Pride of Kentucky Old Bourbon

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.

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.

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