The Filson together with bourbon historian Michael Veach love to throw historical bourbon themed parties. Last night was another historically significant anniversary for the bourbon industry- Thirsty Thursday. It’s the approximate anniversary of the last day mass liquor sales were legal before prohibition took effect. It was “stock up” day before the long dry spell. So the Filson seized the opportunity to throw a party at The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience’s appropriately themed Speakeasy Room that included two bottles of Old GD Bourbon, a mystery product Veach suspects was bottled sometime between 1880-1890.
But first there was a history lesson. We’re all aware that alcohol sales were illegal for over a decade with exceptions for medicinal use, bakers, and a few others. But what few realize is that prohibition likely contributed to the Great Depression. Farmers burned their crops at one point because it would have cost more to harvest the grains than they could get for them in the marketplace. Had those grains been used for beer and spirits those farmers could have possibly earned a living wage from them. What’s more, though, is that the catalyst for ending prohibition came when someone pointed out that the tax revenue from the sale of beer and spirits for one year could pay off the entire national debt that had accrued during The Great Depression.
The final lesson about Prohibition is a reminder that the 18th amendment was the only amendment to the Constitution that ever removed a right. It was also the only amendment that was repealed, and for those reasons Michael Veach advocates for making Repeal Day a National Holiday.
No matter the occasion, The Filson knows how to throw a party. There’s always bourbon and a history lesson, and on some occasions the bourbon is the history lesson.
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl
