The local distillers were OttoBierbach, Brunst & Casperi, Koeffler Bros., O’Neill & Reynolds,Rindshopf & Son, J.B. Schram, P. Young, and Schuckman and Waldeck.
Even in those days, Milwaukee was a law abiding communityand the distillers paid the $2 tax, grumbling all the way. But before long theyran into difficulty with competition from Chicago distillers.
Chicago whiskey was selling here for $1.15 a gallon.Bierbach, Brunst, Koeffler, Rindshopf and their friends figured out that if theChicagoans could sell whiskey that was taxed at $2 a gallon, for $1.15 they mustnot be paying the tax.
They were paying off the people charged with enforcing thetax instead. Most of the Milwaukeeans switched over to the new rules that weredeveloped by the Chicagoans. Washington found its liquor tax wasn’t bringing inmuch revenue, but everyone else was satisfied until 1876, when the stakes wereraised.
It was then that Congress decided that a manufacturer ofcontraband booze would be subject to a prison term as well as a fine. JacobNunnemacher, for one decided to get out of the business.
He sold his Nunnemacher Distillery, located well out inthe country near what is now 27th & Oklahoma, to the Kinnickinnic DistillingCo. He had been willing to take a chance with a fine, but wasn’t ready to go tojail.
The Kinnickinnic outfit, despite its catchy name , didn’tlast long, and within a few years only three distilleries remained in the city.They were Meadow Spring Distilling Co., Wm. Bergenthal Co., and John Meiner.
By 1916, there were only two distilleries here, althoughone had three companies operating out of the same address. National Distillingwas one, and S.C. Herbst was the other. Herbst’s three firms were, Benson CreekDistillery, Old Judge Distilling Co., and the Old John E. FitzgeraldsDistillery.
Prohibition closed these distilleries down, but the realturning point was in 1876, when Jake Nunnemacher decided that he didn’t want torisk going to jail.
Editor’s Note:
Additions to theLiquor Industry Business in Milwaukee
Some of Milwaukee’s earliest distilleries did not only make liquor but aleand beer as well. The first was what became the Lake Brewery, Milwaukee’searliest brewery. Another was the Empire Brewery operated by the Best family.
Please visit Milwaukee’s newest distillery at Great Lakes Distillery, LLC
THE WM. BERGENTHAL CO., MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
Importers and Jobbers of Fine Old Kentucky Whiskies…
Note: the origin of this article is unknown, mostlikely dates to 1900, first appeared in The Cream City Courier withoutacknowledgment, the editor has modified certain words and punctuations.
Milwaukee has always been an important whiskey market.Many large liquor houses are located here. In front of these institutions standsthe Wm. Bergenthal Company, importers of the best foreign productions in thisline and dealers in fine old whiskey at wholesale, whose premises are located at476 and 478 Fourth Street on the corner of Cherry.
Mr. William Bergenthal, the founder, was born inWestphalia, Germany in 1844 and came to Milwaukee in 1867. Two years later heestablished his present business which has prospered and increased in the mostgratifying manner. In 1879 the large and growing interests involved becameincorporated under the laws of Wisconsin with a paid-up capital of $100,000. Mr.Bergenthal assuming the double duties of president and treasurer, and Mr. HenryFigge, whose connection with the house as a traveling salesman dating from 1876,being appointed vice-president.
The location has always been in the near neighborhood ofthe above and the splendid premises now occupied were taken possession of in1874. These consist of a two story structure with basement having vaults andsub-cellars thirty feet below. They are the largest and most complete in theNorthwest, and are only adapted for the storage of wines, foreign and native,and for preserving them in all seasons at a certain required temperature. Inthese splendid vaults, so far removed from adverse influences are kept the bestvintages of fine old imported and native wines in casks. Ample means for throughventilation have been provided and these superior beverages are kept in the mostperfect condition an shipped to consumers in all parts, who are invariablypleased with their high quality. On the ground and upper floors are also storeda splendid stock of old bourbon and rye whiskies, known as the leading brands ofAmerican, gins, brandies, rums, and cordials. The basement is devoted to thestorage of ales, porters, and mineral waters, and case goods of Rhine andMoselle wines, Clarets, Burgundies, and different other kinds imported in glass.
On the first floor are the offices and the stock,operating and packing rooms, while the second floor is used for surplus goods.The company are direct importers of the best French, German, Russian, Norwegian,and English productions and their trade extends over Wisconsin, Michigan,Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Washington, Oregon and the twoDakotas. Twelve capable assistants are employed in the house and six travelingsalesmen are kept continually upon the road.
Mr. Bergenthal is not only recognized as an authority upondetails of the industry in which he is engaged but is highly esteemed among themercantile community generally. He is a member of the Wholesale Liquor DealersAssociation and has for twenty years been an active member of the Chamber ofCommerce.
Mr. Figge was born in Germany and after a residence of sixyears in Cincinnati, Ohio, came to this city twenty years ago (1876). He is anactive and progressive businessman and justly merits the golden opinions he haswon.
The company are the sole proprietors and jobbers of thefollowing brands of bourbon and rye whiskies; Old Lexington, Mohawk, W.H.McBrayer, Hermitage, and Old Crow, Bond and Lillard, O.F.C., M.V. Monarch, R.Monarch, Anderson, Anderson Country Sour Mash, T.B. Ripy, Henry Clay (J.E.Pepper & Co.), Ashland, Mellwood, Blue Grass, Guckenheimer, Montrose andOverholt.
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From Michael L. Olson, “Melo’s Minis”, whiskey specialist comes thefollowing letter and pictures of several Wisconsin whiskey bottles:
Mike (Reilly),
The only mini whiskeys bottles in Wisconsin that I knowabout were WISCONSIN CLUB KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY. They were bottledby the Wisconsin Liquor Co. of Milwaukee. They made five variations before thewar and one shortly after.
Some liquor stores/bars did have personal miniatures madeand these can be found from the 1930’s until the 1970’s. The best were the twoWATERWHEELS made for The Platten Bros., Green Bay, Wis. They had multi coloredlabels and were bottled by John A. Wathen of Lebanon, KY. during the mid-1930’s.Another good series was made by Medley Distilling Co. of Owensboro, KY. (seephoto next page). These were made in the early 1950’s and are very desirable.
There were others, including a SARATOGA CLUB fromSuperior, WI., circa 1936 and a series made by Chase. Stewert of Milwaukee inthe 1970’s.
Hope this short history helps.
Regards,
Mike
309 Knopp Valley Dr.
, Winona, MN. 55987 507-454-1499