CMDK is the abbreviation for Charles Medley Distillers Kentucky, the name of the old Owensboro distillery purchased by Angostura Limited in 2007. Derek Schneider is the plant manager. CMDK isn't making any whiskey yet, as its restoration still has a way to go. That means there won't be any whiskey ready to drink for several years, but that hasn't stopped Schneider from getting the name out there.
It's basically a one-man operation right now, but that one man is something special. In addition to managing the distillery restoration, he has become a PR juggernaut. Schneider recognizes that the American whiskey enthusiast community is almost as hungry for information as it is for the drink itself. Working on a shoestring budget, Schneider is doing whatever he can to oblige. I heartily approve.
So take that into consideration as you view the video below, or visit the CMDK web site. Neither is the kind of slick production you might expect from a Jack Daniel's or Jim Beam, but it gets the job done.
Below the CMDK History and Origins video Schneider put together is a report about the distillery from Fox News, which features shots of Woodford Reserve, and comments by Woodford Master Distiller Chris Morris and Brown-Forman PR chief Phil Lynch. Morris had an association with CMDK 20 years ago when he worked for the distillery's previous owner.
I have some friends who are divers and whenever video footage shot underwater appears on TV, no matter what it is, they perk up. I saw it happen once during a Red Lobster commercial. I'm the same way if I see whiskey barrels. If you are like me and can't get enough of this sort of thing, here you go.
(Note, 9/16/09. I had embedded the videos here, but that no longer seems to be working, so here are the links. The history video is here. The Fox video is here. If that doesn't work, go to YouTube and search for posts by CPTDerek.)
Showing posts with label Medley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medley. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Rust May Not Sleep, But It Makes for Great Pictures.
As Rust-Oleum paint first told us, and Neil Young and Devo reminded us, rust never sleeps. Perhaps it is that tenacity that makes it both so destructive and so beautiful.
A few weeks ago, I visited the Charles Medley distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky. I wrote about that visit here and here.
The distillery as it is today was mostly built in the 30s and 40s, the years just after Prohibition. It stopped producing in 1991. Although it sat idle for 18 years, it wasn't abandoned. Charles Medley did his best to keep it in one piece so it could one day be reopened, but he concentrated on the big stuff like keeping the roofs sound. In the meantime, nature did its thing.
In December of last year, before the renovation began, Owensboro photographer John London was given the opportunity to photograph the property. There were documentary purposes for this, but the results are beautiful. You can view the whole 103-photo portfolio here.
I suggest you just press the slideshow button and let it roll.
A few weeks ago, I visited the Charles Medley distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky. I wrote about that visit here and here.
The distillery as it is today was mostly built in the 30s and 40s, the years just after Prohibition. It stopped producing in 1991. Although it sat idle for 18 years, it wasn't abandoned. Charles Medley did his best to keep it in one piece so it could one day be reopened, but he concentrated on the big stuff like keeping the roofs sound. In the meantime, nature did its thing.
In December of last year, before the renovation began, Owensboro photographer John London was given the opportunity to photograph the property. There were documentary purposes for this, but the results are beautiful. You can view the whole 103-photo portfolio here.
I suggest you just press the slideshow button and let it roll.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
More About My Visit To CMDK.
On Saturday, I had my first look at Kentucky's newest whiskey distillery, Charles Medley Distillers Kentucky, conveniently abbreviated for us as CMDK. I posted this from there, on Saturday night.
The distillery is in Owensboro, Kentucky, an Ohio River town in Daviess County (pronounced "Davis") in Western Kentucky, about 40 miles upriver from Evansville, Indiana, and about 120 miles downriver from Louisville.
CMDK is a new name, but it refers to the family that owned the place from 1940 to 1559, and operated it until it fell silent in 1991. Charles was the last Medley there, as an employee. He bought the plant after it closed, hoping to reopen it, but never could.
In 2007, he sold it to Angostura, the company you may know for their Angostura bitters. They are, in fact, a big distiller of rum, vodka and other spirits, based in Trinidad and Tobago. In recent years they have been buying distilleries all over the world, including in Scotland and France.
Daviess County produced its last bourbon in 1991, when this plant closed, but it once was one of the big distilling centers in Kentucky, on both sides of Prohibition. The first distillery on this site, near the river just west of downtown, was built in 1885. There were other distilleries on two of the adjacent lots.
