Well, we’ve made it through another September’s worth of Kentucky Bourbon Heritage. I’ve spent most of it talking about bourbons I bought a while ago or bourbons that are just coming out. But I thought to close out the month, it might be fun to look at some actual Bourbon Heritage. And since I like to decorate my house with both vintage advertising and bourbon, I thought I might wander through eBay to see what I could find at that intersection. I even picked up a few to hang in the living room.
1943 Four Roses
I’m not going to lie…that looks a hell of a lot better than the garden we planted. Though I’m guessing that with all that ice, these don’t have the longest shelf life.
1952 Early Times
I’d like to draw your attention to the subhead. Apparently, no women were allowed to drink Early Times? This one amused and irritated my wife in equal parts. “Man’s Whiskey!” she spat.
1957 Four Roses Gin
Nothing to say about this one except that I had no idea there was ever a Four Roses Gin.
1965 Four Roses
This one made me giggle so I had to buy it. Apparently, Four Roses finally figured out how to make their whiskey taste good about 1965. Imagine putting out an ad that says: ”We don’t suck anymore!” Wait I guess Domino’s did that a few years ago.
1967 Canada Dry Bourbon
Canada Dry was feeling the snark in the late sixties. The first ad is talking about how other bourbons have a fancy name and nothing fancy in the bottle and the other…well they were making fun of the “folksy” marketing that other bourbons were using. Not sure that calling Kentuckians incestuous is a good marketing decision but maybe questionable decisions are part of why the brand no longer exists? Though there is a brand named “Kissing Cousins” on the market today should you want it.
1968 Old Fitzgerald
People who drink Old Fitzgerald don’t know any better. See because those guys know bourbon and Old Fitzgerald is the best? Right? That’s what you got from that, right? Yeah me either. But the ad makes me laugh so that is something.
1970 Early Times
I literally only included this one so you would get the song stuck in your head too. You’re welcome.
1972 Four Roses Premium
I know that light whiskey was a thing in the 1970s since no one was buying bourbon but this one underscores that they really didn’t understand the reason whiskey was losing market share. I’m pretty sure that people still wanted what they drank to taste good. They just didn’t want it to be whiskey.
1980 Benchmark
I’ve known more than a few bourbon-lovers who seem to have taken this headline to heart. (Not you, of course, by reading this far you’ve shown that you are the very embodiment of kindness.)
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