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A taste for history
Bourbon ambassador to be featured at Bradford House
mbradwell@observer-reporter.com
An upcoming dinner to raise funds for the Bradford House could have the ghost of David Bradford chuckling to himself and raising a glass to the event.
On July 17, the Bradford House Historical Association will welcome Frederick Booker Noe III to its first Whiskey Rebellion Dinner.
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Contributors will enjoy an evening of fine dining with an 18th-century-inspired menu and whiskey-tasting at the George Washington. They'll hear Noe share the history of his family's business and their long legacy as bourbon whiskey distillers that began in Kentucky in 1795 with Jacob Beam and has resulted in today's dynasty that is Jim Beam.
William "Tripp" Kline III, president of the board of the Bradford House Historical Association, said money raised from the special event will go toward the support of the Bradford House museum.
Bradford was a leader of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, an event that helped to shape American history and that of whiskey distilling in America.
The Bradford House, built 221 years ago, has been a local, regional and national historic landmark.
Kline explained that the recent elimination of state funding of museums necessitates finding other sources of support for the house museum, which is dedicated to interpreting the historic events that led to the Whiskey Rebellion.
He acknowledged that Noe's appearance here as an ambassador for one of America's prominent whiskey distillers to help raise funds to maintain a museum in a house built by the man who led the Whiskey Rebellion is both fitting as well as ironic.
Bradford became the leader of an insurrection by area residents who were upset over a high excise tax on whiskey.
President George Washington sent troops from eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey to Washington in a show of power from the federal government.
A successful lawyer, businessman and deputy attorney general for the county, Bradford fled to Spanish West Florida (Louisiana) to avoid imprisonment.
He was later pardoned by President John Adams and returned briefly to Washington County to sell his property. He then returned to Louisiana, where he died in 1810.
The aftermath of the Whiskey Rebellion also meant that distillation of bourbon whiskey took hold in the Kentucky territory, where settlers were encouraged to grow corn and nationally known brands like Beam's got their start, Kline said.
Western Pennsylvania, which was known for its rye whiskeys, did go on to create some successful products, such as Old Overholt and Monongahela Rye as well as the Schenley brands, he added. But during prohibition, rye began to fall out of favor as Americans gravitated toward sweeter, lighter Canadian whiskeys. After prohibition, rye became an also-ran among whiskeys.
Down in Kentucky, bourbon continued to grow in popularity to the present day, where distillers like Beam have added upscale, niche versions of the whiskey.
For the past 20 years, Noe has worked at the Jim Beam Distillery, which was built by his great-grandfather, Jim Beam, after the repeal of prohibition in 1933. Noe has served in many capacities at the distillery throughout his career, including aiding in the development of his father's signature bourbon, "Booker's Bourbon." Today, Noe introduces consumers around the world to the Small Batch Bourbon Collection, his family's collection of ultra-premium, handcrafted bourbons, featuring Bookers, Baker's, Knob Creek and Basil Hayden's.
The Bradford House Whiskey Rebellion Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. July 17 at the George Washington. For more information about tickets, contact Tripp Kline at 412-916-0187, or by e-mail at trippkline@yahoo.com. Proceeds go to support of the Bradford House museum.
