# Mount Vernon Rye



## cappyjon431 (Apr 4, 2010)

Hi. I found this bottle diving yesterday. I am not sure how old it is or if it is worth anything, but I really like it. It is approximately 6 inches tall and three inches wide at the base. On the front it says "Mount Vernon Pure Rye Whiskey" and on the back it says "Hannis Dist LC Co. Full Quart, Re-Use of Bottle Prohibited." On the bottom it says "Patented" and "March 25, 1890." Is 1890 the date of manufacture?


----------



## surfaceone (Apr 5, 2010)

Ahoy, Captain Jon,





 "Mount Vernon Rye

 1872 - ~1906:  
 Hannis Distilling Company
 Offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 Maryland distillery on Ostend St, Baltimore
 Main distillery in Martinsburg, West Virginia
 ~1906 - 1919: 
 Cook & Bernheimer, New York
 Distillery still Hannis, located in Baltimore
 1920-1932: American Medicinal Spirits
 1933 - 1957: National Distillers Products 

 MOUNT VERNON IS PROBABLY the most widely-known brand of Maryland Rye. 
 It's distinctive square bottle is easily recognized, and it was one of National Distillers' Big Four brands well into the late 1950's. Even in its pre-Prohibition incarnation, Mount Vernon took first-place awards at no less than four World's Fair competitions (Philadelphia in 1876, New Orleans in 1885, Australia in 1887, and Chicago in 1893) making it one of the Baltimore liquor and distilling industry's premier products. Unlike most of the Baltimore brands, Mount Vernon remained active throughout Prohibition as medicinal whiskey, released through American Medicinal Spirits... The original Mount Vernon distillery #1, at the corner of Russell and West Ostend streets in the southwest part of Baltimore, was built in 1863 by Henry S. Hannis & Company, of Philadelphia. Actually, it was re-built by Hannis, who bought an existing distillery which had been operated there for over a decade by Edwin Clabaugh and George Graff and had it enlarged and modernized. Just how "modernized" you ask?  Well, when the United States held the biggest "look what we've accomplished!" show it its history, the 1876 Centennial Exposition, a key exhibit at the Agriculture Building was a model whiskey distillery, displaying the state of the art in world-class terms (it's certainly hard to imagine such a public acknowledgement of the beverage alcohol industry today).  And selected for that honor was the new Hannis distillery in Baltimore, whose design was reproduced for the display." @ this place along with more history & photos.  

 It would appear that Mt. Vernon Rye was popular and widely distributed. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 "Hannis Distilling Co. "Full Five" Mount Vernon Pure Rye Whiskey.

 Embossed on base "Patented Mar. 25 1890"

 A very sick example of a classical bottle dug by Cliffy Le Riche in Kimberley." From this excellent South African site.

 I'm thinking the patent is on the bottle, but haven't tried to research that as yet. Very nice color on yours. Would'ya show us the full magilla?


----------

