California Club House

California Club House

Pure Bourbon

Imported Only By Jno C. Morrison

(Monogram)

316 Sac. St. S.F.

John C. Morrison, Jr., San Francisco, California

Olive-Green Fifth

Provenance: Richard T. Siri Collection

Also found in amber, the California Club House bottle is considered one of the premier brands to collectors of California whiskey bottles. It was produced between 1872 and 1874. There are four known in any condition with three near mint to mint, and one with a replaced neck.

A true 49er, John C. Morrison, Jr., arrived in San Francisco in June 1849. Born in New York in 1823, he was the son of John C. Morrison, Sr., a successful New York commission merchant. The junior Morrison followed in his father’s mercantile footsteps in California, first becoming successful in Sacramento and then moving to San Francisco in 1857, selling nearly anything that could make a profit.

Morrison eventually focused on one of the most lucrative commodities for the California trade, selling liquor. He developed a strong market for several brands of whiskeys which he procured in Kentucky. His most popular whiskey was initially his C.D. and Stag C.D. brands. After some scandalous allegations about its quality, Morrison suffered a downturn in its sales and proclaimed he would leave the State and return with other choice brands from Kentucky distillers. One of his new brands was his Club House Whiskey, for which he trademarked the name in June 1872 (California Trade Mark No. 226).

Among his eight or so different brands of whiskeys, Morrison decided to produce only one bottle with the product name embossed upon. It is not known why he chose his California Club House brand for this honor, but it must be assumed he held it in high esteem and wanted to give it a promotional advantage. One of the first ‘fancy’ embossed round fifth bottles in the shape that was to become strongly associated with liquor bottles on the West Coast, it is also at the top of the list of most collectors of Western whiskey bottles. For unknown reasons the bottle is quite rare, which implies that the brand did not catch on with the public.

There is currently no evidence when the bottles were produced, but it is most likely they were made closer to the date of the introduction of the brand. The engraving work on the bottle mold was executed by the currently unknown San Francisco artisan who used the curved leg ‘R’ in his lettering. The bottles were, without a doubt, a product of a San Francisco glass factory.

Morrison’s wife, Catherine L., died in San Francisco on December 10, 1876. Unlike his father, who lived to see 84 years, and died December 10, 1872, John Cramer Morrison, Jr., died May 17, 1881, at the age of 58 years in San Francisco. His business was succeeded by Moon, Scully & Co. (Andrew J. Moon & Peter Scully) who occupied his old store and continued to sell his brands, probably only while his estate was settled. Both Moon and Scully worked for Morrison in his liquor business.

By 1878, John C. Morrison & Co. was restructured with Morrison effectively retiring from active business and his company became Moon, Scully & Co. This partnership was officially discontinued on June 18, 1881.

Support: Reference to Whiskey Bottles of the Old West by John L. Thomas, 2002.

Support: Research by Eric McGuire. Secondary images from FOHBC and Peachridge Glass digital libraries.