As with the Ripy family in Anderson County and the Beam family in Nelson, most distillery operations in Daviess had a Medley in them somewhere. Most old timers in Owensboro continue to call this place Medley Brothers, the name it bore from 1940 to 1988. It was run by the five Medley brothers. Charles is the son of Wathen Medley, whose first name is actually the surname of another prominent Kentucky whiskey family from Louisville, the Wathens, that merged with the Medleys through marriage.
During Prohibition, the Wathens operated the largest consolidation warehouse, in Louisville. It was called American Medicinal Spirits (AMS). After Prohibition, AMS was the core of what became National Distillers. The Wathen/Medley clan is one of the first families of bourbon.
Charles, the plant's last Master Distiller, was at Saturday's event and is consulting with the new operation.
Most of the buildings, including the warehouses, are red brick, but they have two steel clad warehouses, which are being at least partially reclad. The warehouses need a lot of repair work inside too. Warehouses are important because they are where the barrels of whiskey age. To rebuild the interiors, they are getting ricks from the Lawrenceburg, Indiana, distillery Angostura also owns.
The first CMDK new make whiskey may be entered into barrels in 2009, but I wouldn't bet on it. Whenever it happens, it will be several years after that before it is fully aged and ready for sale, so don't expect to see any whiskey from this distillery on the market before 2014.
Derek Schneider, the plant manager, says they're trying to achieve a good balance of tradition and modernity, although I don't think he used the word "modernity." About half of what they need to get the distilling part going is there, the rest will be new. They need new milling and grain handling, many new fermenters (Charles sold all of the cypress ones to Maker's Mark years ago), new boilers and a new beer well. The old mash cookers are still good, as are the beer still and doubler. They need all new modern process controls.
They're investing about $25 MM in the restoration.
It would appear that they are planning to get tourism going about the same time they get distilling going. They aren't going to wait until they have some product to sell.
The refurbished distillery as currently envisioned will have a capacity of 2,000,000 proof gallons per year.
Schneider is an interesting guy. He is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. He spent 10 years on active duty as an Armor/Cavalry Officer and has been 12 years in the reserves as a Civil Affairs officer. He has been to 27 countries including 4 tours in the Middle East (Desert Storm and Iraq). He managed 75 reconstruction projects in Iraq including rebuilding 32 schools, 8 water treatment plants, 2 bridges over the Tigris River and numerous other public buildings. He was also a UN Peacekeeper. He currently teaches at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Knox. He plans to retire from the Army this year to devote full time to making whiskey.
The distillery has a web site, here.
The distillery is in Owensboro, Kentucky, an Ohio River town in Daviess County (pronounced "Davis") in Western Kentucky, about 40 miles upriver from Evansville, Indiana, and about 120 miles downriver from Louisville.
CMDK is a new name, but it refers to the family that owned the place from 1940 to 1559, and operated it until it fell silent in 1991. Charles was the last Medley there, as an employee. He bought the plant after it closed, hoping to reopen it, but never could.
In 2007, he sold it to Angostura, the company you may know for their Angostura bitters. They are, in fact, a big distiller of rum, vodka and other spirits, based in Trinidad and Tobago. In recent years they have been buying distilleries all over the world, including in Scotland and France.
Daviess County produced its last bourbon in 1991, when this plant closed, but it once was one of the big distilling centers in Kentucky, on both sides of Prohibition. The first distillery on this site, near the river just west of downtown, was built in 1885. There were other distilleries on two of the adjacent lots.
As with the Ripy family in Anderson County and the Beam family in Nelson, most distillery operations in Daviess had a Medley in them somewhere. Most old timers in Owensboro continue to call this place Medley Brothers, the name it bore from 1940 to 1988. It was run by the five Medley brothers. Charles is the son of Wathen Medley, whose first name is actually the surname of another prominent Kentucky whiskey family from Louisville, the Wathens, that merged with the Medleys through marriage.
During Prohibition, the Wathens operated the largest consolidation warehouse, in Louisville. It was called American Medicinal Spirits (AMS). After Prohibition, AMS was the core of what became National Distillers. The Wathen/Medley clan is one of the first families of bourbon.
Charles, the plant's last Master Distiller, was at Saturday's event and is consulting with the new operation.
Most of the buildings, including the warehouses, are red brick, but they have two steel clad warehouses, which are being at least partially reclad. The warehouses need a lot of repair work inside too. Warehouses are important because they are where the barrels of whiskey age. To rebuild the interiors, they are getting ricks from the Lawrenceburg, Indiana, distillery Angostura also owns.
