Monday, July 25, 2011

I don't like Whiskey but...

Recently someone posed the question "what do you collect?" I though for awhile going through the most obvious ones. Instruments (although that may be considered more hoarding than collecting) books (but seriously who doesn't have a collection of books in their home) and lanterns (just because I think they look cool) but none of these have any real passion or purpose behind them. (ok maybe the instruments but that's another post for another day.)
What do I collect?

I collect Whiskey bottles.

In 1812 my family owned a distillery in Benton PA. At one point it seems as thought they owned practically the whole town. (that's not saying much, the town is very small!) The buisness burned to the ground in 1911 destroying everything. Since then the original whiskey bottle from the distillery have been very hard to come by and are popular amoung antiques collectors. After the fire the family sold the name of the company to a whiskey company in Kentucky which continued to produce McHenry Whiskey for some time. I have spent a large amount of time looking for both the original bottles from Benton Pa, as well as the newer bottles that were produced in Kentucky. I currently have 5 bottles, 3 of the newer bottles from Kentucky and 2 original bottles from Pa.

These 3 bottles I aquired from my father who got them from his Aunt.

This is one of the original labels to the smaller whiskey bottles sold.
(my Dad had it mounted and framed to preserve it.)

This is one of the original bottles. I Love It!!!

This is the other. I love them. The glass is so old it's is very hard to find one that isn't cracked. You can see all the imperfections in the glass and many times they have bubbles and the glass has broken a bit around the bubble. I was lucky to find these for sale by someone who did not know what they were. $20! (on ebay they usually go for close to $700!)

(I also have a McHenry Whiskey shot glass from the Kentucky plant.)







9 comments:

Joe_Slavick said...

Hello,
I have a connection to the McHenry Distillery and family from Benton (Brewington). I came across your blog and wanted to learn more about the other bottles you have collected. Also I was wondering more about the Kentucky plant. My family has a few bottles much like your brown ones back at my home in PA. Any information you have would be greatly appreciated.

Joseph Slavick

Mike McHenry said...

Nice collection, I'm jealous. If I had as many as you, I wouldn't be offering, but I have a single, original brown, square , Pennsylvania McHenry bottle WITH the label intact in great condition Interested? Here's a link to a pic:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=376535495768492&set=a.376535489101826.90969.262736450481731&type=3&theater

You can message me through that facebook page if you like.
Thanks,

Mike McHenry

Anonymous said...

Mike is your bottle still available? If so, send me an email. Jhharmon@yahoo.com

JWiney said...

My great-grandmother was a McHenry, daughter of the distillery owners. The family was split up after the father was killed. I grew up near Benton and am amazed at how many people I know who are related to them. I finally bought my first old amber bottle last week on Ebay from someone who obviously did not know what they had. Hoping to keep adding to my collection!

JWiney said...

My great-grandmother was a McHenry, daughter of the distillery owners. The family was split up after the father was killed. I grew up near Benton and am amazed at how many people I know who are related to them. I finally bought my first old amber bottle last week on Ebay from someone who obviously did not know what they had. Hoping to keep adding to my collection!

Anonymous said...

I like the rest of you Have the McHenry blood line in my Family. I have the brown bottles from Benton and Archbald. Train bottles, shot glasses, Jugs. I like them because they are part of the family's past. I never got the crazy prices though. The most I paid for any McHenry Item was 200 for a close too mint jug. Everything else was in the 60 to 80 dollar range and most of it was on Ebay & local auctions. I never saw anything McHenry go for $700 and I really do look around. Throwing out crazy prices like this just creates hype with people who really do not know what these things really go for and makes it harder for the Family members (the real collectors of this stuff)to get this stuff at a reasonable price. Easy on the imaginary prices they do not exisit :)

s1 said...

Just picked up a full one!!!

Linda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda said...

My grandmother is a McHenry descendant and our family has been collecting McHenry whiskey-related items for a long time. I believe there used to be an annual McHenry reunion many years ago. Is there still one? It would be interesting and nice to meet extended family.