Pride of Kentucky Old Bourbon
Pride of Kentucky
Old Bourbon
Livingston & Co.
Sole Agents
Livingston & Co., San Francisco, California
Amber Fifth
Provenance: Richard Siri Collection
The Pride of Kentucky bottle is another great example of the relationship of good old Kentucky bourbon and agents in California who represented and distributed the brand to Golden State pioneers. This cylinder fifth is found in various shades of amber with some examples transitioning to a green tone glass color, which we have not seen. Our example is crude and has an applied top.
Livingston & Company were the Sole Agents in San Francisco, California. Their name is embossed on the bottle along with the Pride of Kentucky Old Bourbon name.
Louis Livingston started out in the grocery and wholesale liquor business in San Francisco in 1864. By 1867, it was Livingston & Co. and he was located at the same address. Isaac Levy was his partner. In 1876, Louis Livingston formed a new partnership with Isaac Levy, Abram P. Williams, and Joesph May. You can see their names on the 1877 Livingston & Co. billhead above and the letterhead below. The documents say they were established in 1804. On the 1882 letterhead, note their Covington, Kentucky address. It is thought that during this 1874 to 1879 period that the brand flourished. Various iterations of the company occurred with Joseph May running the company up to the great San Francisco Earthquake in 1906. Other brands and bottles were brought forth during this period.
Here is an interesting account of when Joseph May, a partner of Livingston & Co., visited Kentucky and toured the great distilleries.
Among the visitors to Kentucky during the fortnight no one received a warmer welcome than Joe May, of Livingston & Co., San Francisco. Everybody knows Joe and everybody likes him. And who could help to like a man so broad, liberal, so easily understood, so generous? There is nothing small about Joe May. He could not be a hypocrite. He could not be mean. He could not be proud. He could not be bigoted. Joe isn’t a Christian exactly, but we rather think that St. Peter will be glad to see him when he marches up to the Golden Gate.
Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular, Volume 33, 1890
Joe went with us on a trip “around the circle,” and he evidently fell in love with Kentucky hospitality. Our first stop was Lebanon, although we had good views along the way of the distilleries of the J. M. Atherton Co., at New Haven, of those of T. H. Sherley & Co., at New Hope, of the Nelson County Distillery Co., at Coon Hollow, of J. B. Dant’s distillery at Dant, and as well of the small houses run by W. H. Head, R. Cummins & Co. and Smith, Blair & Co., at other points.
At Lebanon we were welcomed by Messrs. R. N. Wathen and Chas. Kobert, of Mueller, Wathen & Kobert, and driven first to their distillery and afterward to the distillery of Boldrick & Callaghan. After the drive, which was a delightful one, we were welcomed to supper by Mrs. Kobert at her beautiful home in Lebanon. After supper the gentlemen retired to the library, where fine Rhine and Moselle wines and imported segars were discussed for an hour or so, while from an adjoining room sweet strains of music floated in.
Some time after 10 P. M. we took the train for Stamford, and next morning at nine o’clock we were at Silver Creek, among the distilleries and warehouses of W. S. Hume & Co. and Burnam, Bennett & Co.
After an hour or so spent in this way, the Messrs. Hume ordered one of their carriages, and behind a pair of four-year old Blackstones we were soon whirling through as fine a piece of bluegrass country as even Kentucky can show, on our way to Richmond. We reached Lexington by the way of Paris in time for supper. At Lexington we met Messrs. Pepper & Stall, but did not have time to visit their distilleries.
The next morning we reached Frankfort, where we were taken in charge by Messrs. Hiram and George Berry, of W. A. Gaines & Co. And who could wish to be in better hands? A drive behind a splendid pair of horses to the Hermitage and then to the Old Crow distillery; a dinner at Mr. Hiram Berry’s such as only a genius for entertaining, and a long experience could order, and after dinner an hour or so of vocal and instrumental music as delightful as it was unanticipated.
On our return to Louisville we were taken in hand by Mr. R. F. Balke, vice-president of the Mellwood Distillery Co., and feasted until poor Digestion cried aloud: “Have mercy, mercy, Appetite!”
Primary Image: Both Pride of Kentucky bottles imaged on location by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio led by Alan DeMaison.
Support Image: The second example of a Pride of Kentucky Old Bourbon from the Ken Schwartz collection.
Support: Reference to Whiskey Bottles of the Old West by John L. Thomas, 2002
Support: Reference to Prohibition, Distillers, and Brands by Bret Heinemann, Bottles and Extras, Spring 2005
Support: Two images of the applied top, western whiskey bottle embossed “W. A. Gaines & Co., Frankfort K.Y.” and “S. F. L (in horizontal diamond) Private Stock Old Bourbon, Livingston & Co Sole Agents.” FOHBC archives.
Support Image: Jeff Wichmann and American Bottle Auctions.
Join the FOHBC: The Virtual Museum is a project of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC). To become a member.