The first CMDK new make whiskey may be entered into barrels in 2009, but I wouldn't bet on it. Whenever it happens, it will be several years after that before it is fully aged and ready for sale, so don't expect to see any whiskey from this distillery on the market before 2014.
Derek Schneider, the plant manager, says they're trying to achieve a good balance of tradition and modernity, although I don't think he used the word "modernity." About half of what they need to get the distilling part going is there, the rest will be new. They need new milling and grain handling, many new fermenters (Charles sold all of the cypress ones to Maker's Mark years ago), new boilers and a new beer well. The old mash cookers are still good, as are the beer still and doubler. They need all new modern process controls.
They're investing about $25 MM in the restoration.
It would appear that they are planning to get tourism going about the same time they get distilling going. They aren't going to wait until they have some product to sell.
The refurbished distillery as currently envisioned will have a capacity of 2,000,000 proof gallons per year.
Schneider is an interesting guy. He is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. He spent 10 years on active duty as an Armor/Cavalry Officer and has been 12 years in the reserves as a Civil Affairs officer. He has been to 27 countries including 4 tours in the Middle East (Desert Storm and Iraq). He managed 75 reconstruction projects in Iraq including rebuilding 32 schools, 8 water treatment plants, 2 bridges over the Tigris River and numerous other public buildings. He was also a UN Peacekeeper. He currently teaches at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Knox. He plans to retire from the Army this year to devote full time to making whiskey.
The distillery has a web site, here.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
I Attend The CMDK Coming-Out Party.
Why am I here?
"Here" is Owensboro, Kentucky, an Ohio River town in Daviess County (pronounced "Davis") in Western Kentucky. I am attending (or, rather, just left) the Owensboro Rotary Foundation's Bourbon Heritage Celebration and Valentine's Day Dinner Dance.
So, why am I here? (Without a date, I might add.)
No, seriously, how come?
I asked this question when I was invited. I asked it again when I got there and my name wasn't on the list. I asked it again as I scanned the room full of men and women I didn't know. (Though all were nicely dressed and many were attractive.)
Then I spotted Tom Fischer of Bourbon Blog. Tom is an earnest and indefatigable bourbon documentarian. If bourbon is being consumed in a public place, Tom and his camera are there. It was nice to see him.
Then I spotted Eric Gregory, the new president of the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), and met his number two, Kristin Meadors. I don't know Kristin's exact title, but she is KDA's other employee, representing a 100 percent increase in personnel since Ed O'Daniel's tenure.
Eric and I talked a little about Kentucky's recent decision to become one of the highest tax states in the country for alcoholic beverage consumers, despite Kentucky's status as the leading producer of America's native whiskey. The new sales tax primarily burdens consumers, but it's like a spit in the eye to Kentucky's whiskey producers. As Eric said, "that's no way to treat one of Kentucky's signature industries."
He told me that he recently was in Frankfort and in one room, lawmakers were planning incentives to attract new industries to Kentucky, while in an adjacent room lawmakers were making plans to tax one of Kentucky's best existing industries to death.
Okay, but I could have done all this on the phone. Why am I here?
I came because this event, albeit primarily a fund raiser for the local Rotarians, is the first time Angostura, the new owners of Charles Medley Distillers Kentucky (the new name, conveniently abbreviated for us as CMDK), has let the public in to see what they're up to.
The party was held in the old bottling house, which is slated to be the new visitors center. It's a nice space that comfortably held the 250 guests. They had a display of some CMDK hats and t-shirts, to represent where the gift shop will be. When I drove in there was a nice, new sign, and three lighted flag poles.
So far, that's about it. No one offered to show me anything other than the space we were in, and I'm confident that's because there was nothing else to see. I spent a few minutes with Derek Schneider, the Plant Manager, who is overseeing the refurbishment now and will run the place when it opens. He said it has been slow going and they hope to be fixing up the still house in earnest by fall. Roof repair has taken a lot of attention, as almost every building sustained roof damage in Hurricane Ike last fall.
I'll have more details from my chat with Derek later. Trust me, there's no rush.
Maybe the first CMDK new make will be entered into barrels in 2009, but I wouldn't bet on it.
So, all that was good, but worth a 7+ hour drive from Chicago?
Then I sat down for dinner and providence put me next to Dan Medley, whose father, John, was one of the five brothers who ran the Medley company back in the day. He was wearing an official Medley Kentucky Colonel tie, one of the distillery's trademarks in its heyday. (The five Medley brothers would wear nothing else.) He told me his family had researched the history of the distilling industry in Daviess County and determined that it had once contained 150 licensed whiskey distilleries.
Maybe, before too long, it will have one again. Keep your fingers crossed.
Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris was also there as a special guest. Chris was at Glenmore after it merged with Medley but before it merged with what is now Diageo, as the brand manager for bourbon, which is the long way to say he worked there when Glenmore owned CMDK, which was the last time CMDK made whiskey. He gave a nice speech about Prohibition and its aftermath, but the speech was a bad idea. The lighting and sound were unsuitable, and the crowd was restless. They were ready to dance.
They did. I left. I looked around for Chris, but I suspect he was already halfway to Louisville by then.
"Here" is Owensboro, Kentucky, an Ohio River town in Daviess County (pronounced "Davis") in Western Kentucky. I am attending (or, rather, just left) the Owensboro Rotary Foundation's Bourbon Heritage Celebration and Valentine's Day Dinner Dance.
So, why am I here? (Without a date, I might add.)
No, seriously, how come?
I asked this question when I was invited. I asked it again when I got there and my name wasn't on the list. I asked it again as I scanned the room full of men and women I didn't know. (Though all were nicely dressed and many were attractive.)
Then I spotted Tom Fischer of Bourbon Blog. Tom is an earnest and indefatigable bourbon documentarian. If bourbon is being consumed in a public place, Tom and his camera are there. It was nice to see him.
Then I spotted Eric Gregory, the new president of the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), and met his number two, Kristin Meadors. I don't know Kristin's exact title, but she is KDA's other employee, representing a 100 percent increase in personnel since Ed O'Daniel's tenure.
Eric and I talked a little about Kentucky's recent decision to become one of the highest tax states in the country for alcoholic beverage consumers, despite Kentucky's status as the leading producer of America's native whiskey. The new sales tax primarily burdens consumers, but it's like a spit in the eye to Kentucky's whiskey producers. As Eric said, "that's no way to treat one of Kentucky's signature industries."
He told me that he recently was in Frankfort and in one room, lawmakers were planning incentives to attract new industries to Kentucky, while in an adjacent room lawmakers were making plans to tax one of Kentucky's best existing industries to death.
Okay, but I could have done all this on the phone. Why am I here?
I came because this event, albeit primarily a fund raiser for the local Rotarians, is the first time Angostura, the new owners of Charles Medley Distillers Kentucky (the new name, conveniently abbreviated for us as CMDK), has let the public in to see what they're up to.
The party was held in the old bottling house, which is slated to be the new visitors center. It's a nice space that comfortably held the 250 guests. They had a display of some CMDK hats and t-shirts, to represent where the gift shop will be. When I drove in there was a nice, new sign, and three lighted flag poles.
So far, that's about it. No one offered to show me anything other than the space we were in, and I'm confident that's because there was nothing else to see. I spent a few minutes with Derek Schneider, the Plant Manager, who is overseeing the refurbishment now and will run the place when it opens. He said it has been slow going and they hope to be fixing up the still house in earnest by fall. Roof repair has taken a lot of attention, as almost every building sustained roof damage in Hurricane Ike last fall.
I'll have more details from my chat with Derek later. Trust me, there's no rush.
Maybe the first CMDK new make will be entered into barrels in 2009, but I wouldn't bet on it.
So, all that was good, but worth a 7+ hour drive from Chicago?
Then I sat down for dinner and providence put me next to Dan Medley, whose father, John, was one of the five brothers who ran the Medley company back in the day. He was wearing an official Medley Kentucky Colonel tie, one of the distillery's trademarks in its heyday. (The five Medley brothers would wear nothing else.) He told me his family had researched the history of the distilling industry in Daviess County and determined that it had once contained 150 licensed whiskey distilleries.
Maybe, before too long, it will have one again. Keep your fingers crossed.
Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris was also there as a special guest. Chris was at Glenmore after it merged with Medley but before it merged with what is now Diageo, as the brand manager for bourbon, which is the long way to say he worked there when Glenmore owned CMDK, which was the last time CMDK made whiskey. He gave a nice speech about Prohibition and its aftermath, but the speech was a bad idea. The lighting and sound were unsuitable, and the crowd was restless. They were ready to dance.
They did. I left. I looked around for Chris, but I suspect he was already halfway to Louisville by then.
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